
Ask HN: What is your advice to a new manager? - yalogin
I would like to pick the brains of experienced managers here and se what they think are things a new manager should do, study, look for etc.
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allanmacgregor
Be kind and lead by context. Is surprising how many managers think that their
job is being the dictator in charge, and how often they treat their teams as
children.

Your job as a manager is to remove blockers, provide context and make sure
your team is working effectively.

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jhatemyjob
Not a manager, but as someone who had a REALLY political manager who tried to
undermine everyone around him, including (and especially) his subordinates,
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene taught me how to cover my ass and how to
generally be effective in an org.

~~~
valand
Nice book. Nice suggestion.

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greenyoda
If you search HN for "new engineering manager", it will turn up some of the
past discussions:

[https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...](https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=new%20engineering%20manager&sort=byPopularity&type=story)

This one, for example, is an article called "How to fail as a new engineering
manager", with lots of good advice in the comments:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18011381](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18011381)
(106 comments)

Here's another one:

"Ask HN: How do I deal with my engineering team and motivate myself?"

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10892288](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10892288)
(46 comments)

I was an engineering manager for about a decade before I quit and went back to
being a developer. I hesitate to give specific advice, since I don't think I
was very good at it. But here are some things that, looking back, were sources
of difficulty:

\- You can do some amount of development work, but don't put yourself on the
critical path for your group's work, or you won't have time to do the
important things that only a manager can do. (Or you'll try to do everything
at once, and burn out.)

\- Don't be too friendly with the people who report to you. It's hard enough
to lay off an employee, but having to decide which of your friends to lay off
is much harder. You also don't want to be in the position of telling your
friend that their work needs to improve, etc. (Similarly, don't be surprised
if the people who report to you don't want to be your drinking buddies.)

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ned7
I am a startup founder managing a team of 3 developers and 2 sales persons, I
can say from my personal experience that team building and culture are the
most important points a new manager can focus on.

1\. Team building: you should ensure your team share a vision, are aligned
around the same goals, and each one of them is a accountable for one specific
subject she/he is good at.

2\. Team culture: try to naturally build a cult like culture for your team, by
that I mean some kind of special rituals or habits that differentiate you from
other teams or groups. This will strengthen the bonds between team members and
improve productivity long term.

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mtmail
180 comments in "Ask HN: Going from Developer to Manager. What should I know
or learn?"
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18823616](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18823616)

200 comments in "Ask HN: What are the signs that you have a great manager?"
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20230133](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20230133)

17 comments in "Ask HN: How do I become a better team lead for a small, junior
dev team?"
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18687213](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18687213)

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new_guy
1, CYA it's sad that I have to say that, but yes, cover your ass, politics
plays a big part in jobs and (good) managers generally shield you from the
pressure so until you're in that position you've no idea how bad it can be

2, don't be too friendly with the people reporting to you, they won't take you
seriously as a manager and will happily go over your head

3, encourage personal growth of your team and be there for them as a mentor
and friend (which contradicts 2, there's a balance to get)

~~~
joshschreuder
I have heard managers described as a "shit umbrella" for their team, I'm
pretty sure now that that's true, especially for good managers. Know when to
keep your team out of things they don't need to worry about or be involved in
and in general I think they'll be happier for it.

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hos234
Part of your reading list must include books on Psychology to better
understand individuals and Social Psychology to better understand groups.

~~~
mandeepj
any recommendations?

~~~
hos234
The Little Book of Psychology will give you the lay of the land. Then build up
your library over time as you deal with specific issues.

The key is awareness of the important concepts of the field.

Most managers have very little awareness of the field. And under time and
resource pressure, come up with their own half baked theories and solutions
which seed further issues and compound misunderstanding.

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pikapikamtf
don't be a dick

