Comment by edw519 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by edw519 | Hacker News Reader

I've had 80 bosses. 77 of them sucked. I would march through hell to help the other 3 get something done. For me that pretty much sums it up. All the rest is fluff.

FWIW, OP's 3 metrics:

  1. Clarity of Thought and Communication
  2. Judgment about People
  3. Personal Integrity and Commitment

Those should be necessary but not sufficient characteristics of every person in your organization.

EDIT, response to walterbell & el_benharneen about what made the 3 different (in no particular order):

  - They always told the truth (to everybody).
  - They knew their stuff (tech, system, user domain).
  - They figured out the right thing to do.
  - They communicated often and flawlessly.
  - They did whatever it took to get the right thing done.
  - They smiled almost all the time.
  - They made each other person feel special.
  - They made work fun.
  - They were always teaching something.
  - They called bullshit instantly.
  - They protected their team.
  - They inspired us by showing how good things could be.

My three best managers all managed UP the org chart. The worst ones managed down.

Then there were a few in the middle who gave us too much autonomy, deferring to our best judgement on everything, but not doing much firefighting on our behalf.

The three worst ones were glorified secretaries. All they did was keep track of who made what decisions so they'd know who to throw under the bus. The sort of people who won't even break a tie on any important decision where the dev leads are deadlocked. Small, petty excuses for humans that I hope never to encounter again.

Anything in common among the three?

Thanks for this. It'd be great to see instances/examples/anecdotes of each item on the list.

Something along the lines of: "They called bullshit instantly: [example(s) of situations where managers called bullshit instantly, and how it had positive results/avoided negative results.. And an example of situations where bad managers didn't call bullshit instantly and what it led to].

Your list aligns almost perfectly with JJ DID TIE BUCKLE - the US Marine Corps acronym for leadership.

Judgement Justice Dependability Integrity Decisiveness Tact Initiative Endurance Bearing Unselfishness Courage Knowledge Loyalty Enthusiasm

Thank you for sharing this list. It's a great and clear checklist of what I also think makes a phenomenal leader.

I'm impressed that you've cataloged your bosses so precisely! I definitely couldn't tell you how many I've had without spending quite a bit of time thinking back through the list.

What separated the three from the 77?

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