I have to disagree on your implication that non-technical managers should be distrusted. I have had both technical and non-technical managers that have made m

I have to disagree on your implication that non-technical managers should be distrusted. I have had both technical and non-technical managers that have made my life difficult. I've also has both that have made my life easier. A manager's job is to make sure his/her employees have the facilities that they need to get their jobs done. They shelter employees from political bullshit, provide them resources, and enable them to make the decisions they need to make. When necessary, they also facilitate/broker conversations where wrinkles need to be ironed out. A very large problem I've seen with technical managers is there are those that think they know everything and need to provide technical input (or insist on actually coding). More often than not, they think they know more than they actually do (and often refuse to acknowledge their weaknesses). This has provided me more headaches than non-technical managers not understanding what I am working on... For myself, I've been in a number of senior roles in the past several years, I have my opinions based on knowledge and experience, but I know my limits. I try and encourage those around me to be open about their thoughts/challenges. I would rather take the time (bounded) pursuing a dead-end that someone else (less experienced) proposes, if it seems reasonable, than denying the investigation if I had an opinion based on stories/limited experience. In general, I always learn from listening to others -- more or less experienced. A good manager will do the same, listen to his/her team, and facilitate their input/and growth.