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I would be interested in reading any advice for developers/engineers on how to "handle" management. Based on some limited reading I've done, the goals of manage

I would be interested in reading any advice for developers/engineers on how to "handle" management. Based on some limited reading I've done, the goals of management and what engineers intuitively think management wants are often very different. Basically, what behaviors do I need to adopt to make my relationship with technical or non-technical managers as mutually beneficial as possible?

js8 9y ago
Personally, but it can be because I was very lucky - treat them as fellow humans, help them where possible. If they don't respond the same way (and try to take advantage of you), look for another job.
sjg007 9y ago
Your job is to make your boss and team look good. And by look good I mean be reliable, dependable, do good work etc...
DenisM 9y ago
Ask your manager what you could have done better. Nobody likes giving unsolicited negative feedback, if you take that stress away from then you will have a much better communication channel, which is where all other things stem from.
pzs 9y ago
I think it is not enough to be good, you also have to look good. What I mean by that is you have to make sure your contributions are visible and comprehensible to your bosses. This should establish some level of credit with them. Once you have that credit you can build on it to have more informative discussions, perhaps during one-on-ones. Dare to ask. Unfortunately, I have seen managers, technical and non-technical, who are seriously non-transparent. That is, they have and promote their own hidden agenda, without regard to how that affects others. Sorry for the pessimistic tone, but management tends to entail politics in big companies, which itself attracts those with the non-transparent personality trait.
- noxToken 9y ago
  > I think it is not enough to be good, you also have to look good. [emphasis mine] This rings true in a lot of large places and in some medium places. If your butt is in a chair in the office, you better be working on something. It doesn't matter if you clear your plate, took a few tasks from someone else, finished those as well, and are looking at the Software Engineering or Code Review SE sites or OWASP to help holistically contribute to your project. Your billable time better be used for tangible results that can be demoed or shown on an agile board. Never mind that you crushed estimated 50 hours in 30 - you don't get to be a warm body.
  - s73ver 9y ago
    The real advice in this comment is to not finish your work too early, as the only reward you'll get is more work.
    - FLUX-YOU 9y ago
      Which of course leads to trying to flex the deadlines to give yourself as much time as the other party is willing to tolerate. After all, if they were willing to budge to a new time but no further, you've just found their actual time.
organsnyder 9y ago
1. Strive to understand how your work fits in with the overall organization. Code by itself is a liability; make sure you know how your code is used to provide value to the organization. 2. When appropriate, ask your manager for more context into areas that aren't readily visible to you. What metrics do they care about? What metrics do their boss, their boss' boss... care about? 3. Provide frequent feedback, both affirmative and critical. When providing criticism, do so constructively, and always have ideas for possible solutions. Also remember that there may be other factors that you're not aware of (see point #2). Explicitly acknowledge that you're not criticizing any individual, and admit that you don't have all of the answers. Adapt your perspective fluidly when new information comes in. 4. Make sure your efforts are in line with the direction of your team, your division, the organization, and the industry. 5. Assume positive intent. 6. Be mindful of how your actions are perceived outside of your immediate team. Optics are important. 7. Make your manager's peers envious of the team that [s]he has assembled.
amelius 9y ago
Simply try to understand the incentives of everybody involved. Not just the goal of the organization as a whole.
groby_b 9y ago
It almost all boils down to more and better communication. Likely, both you and your manager aren't as good at it as you could be - but you can only change what you do. * Get to know your manager. What do they value, what do they care about? What's their style - analytical, from the hip, super-organizer, likes to try things...? * Ask for feedback, ask for the things you want. Managers aren't mind readers. (Make sure you have regular 1:1s!) * Ask for what their goals and expectations are, what they're looking at on a strategic level. Unless you got a heavy politician, most managers love sharing that, they just don't always know you want to hear it. (If you got "The Politician", learn politics or find a new manager) * Communicate often. Your manager has likely a few more reports than you, and keeping up with all of them is hard. Worse, if your manager doesn't see how you're doing, you're likely more affected than they are. Make sure they see. * Communicate clearly. If your manager is a veteran who wrote the system, sure, slay'em with jargon. If they're non-technical, or lack knowledge of the system, explain things so they can understand. Without being patronizing. * Communicate respectfully. Both with your manager - that's just plain survival ;) - and with your team mates. Because it's your manager's job to fix those issues, and making more work is not a good way to win their heart. No matter how technically brilliant you are. * Keep context in mind. All that info you're now communicating - do they need it right now? Can it wait? Is it turning out to be noise for them? Or, alternatively, will this lead to a crisis if not addressed urgently? Adjust accordingly. Managers are strange beasts, they both desperately want more information and are drowning in the wrong kind of it. In other words, treat them like a human being, and treat them like somebody whom you want to help. Congratulations, you're well on your way to be good at "managing up". ;)

js8 9y ago

Personally, but it can be because I was very lucky - treat them as fellow humans, help them where possible. If they don't respond the same way (and try to take advantage of you), look for another job.

sjg007 9y ago

Your job is to make your boss and team look good. And by look good I mean be reliable, dependable, do good work etc...

