"How do you recognize good management advice?" Hello everyone! "Who do you trust and what is the truth in management?" This last week I was reading some of the blogs on the people skills necessary for successful management. One blog, in particular, caught my eye. It had to do with "behaviors" that are necessary for a good manager. Some of the behaviors put forth by the author included things like these soft skills: 1. When you are … [Read more...] about #79 Trust Your Experiences
Management for Engineers
#67 How Technical Should A Manager Be?
Should a technical manager be a technical expert? Hello everyone! There seems to be an on-going debate about how technical an engineering manager ought to be. Some say that any manager worth his or her weight in salt has to understand the technology they're managing well enough to actually have answers and be capable of doing some of the work themselves. Others say that any manager worth his or her weight in salt doesn't have to … [Read more...] about #67 How Technical Should A Manager Be?
#65 Managing Projects Half a World Away
Can I make a contractor part of my team? Hello everyone! I have a coaching client who has a big challenge. He is attempting the development of a website by hiring contract website development from overseas independent contractors and companies. He is finding programmers who are technically competent. In some cases very technically competent. He uses instant messaging (IM) and emails and in some cases phone calls to communicate with his … [Read more...] about #65 Managing Projects Half a World Away
#57 Micromanagement To The Rescue!
The case for “close-in” management. Hello everyone! What would you do if you were managing a direct report who complained much of the time? A direct report who "spewed venom" in conversations with other employees, complaining about the company, or about management, or about work conditions, or about work in general? What would you do if this employee went into the offices or cubicles of colleagues and consumed 30 minutes or more at a time, … [Read more...] about #57 Micromanagement To The Rescue!
#50 Is Micromanagement About Power?
Do engineers really care about power? Hello everyone! I wanted to spend one more blog (maybe two) on the topic of micromanagement, I listened to a teleseminar a few weeks back. The teleseminar was marketed as a presentation on how to manage engineers, how to manage "geeks" (the presenters' term). The purpose of the teleseminar was to convey the idea that managing engineers was a unique enterprise and one that was different from managing … [Read more...] about #50 Is Micromanagement About Power?
#44 Team Building Ain’t What You Think!
Team building isn’t a cookie-cutter process. As many authors, pundits, consultants, and academics have stated over the years and as many of us who have worked inside organizations known from experience, team-building and being on a team is very important and when you are part of a team that works, you know it. As a result, a major question that managers must answer is this, “Do all good functioning teams operate the same way?” To review the … [Read more...] about #44 Team Building Ain’t What You Think!