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> So please, if you're a manager, stop coding. Not a fan of this advice at all. My best managers were also fantastic engineers that actively contributed to the

> So please, if you're a manager, stop coding. Not a fan of this advice at all. My best managers were also fantastic engineers that actively contributed to the project. They were better at handling escalations, better at making technical decisions, got more respect from their reports, and were fantastic for team morale. If you have a bad manager, it's not because they're coding, or too technical, it's because they aren't good managers. Good managers also know how to motivate, delegate, support, and lead. They know when to get their hands dirty, and when to let their teams fail and learn. And most importantly, they understand engineering tradeoffs, and when to make them. Most top tech companies have very technical managers, and even though they're not always great, I'd take a random tech manager over a random non-tech one any day.

dilyevsky 8y ago
There’s only so many hours in a day. The time you wasted coding could be spent much more productively doing your actual job which is managing.
ilovecaching 8y ago
They're not supposed to make technical decisions. What you're talking about is one person wearing multiple hats. Sure, some people can do that. But the end goal is to have a manager that manages as his sole job. Getting your hands dirty is a bad thing. That means your spending that time doing technical work when you could be reducing friction for the team and promoting their work.
- icedchai 8y ago
  If you go too far down that road, you wind up with Dilbert-style PHBs who know nothing about the work their team actually does. I'd rather someone who can get their hands dirty, help out the team if necessary.
- zeroxfe 8y ago
  Sorry. I guess I straight up disagree with all of that. I also disagree with the notion of "sole job", which inevitably leads to "that's not my job", a common response at ossified organizations. IME, well-functioning companies are made up of flexible individuals with good judgement. Obviously, there must be a "main job" for every individual -- I think that's absolutely required. I really wish more managers would actually get their hands dirty.
- janee 8y ago
  Imo getting your hands dirty is a prerequisite to understanding your team... and for me it's something you have to keep doing. I agree you shouldn't be the one making technical decisions, but wouldn't say DON'T get your hands dirty as a manager

dilyevsky 8y ago

There’s only so many hours in a day. The time you wasted coding could be spent much more productively doing your actual job which is managing.

ilovecaching 8y ago

They're not supposed to make technical decisions. What you're talking about is one person wearing multiple hats. Sure, some people can do that. But the end goal is to have a manager that manages as his sole job. Getting your hands dirty is a bad thing. That means your spending that time doing technical work when you could be reducing friction for the team and promoting their work.

icedchai 8y ago
If you go too far down that road, you wind up with Dilbert-style PHBs who know nothing about the work their team actually does. I'd rather someone who can get their hands dirty, help out the team if necessary.
zeroxfe 8y ago
Sorry. I guess I straight up disagree with all of that. I also disagree with the notion of "sole job", which inevitably leads to "that's not my job", a common response at ossified organizations. IME, well-functioning companies are made up of flexible individuals with good judgement. Obviously, there must be a "main job" for every individual -- I think that's absolutely required. I really wish more managers would actually get their hands dirty.
janee 8y ago
Imo getting your hands dirty is a prerequisite to understanding your team... and for me it's something you have to keep doing. I agree you shouldn't be the one making technical decisions, but wouldn't say DON'T get your hands dirty as a manager