DenisM 9y ago

Ask your manager what you could have done better. Nobody likes giving unsolicited negative feedback, if you take that stress away from then you will have a much better communication channel, which is where all other things stem from.

pzs 9y ago

I think it is not enough to be good, you also have to look good. What I mean by that is you have to make sure your contributions are visible and comprehensible to your bosses. This should establish some level of credit with them. Once you have that credit you can build on it to have more informative discussions, perhaps during one-on-ones. Dare to ask. Unfortunately, I have seen managers, technical and non-technical, who are seriously non-transparent. That is, they have and promote their own hidden agenda, without regard to how that affects others. Sorry for the pessimistic tone, but management tends to entail politics in big companies, which itself attracts those with the non-transparent personality trait.

noxToken 9y ago
> I think it is not enough to be good, you also have to look good. [emphasis mine] This rings true in a lot of large places and in some medium places. If your butt is in a chair in the office, you better be working on something. It doesn't matter if you clear your plate, took a few tasks from someone else, finished those as well, and are looking at the Software Engineering or Code Review SE sites or OWASP to help holistically contribute to your project. Your billable time better be used for tangible results that can be demoed or shown on an agile board. Never mind that you crushed estimated 50 hours in 30 - you don't get to be a warm body.
- s73ver 9y ago
  The real advice in this comment is to not finish your work too early, as the only reward you'll get is more work.
  - FLUX-YOU 9y ago
    Which of course leads to trying to flex the deadlines to give yourself as much time as the other party is willing to tolerate. After all, if they were willing to budge to a new time but no further, you've just found their actual time.

organsnyder 9y ago

1. Strive to understand how your work fits in with the overall organization. Code by itself is a liability; make sure you know how your code is used to provide value to the organization. 2. When appropriate, ask your manager for more context into areas that aren't readily visible to you. What metrics do they care about? What metrics do their boss, their boss' boss... care about? 3. Provide frequent feedback, both affirmative and critical. When providing criticism, do so constructively, and always have ideas for possible solutions. Also remember that there may be other factors that you're not aware of (see point #2). Explicitly acknowledge that you're not criticizing any individual, and admit that you don't have all of the answers. Adapt your perspective fluidly when new information comes in. 4. Make sure your efforts are in line with the direction of your team, your division, the organization, and the industry. 5. Assume positive intent. 6. Be mindful of how your actions are perceived outside of your immediate team. Optics are important. 7. Make your manager's peers envious of the team that [s]he has assembled.

amelius 9y ago

Simply try to understand the incentives of everybody involved. Not just the goal of the organization as a whole.

groby_b 9y ago

It almost all boils down to more and better communication. Likely, both you and your manager aren't as good at it as you could be - but you can only change what you do. * Get to know your manager. What do they value, what do they care about? What's their style - analytical, from the hip, super-organizer, likes to try things...? * Ask for feedback, ask for the things you want. Managers aren't mind readers. (Make sure you have regular 1:1s!) * Ask for what their goals and expectations are, what they're looking at on a strategic level. Unless you got a heavy politician, most managers love sharing that, they just don't always know you want to hear it. (If you got "The Politician", learn politics or find a new manager) * Communicate often. Your manager has likely a few more reports than you, and keeping up with all of them is hard. Worse, if your manager doesn't see how you're doing, you're likely more affected than they are. Make sure they see. * Communicate clearly. If your manager is a veteran who wrote the system, sure, slay'em with jargon. If they're non-technical, or lack knowledge of the system, explain things so they can understand. Without being patronizing. * Communicate respectfully. Both with your manager - that's just plain survival ;) - and with your team mates. Because it's your manager's job to fix those issues, and making more work is not a good way to win their heart. No matter how technically brilliant you are. * Keep context in mind. All that info you're now communicating - do they need it right now? Can it wait? Is it turning out to be noise for them? Or, alternatively, will this lead to a crisis if not addressed urgently? Adjust accordingly. Managers are strange beasts, they both desperately want more information and are drowning in the wrong kind of it. In other words, treat them like a human being, and treat them like somebody whom you want to help. Congratulations, you're well on your way to be good at "managing up". ;)