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While I do think the manager bears the vast majority of the responsibility in situations like these, the reality is that you're right, and oftentimes managers d

While I do think the manager bears the vast majority of the responsibility in situations like these, the reality is that you're right, and oftentimes managers do a bad job because they're getting pressured from above to communicate and don't know what to do. You can often get them on your side by giving them a plan that makes them feel like they're in control (again, totally not your responsibility! But better than dealing with them being obnoxious constantly). If they ask for an update and you say, "I don't know what's wrong, but we're looking into it" then they don't know what to do. If you tell them "I don't know what's wrong, but right now we're investigating x because we suspect that's the source of the issue. I'm checking the logs and other engineer is trying to recreate the issue in a clean environment. Unfortunately I don't have a good answer as to how long it'll take, but we'll update you either when we've learned something useful or in two hours, whichever is sooner," then they have something to say to the people above them and they understand when they'll get an update, so they don't need to bother you. A helpless manager is like a child - if left alone, they'll just shout and cause problems. What they really need is direction and structure.

candiddevmike 4y ago
> A helpless manager is like a child - if left alone, they'll just shout and cause problems. What they really need is direction and structure. What they really need is to find a different job. Needing to "manage up" is the ultimate waste of resources IMO and puts a lot of stress on the employees, why even have a manager at that point.
- TheSpiceIsLife 4y ago
  While I tend to agree with you, this doesn't look like anything actionable. I've even tried it by saying something like: "I get the impression you don't really enjoy your job" and getting a response something like "no, I hate it, I hate trying to manage people", and then suggesting the look at job ads. Nothing has changed since.
  - candiddevmike 4y ago
    I agree, and to make matters worse, IME managers of managers tend to be very apathetic of their reports and don't have the same kind of scrutiny of the folks under them that they expect those same people to have of their reports. So the people that shouldn't be managing others don't really have a "check" above them to confirm it, especially if they're good at deflecting blame/sacrificing their reports. I'm a big advocate for no confidence votes from reports to signal to someone that this person needs to go.
- 8ytecoder 4y ago
  Right, circular logic. If I have to manage my manager, can I just manage myself?
- idopmstuff 4y ago
  I think more often than not what they need is training - I tend to see this kind of thing in people who were promoted from IC to manager but never actually trained for the job. A manager can definitely be helpful in this situation - a good one will be a barrier between you and whoever is above them, credibly telling those people that the best thing to do is leave you alone.
  - WalterSear 4y ago
    And what's their managers' excuse, then?
- chrisweekly 4y ago
  Strong disagree. Managing up is an increasingly necessary and valuable skill, the further in your career you progress.
  - candiddevmike 4y ago
    I never said it's an unnecessary skill. My point is that having to do it should be a red flag for dysfunctional leadership.
    - schrodinger 4y ago
      That doesn't seem fair to me. An example from my job—we had a SEV 0 incident, and an _extremely_ important partners was calling our CTO directly to find out details, estimated time to resolution, etc. Being able to clearly articulate the problem at the CTO → 3rd party level in a way is a pretty important example of managing up in my opinion.
  - atoav 4y ago
    Re-read the post you have been commenting on and point out where it says that managment isn't important. What that post said is in fact that managment can be so important that it can't be left to people who are bad at it.
    - chrisweekly 4y ago
      Huh? Maybe your comment was aimed elsewhere in the thread; I never said management isn't important. I responded simply and directly to this comment: > Needing to "manage up" is the ultimate waste of resources... why even have a manager at that point. This kind of blanket refusal to engage meaningfully with one's manager and provide upward feedback creates a vicious cycle that compounds the problem. (PoV based on 25y in the industry, spanning startups and enterprises, in IC and managerial roles incl VP.)
ilyt 4y ago
> I don't know what's wrong, but right now we're investigating x because we suspect that's the source of the issue. I'm checking the logs and other engineer is trying to recreate the issue in a clean environment. Unfortunately I don't have a good answer as to how long it'll take, but we'll update you either when we've learned something useful or in two hours, whichever is sooner, Just don't get too specific, especially with even a bit technically inclined ones, because they will have ideas to help and bother tech people to check their random guesses when trying to be helpful
- KyeRussell 4y ago
  People in management have a wide spectrum of technical proficiency and to imply that someone in a management position could not legitimately help reeks of inexperience.
  - ilyt 4y ago
    I obviously did not written that to encompass every single manager in the world > and to imply that someone in a management position could not legitimately help reeks of inexperience. You reek illiteracy at best, purposeful misunderstanding to have a fight at worst
  - deterministic 4y ago
    30+ years of experience here. 8+ years of successful management experience: 9 out of 10 managers I have ever worked with were incompetent.
  - re-thc 4y ago
    Experience varies. No doubt some can help and there are better companies but there are often those that can't as well. There's a side where all the managers / decision makers are so far removed they don't even know what the tech we use on a day to day basis is.
  - Aeolun 4y ago
    We must have different experiences. I’d expect someone with more experience to lean towards management not being able to legitimately help (with a technical issue).
ljm 4y ago
are you saying the employee should propose a plan of action to control their boss? I'm reading your post and it sounds like you're trying to heard cattle
- freeone3000 4y ago
  Obviously yes? You know what needs to be done to fix the issue, you simply need to communicate upwards that it’s in check. A certain amount of herding is to be expected.
fendy3002 4y ago
> You can often get them on your side by giving them a plan that makes them feel like they're in control Only if they hear you. Had one that's too focused on the pressure from above that my advice is being totally ignored.

