Managers are tulip

[Mich the Tester]

OK, maybe it’s a bit of a mad generalisation to say they're all tulip, but I’ve met the whole gamut of toxic managers from control freaks through nice-but-dim to complete bullying psychopaths, and I can really only count the good IT or project managers I’ve met on the fingers of one hand; there are 5 managers I’ve worked with that I would say are really effective, and they all had the following attributes;
- solid technical and/or domain knowledge
- ability to listen to professional advice and act on it, as opposed to just looking at costs
- plain language
- keep it simple; no big MS Project charts, KPIs, dashboards or any of those tools for the witless, but a white board and a sheet of A4 paper to communicate the plan
- know how to distill the problem down to it’s essentials to avoid scope creep
- make it clear what is expected of people, and show the same behaviour themselves
- give credit to others when success is achieved
- share responsibility and learn the lessons from failure without apportioning individual blame
- prepared to challenge and when necessary confront their seniors instead of bumlicking
- select expert people and give them freedom to act instead of micro managing

Any other capabilities that spring to mind?

 

[Cyberman]

a good sense of humour is also a huge asset.

 

[stingman123]

The problem here is that without some of the negative aspects you have mentioned - they wouldn't be managers

 

[minestrone]

Any other capabilities that spring to mind?

Not have their hormones controlled by a monthly cycle

 

[Mich the Tester]

Not have their hormones controlled by a monthly cycle

That's vicious. Let's face it, male managers can be quasi-fascist criminally insane dickheads too; look at those scumbags that drove RBS, HBOS, Lehman et al into the ground while their own staff were warning them of what would happen.

 

[DimPrawn]

Maybe it's you.

Perhaps you aren't a team player, but some wayward techie?

 

[Mich the Tester]

Maybe it's you.

Perhaps you aren't a team player, but some wayward techie?

Maybe I’m not really the team type, no. I prefer to get hold of a big complicated issue and work through it bit by bit on my own, calling in people to help where needed. I don’t think this ‘teamwork’ idea is always the best way to do things; sometimes you need a clever, highly trained individual who can take an independent look at things, instead of general agreement among all and sundry.

 

[suityou01]

Maybe I’m not really the team type, no. I prefer to get hold of a big complicated issue and work through it bit by bit on my own, calling in people to help where needed. I don’t think this ‘teamwork’ idea is always the best way to do things; sometimes you need a clever, highly trained individual who can take an independent look at things, instead of general agreement among all and sundry.

Totally agree. This team playing thing only works if the team works as a team. Normally the term "team player" is only used to take a pop at someone.

He/She is not a great team player.

Whereas if you are a good team player is goes unnoticed. Sometimes the team can hold back the one individual who just needs some alone time to think things through and then hand back the conclusion to the rest of the team who accept their learned colleagues assessment rather than nitpick and stall unnecessarily.

 

[suityou01]

Not have their hormones controlled by a monthly cycle

You were tolling Churchill about his religious beliefs yesterday. Now this. Take a holiday, seriously.

 

[Cliphead]

Do you ever stop bitching?