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I agree with the vast majority, however I will focus on what I disagree with because what's interesting. - Your team looks to you for leadership. Have the cour

I agree with the vast majority, however I will focus on what I disagree with because what's interesting. - Your team looks to you for leadership. Have the courage to say what everyone knows to be true but isn’t saying. I don't look for management for leadership, I look at management to resolve conflicts that due to a hierarchy they are the only one given the authority to do so. Leadership is found everywhere, and management doesn't have any more or less of this quality. - Most intellectual arguments have strong emotional undercurrents. You’ll be dramatically more efficient once you learn to figure out what those are. I'm not sure what you mean here. If you mean by strong emotional undercurrents, biases.. sure. That's extremely important to determining how rational a decision is. I don't think it's particularly emotional though. - Once everyone is heard, summarize all points of view so clearly that people say “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.” List any points of agreement with each view, and state what you’ve learned from everyone. Then make your decision. I don't think this is because, "I wish I'd thought of putting it that way", and more to validate that you understand the issues and arguments. If everyone can agree that you've at least stated the situation properly, we have a foundation on which to make a decision. -When disagreement gets personal or people don’t accept well-reasoned decisions, it turns into conflict. Is that a lesson? When things are conflicts, they turn into conflicts. -If the conflict persists after you’ve gone to reasonable lengths to hear everyone out and fix problems, it’s time for a difficult conversation. What are you implying? Firing someone? What is this difficult conversation you're talking about? .... There's a difficult conversation section after this... I'm getting the impression you mean, dealing with a conflict and telling them to suck it up. Okay. - Occasionally someone will push too far. When they do, you have to show a rough edge or you’ll lose authority with your team. I don't need shown a rough edge. You have authority because the company gives it, that's all that's required. Perhaps these are just the types of people I don't deal with, and thus don't have this experience. ... By majority a lot of solid advice and thoughts. In there are some odd phrasings and issues. Perhaps many people take value in this stuff, it's quite possible as a person I don't feel the need for much of it because I'm not the type that requires it.

solipsism 12y ago
it's quite possible as a person I don't feel the need for much of it because I'm not the type that requires it. By that you mean... you're not a manager of engineers?
- AndyNemmity 12y ago
  No, I am.
lifeisstillgood 12y ago
> Leadership is found everywhere, and management doesn't have any more or less of this quality. Yes but "saying what no one dares to" needs a pre-requisite of having sufficient authority that no one can fire you for pointing out the emperor has no clothes. If a manager can say out loud what no one else will, I bet you they all whisper it in the kitchen.
bluesnowmonkey 12y ago
I don't need shown a rough edge. Well, most people do. They're biological organisms and all full of emotions and quirks. For instance, did you know that if you laugh at people's jokes, they tend to be more open to your ideas? True story. Does that make any sense at all? No. In the same way, leadership isn't just about your position on an organizational chart. Sometimes you need to be stern when someone is out of line. You need to be assertive with your ideas, not just express them and expect people to understand their merit. It gets complicated. It's not enough to be technically right or "in charge." You have to recognize that we're a bunch of apes building computer software. It's been an evolutionary blink of an eye since our intelligence and social structures became sufficient to farm and live in large groups. We're pack animals. If you could summarize good engineering management in a sentence, I think it would be, "Treat people like people." The engineering part doesn't even factor into it until you've got everyone acting like decent human beings.
calibraxis 12y ago
Good points! As a manager, I absolutely hate: "Your team looks to you for leadership." The disturbing thing is, mine kinda does. :) I hope it's because they're untrained in the arts of conflict resolution and "Imagine yourself as more than 1 person". Society relentlessly drills people as hyper-individualized followers. (If it's not just training, may god have mercy on their souls...) Instead of "emotional", better terms might be societal and psychological? For example, part of my training in the male gender is obnoxious use of abstractions unsupported by the particular situation. When people do this, my thoughts turn savage. (Naturally, I try not to do it except when preceded by, "Don't know if it applies, but please let's consider...") Breaking ties & whatnot reinforces your position as boss. This can contradict goals like promoting others as leaders. (Say, in proportion to their disempowerment in society. Because overall they need to be more observant than the more aristocratic types on top.) On firing, is it so hard to help them find a job elsewhere? On rough edges... the more assholish your team, the more rough edges you'll need to show. But ideally, one should escalate from more discreet routes.

solipsism 12y ago

it's quite possible as a person I don't feel the need for much of it because I'm not the type that requires it. By that you mean... you're not a manager of engineers?

AndyNemmity 12y ago
No, I am.

lifeisstillgood 12y ago

> Leadership is found everywhere, and management doesn't have any more or less of this quality. Yes but "saying what no one dares to" needs a pre-requisite of having sufficient authority that no one can fire you for pointing out the emperor has no clothes. If a manager can say out loud what no one else will, I bet you they all whisper it in the kitchen.

bluesnowmonkey 12y ago

I don't need shown a rough edge. Well, most people do. They're biological organisms and all full of emotions and quirks. For instance, did you know that if you laugh at people's jokes, they tend to be more open to your ideas? True story. Does that make any sense at all? No. In the same way, leadership isn't just about your position on an organizational chart. Sometimes you need to be stern when someone is out of line. You need to be assertive with your ideas, not just express them and expect people to understand their merit. It gets complicated. It's not enough to be technically right or "in charge." You have to recognize that we're a bunch of apes building computer software. It's been an evolutionary blink of an eye since our intelligence and social structures became sufficient to farm and live in large groups. We're pack animals. If you could summarize good engineering management in a sentence, I think it would be, "Treat people like people." The engineering part doesn't even factor into it until you've got everyone acting like decent human beings.

calibraxis 12y ago

Good points! As a manager, I absolutely hate: "Your team looks to you for leadership." The disturbing thing is, mine kinda does. :) I hope it's because they're untrained in the arts of conflict resolution and "Imagine yourself as more than 1 person". Society relentlessly drills people as hyper-individualized followers. (If it's not just training, may god have mercy on their souls...) Instead of "emotional", better terms might be societal and psychological? For example, part of my training in the male gender is obnoxious use of abstractions unsupported by the particular situation. When people do this, my thoughts turn savage. (Naturally, I try not to do it except when preceded by, "Don't know if it applies, but please let's consider...") Breaking ties & whatnot reinforces your position as boss. This can contradict goals like promoting others as leaders. (Say, in proportion to their disempowerment in society. Because overall they need to be more observant than the more aristocratic types on top.) On firing, is it so hard to help them find a job elsewhere? On rough edges... the more assholish your team, the more rough edges you'll need to show. But ideally, one should escalate from more discreet routes.