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What does managing careers of subordinates mean? Sorry to ask a basic question but most of my experience is at startups that barely have structure to the team.

What does managing careers of subordinates mean? Sorry to ask a basic question but most of my experience is at startups that barely have structure to the team. What specifically should managers be doing to support their team members's careers?

chris_mahan 12y ago
Teach them, mentor them, introduce them to people, give them exciting, challenging projects (for that person)...
quanticle 12y ago
It means telling me what I need to do to get to the next level on my career path. Step 1 is asking what your subordinate's next position will be. Are the looking to stay technical? Are they looking to transition to a more managerial role? Do they not know? If they don't know or are uncertain, take a step back and ask them about what they enjoy doing, present them with options and then let them decide what their goal state is. Step 2 is figuring out what you and they need to do in order to move to that goal. Also, like the original article states, a lot of engineers are really bad at selling themselves. They won't ask for a promotion. They won't ask, "Okay, what am I missing that's preventing me from getting an acknowledgement for my skills and experience." If they're anything like me, they'll just look around after a while and jump ship when they find a position somewhere else that does give them what they want. Finally, I should note that I am not a manager, nor do I have any desire to be one. But I've dealt with a fair number of managers, and the ones I've been most comfortable with have been the ones who've been direct about asking me (after 4-6 months) where I want to go in the organization. The worst feeling is going to one-on-ones week after week, and just rehashing the same points you go over in your daily stand-ups. Weekly one-on-ones should be about the developer and the manager figuring out where the developer wants to go in the organization and what needs to be done to get them there.
bcbrown 12y ago
The very first meeting I had with the best manager I've ever had, he asked me what my career goals were. After working for him for a while and demonstrating my interest in a certain sub-field, he got me an invitation onto a new team focusing on that sub-field. Know what your people want, and put them in a place where they have the chance to achieve it. That's what I want out of a manager.

chris_mahan 12y ago

Teach them, mentor them, introduce them to people, give them exciting, challenging projects (for that person)...

quanticle 12y ago

It means telling me what I need to do to get to the next level on my career path. Step 1 is asking what your subordinate's next position will be. Are the looking to stay technical? Are they looking to transition to a more managerial role? Do they not know? If they don't know or are uncertain, take a step back and ask them about what they enjoy doing, present them with options and then let them decide what their goal state is. Step 2 is figuring out what you and they need to do in order to move to that goal. Also, like the original article states, a lot of engineers are really bad at selling themselves. They won't ask for a promotion. They won't ask, "Okay, what am I missing that's preventing me from getting an acknowledgement for my skills and experience." If they're anything like me, they'll just look around after a while and jump ship when they find a position somewhere else that does give them what they want. Finally, I should note that I am not a manager, nor do I have any desire to be one. But I've dealt with a fair number of managers, and the ones I've been most comfortable with have been the ones who've been direct about asking me (after 4-6 months) where I want to go in the organization. The worst feeling is going to one-on-ones week after week, and just rehashing the same points you go over in your daily stand-ups. Weekly one-on-ones should be about the developer and the manager figuring out where the developer wants to go in the organization and what needs to be done to get them there.

bcbrown 12y ago

The very first meeting I had with the best manager I've ever had, he asked me what my career goals were. After working for him for a while and demonstrating my interest in a certain sub-field, he got me an invitation onto a new team focusing on that sub-field. Know what your people want, and put them in a place where they have the chance to achieve it. That's what I want out of a manager.