candiddevmike 4y ago

> A helpless manager is like a child - if left alone, they'll just shout and cause problems. What they really need is direction and structure. What they really need is to find a different job. Needing to "manage up" is the ultimate waste of resources IMO and puts a lot of stress on the employees, why even have a manager at that point.

TheSpiceIsLife 4y ago
While I tend to agree with you, this doesn't look like anything actionable. I've even tried it by saying something like: "I get the impression you don't really enjoy your job" and getting a response something like "no, I hate it, I hate trying to manage people", and then suggesting the look at job ads. Nothing has changed since.
- candiddevmike 4y ago
  I agree, and to make matters worse, IME managers of managers tend to be very apathetic of their reports and don't have the same kind of scrutiny of the folks under them that they expect those same people to have of their reports. So the people that shouldn't be managing others don't really have a "check" above them to confirm it, especially if they're good at deflecting blame/sacrificing their reports. I'm a big advocate for no confidence votes from reports to signal to someone that this person needs to go.
8ytecoder 4y ago
Right, circular logic. If I have to manage my manager, can I just manage myself?
idopmstuff 4y ago
I think more often than not what they need is training - I tend to see this kind of thing in people who were promoted from IC to manager but never actually trained for the job. A manager can definitely be helpful in this situation - a good one will be a barrier between you and whoever is above them, credibly telling those people that the best thing to do is leave you alone.
- WalterSear 4y ago
  And what's their managers' excuse, then?
chrisweekly 4y ago
Strong disagree. Managing up is an increasingly necessary and valuable skill, the further in your career you progress.
- candiddevmike 4y ago
  I never said it's an unnecessary skill. My point is that having to do it should be a red flag for dysfunctional leadership.
  - schrodinger 4y ago
    That doesn't seem fair to me. An example from my job—we had a SEV 0 incident, and an _extremely_ important partners was calling our CTO directly to find out details, estimated time to resolution, etc. Being able to clearly articulate the problem at the CTO → 3rd party level in a way is a pretty important example of managing up in my opinion.
- atoav 4y ago
  Re-read the post you have been commenting on and point out where it says that managment isn't important. What that post said is in fact that managment can be so important that it can't be left to people who are bad at it.
  - chrisweekly 4y ago
    Huh? Maybe your comment was aimed elsewhere in the thread; I never said management isn't important. I responded simply and directly to this comment: > Needing to "manage up" is the ultimate waste of resources... why even have a manager at that point. This kind of blanket refusal to engage meaningfully with one's manager and provide upward feedback creates a vicious cycle that compounds the problem. (PoV based on 25y in the industry, spanning startups and enterprises, in IC and managerial roles incl VP.)

ilyt 4y ago

> I don't know what's wrong, but right now we're investigating x because we suspect that's the source of the issue. I'm checking the logs and other engineer is trying to recreate the issue in a clean environment. Unfortunately I don't have a good answer as to how long it'll take, but we'll update you either when we've learned something useful or in two hours, whichever is sooner, Just don't get too specific, especially with even a bit technically inclined ones, because they will have ideas to help and bother tech people to check their random guesses when trying to be helpful

KyeRussell 4y ago
People in management have a wide spectrum of technical proficiency and to imply that someone in a management position could not legitimately help reeks of inexperience.
- ilyt 4y ago
  I obviously did not written that to encompass every single manager in the world > and to imply that someone in a management position could not legitimately help reeks of inexperience. You reek illiteracy at best, purposeful misunderstanding to have a fight at worst
- deterministic 4y ago
  30+ years of experience here. 8+ years of successful management experience: 9 out of 10 managers I have ever worked with were incompetent.
- re-thc 4y ago
  Experience varies. No doubt some can help and there are better companies but there are often those that can't as well. There's a side where all the managers / decision makers are so far removed they don't even know what the tech we use on a day to day basis is.
- Aeolun 4y ago
  We must have different experiences. I’d expect someone with more experience to lean towards management not being able to legitimately help (with a technical issue).

ljm 4y ago

are you saying the employee should propose a plan of action to control their boss? I'm reading your post and it sounds like you're trying to heard cattle

freeone3000 4y ago
Obviously yes? You know what needs to be done to fix the issue, you simply need to communicate upwards that it’s in check. A certain amount of herding is to be expected.

fendy3002 4y ago

> You can often get them on your side by giving them a plan that makes them feel like they're in control Only if they hear you. Had one that's too focused on the pressure from above that my advice is being totally ignored.