The way I feel about it after all these years is that you can have two different approaches, or types of bosses. One type is highly respected for their technica

The way I feel about it after all these years is that you can have two different approaches, or types of bosses. One type is highly respected for their technical knowledge – let's pick Linus Torvalds as an example – and get respect that way. The other type is the boss who leads by morale: s/he might not even have any real technical competences, but is smart, nice and willing to listen, so you want to keep them happy. A boss doesn't always have to understand the technical details, if they get can get respect by just generally being a wise person with a good grasp on general goals. When you're a deeply technical person, it's often a good idea for a boss to stay out of your way, while still reminding you of the bigger outlines of the project.