Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

I would argue that the key isn't knowing how to do the job but instead trusting the doers not to be misleading.

If the manager is technical and you raise a legitimate concern they know and understand the concern. If the manager isn't and doesn't trust the doers they will assume they are trying to get away with something or are lazy.

Honestly, I have a hunch most of this distinction comes down to trust between both parties.

I've had managers that were highly technical and it's a great experience to be able to learn technical skills from your manager. I've also had managers that were not technical with respect to the technology used on the project (i.e. couldn't do what the doers were doing) but they understood this, trusted us to get the job done, and it worked out. Both were very pleasant experiences.

Now, I've had non-technical AND non-trusting managers before and it was a miserable experience.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: