

Good engineering managers aren't just hard to find – they don't exist - hype7
http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/13/good-engineering-managers-arent-just-hard-to-find-they-dont-exit/

======
endlessvoid94
All I can say is that I have numerous counterexamples of awesome engineering
managers. These are people who understand software and hardware, understand
how to solve problems, and understand the motivations, desires, needs, and
lifestyles of the people on their team.

Not sure how to reconcile with the article, except to say "my experience
differs drastically".

------
melindajb
I do not agree.

Coercive and "Pace-Setting" styles of leadership are not sustainable. They are
tools to be used in specific situations but as a way of life contribute to a
work environment with much less effective outcomes and high turnover.
(reference: [http://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-
results/ar/1](http://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-results/ar/1))

I can't help but wonder if this type of attitude is what leads to cultures
that are hostile to women and people of color.

------
2bluesc
> Unlike virtually every other function in a software company, engineers —
> particularly the good ones — don’t want to move up. This means that the
> people who want the engineering manager role are unlikely to be very good at
> it; and those who could be good at it don’t want anything to do with it at
> all.

This is an awesome article and resonates with me.

~~~
watwut
The trouble is that even if great engineer moves up, his work will require
zero engineering work. Few years later he is just another formerly great
engineer out of touch with superficial ideas about current practices.

I have seen that happen with programmers that moved to pure architect
positions or to pure management. Just a few year later (2-3) and they start to
have naive and idealized idea about programming and development process.

------
jwatte
At IMVU, we matrix "technical leadership" separate from "coaching and HR"
separate from "product definition and projects." It lets different people
focus on what they're best at.

