This sounds like the words of an a good manager, simply because of the healthy amount of self-doubt. It’s a strange status quo that management is something you’

This sounds like the words of an a good manager, simply because of the healthy amount of self-doubt. It’s a strange status quo that management is something you’re expected to handle simply from experience as an IC, which is absolutely not a guarantee. The predictable result is that only those with great mentors or willing to self-learn the hard way actually become good, after much trial and error. It’s unfortunate and borderline insulting to genuinely good leaders to say that popularity, company loyalty and/or domain experience is enough. So we end up with what we select for. Otoh, what ICs often overlook is that managers often lack the hard and soft power to manage effectively, which of course is a leadership problem in itself. I’ve had well-meaning managers who still were bad for me because they didn’t have enough influence or respect in the greater org. Just like with engineering, even the best can’t do a great job if they are unable to access the right tools.