The really telling sentence is: "I use the term "difficult" to differentiate between those employees where everything is going smoothly, and those where more e

The really telling sentence is: "I use the term "difficult" to differentiate between those employees where everything is going smoothly, and those where more effort is required." ... apparently "difficult" software engineers are those that might require the manager to do ANY WORK AT ALL. Seriously, if this is anything to go by, managers of non-difficult software engineers could be replaced by a cardboard cut-out ... which would be a major cost saving.