Maybe not "full transparency", but I think *lots* of engineers chafe at the level of detail they have access to, and wish they were looped in to decision-making processes much earlier.
https://twitter.com/phenlix/status/1488942518410616835
One of the most common reasons people become managers is they want to know EVERYTHING. They are tired of feeling left out, or like information is being kept from them (true or no).
All they want is to be "in the room where it happens", every time it happens.
All they want is to be "in the room where it happens", every time it happens.
I mean, that's why I got in to management. 🙃👋 And it works! It scratches the itch. Everything routes through you. It feels great...for you.
But you still have a team where people feel like they have to become managers in order to be included and heard.
But you still have a team where people feel like they have to become managers in order to be included and heard.
Not everyone wants to know everything. Not everyone has the skill to balance a firehose of context along with prioritizing and delivering their work.
But a strong team can empower those who can 👇 instead of forcing them into management or out.
But a strong team can empower those who can 👇 instead of forcing them into management or out.
https://twitter.com/lizthegrey/status/1489093914023718913?s=21
Which is categorically better for everyone.
There are so many powerful engineers out there who would rather be high level ICs than managers, but their org legit does not know how to handle them. They can't conceive of leaders and strategists who are peers to directors and VPs.
There are so many powerful engineers out there who would rather be high level ICs than managers, but their org legit does not know how to handle them. They can't conceive of leaders and strategists who are peers to directors and VPs.
As for those managers who got in to the game to be in the middle of things, there are a few different outcomes.
-- Sometimes they realize the grass was just greener. Lots of the info they didn't have access to was tedious and uninteresting, so they say good riddance and go back.
-- Sometimes they realize the grass was just greener. Lots of the info they didn't have access to was tedious and uninteresting, so they say good riddance and go back.
-- Sometimes they realize that while they can improve things for their own team, the broader org is firmly wedded to management being a promotion and managers as information choke points.
Maybe you can live with that, maybe not. It doesn't bode well for eng retention long term.
Maybe you can live with that, maybe not. It doesn't bode well for eng retention long term.
-- Often, spending a couple years as a manager serves to demystify the role and the flow of information. If you go back to being an IC, you are likely to feel way more chill about things because you know what's going on behind the scenes and how to get the information you need.
-- You will almost certainly have moments when you look on your manager with pity and gentle amusement, knowing what they are going through, before turning back to your laptop and putting your headphones back on.
But whether you stay in management or not, do remember that feeling of frustration at being out of the loop.
And never build a team where you personally couldn't stand to be an IC. Curiosity and big picture thinking are to be encouraged and fed, not squashed.
And never build a team where you personally couldn't stand to be an IC. Curiosity and big picture thinking are to be encouraged and fed, not squashed.
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