- They trust their team, but stay engaged/aware enough to know when to ask the right questions
- They run interference for the team and make sure they’re shielded from org BS when possible
- They make sure the team has the tools they need, and when they don’t, they relentlessly pursue a solution
- They establish good relationships with other teams and leaders, and leverage those relationships to help the team (so important when your team has dependencies on other teams)
- They shut down adhoc/direct requests from upper leadership that would distract from current priorities
- They consistently sell the value of the team and highlight its accomplishments
- They convey enough about the business context to make the work more meaningful
- They always have your back in public, even if there might be critical feedback to deliver later
- They elevate the members of the team and don’t take credit for the team’s work; instead, they take pride in creating the environment that allowed the work to thrive
- People want to work for these managers, and you also think hard about leaving them
I’ve been lucky enough to experience all of this in a single manager a few times, but it seems rare.
But also keep in mind that managers are human, often thrown into the position, and while they’re eager to be the kind of manager people want to work for, they may not have the experience.
When I was a principal IC/team lead, I found it useful to “manage up” (I kinda hate this term), and communicate as clearly as possible about what the team needs and how they can help. Especially with newer managers, this is critical. I’ve seen new managers chewed up and spit out by snarky devs who view them as an adversary instead of a member of the team, and in a discussion about good managers, it seems important to mention that there’s a lot a team can do to help a new manager find their stride, and one of the truly good managers I worked for emerged from this kind of situation.