My best managers couldn't do the engineering work I do. Likewise, I can't do their work (I've tried management, it sucked for me, I won't try it again). My cur

My best managers couldn't do the engineering work I do. Likewise, I can't do their work (I've tried management, it sucked for me, I won't try it again). My current boss [and one of the best I've had, btw] puts it thusly: "You solve problems with designs and lines of code. I solve problems by putting the right people in the right places." It's an over-simplification of both sides, but it contains a lot of the truth. Trouble starts when managers (who should be doing people-level stuff) get their mitts into technical stuff, especially when they start "laying down the law" without proper background. That's when they grow pointy hair on their heads, that's when the "send me weekly status report email" requests start, these days it's usually when the "Agile" drums start beating, and it's when I start looking for a new position.