Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

terriblesoftware.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 134 posts

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#51

Post by taco_emoji »

richardlblair wrote: post #42
ThalesX wrote: post #6

Implementers are not babies and managers are not our mothers. I think the management skill nobody talks about is how managers should realize they are part of a team and their focus should be on whatever the team's goal is, not in finding the perfect way to apologize. As the article says: "Your job is to ship working software that adds real value to users, to help your team grow, and to create an environment where peo…

The book referenced is not wrong, but it is too narrow. Repair isn't the core attribute of parenting. It's the core attribute of human relationships. This is generally accepted as common knowledge - it's not about the rupture, it's about the repair. Good for you if you consider yourself so emotionally detached from work that you can let go of the fact that work relationships are still human relationships. However, yo…

Yeah IME "unemotional" people tend to just be people who don't view anger or rage or irritation as "emotions" even though they very much are.

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#52

Post by dahart »

willmadden wrote: post #5

That sounds more like a daycare skill, not a management skill. Good managers don't get distracted by "favors" for other departments or navel gaze after making mistakes. They have a clear vision of what needs to be done and execute on it aggressively, and aren't afraid to make mistakes when pursuing a goal. Good team members love this, and the rest fail out.

Admitting mistakes isn’t navel gazing, it’s basic humility, and it’s valuable and underrated in many social situations. You have a good point about the rest, but it’s orthogonal to this article so there’s no need to crap on it. Strong vision and aggressive pursuit of goals can indeed sometimes be motivating, but it also takes humility or it can become overbearing. Lack of vision is certainly a common failing of many managers.

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#53

Post by bluGill »

selecsosi wrote: post #15

IME the gap in management between ICs is accountability. It's easy to say you are sorry, or say things won't happen again but good management, and what I strive to do is hold myself accountable. To me, that means 1. To identify the issue that occurred (especially when you caused it), and much more importantly, 2. Put systems into place that prevent it from happening again. Employees can feel very clearly when a manag…

Mostly I agree with 2, but be careful not to get so many systems that nothing can get done anymore. Finding that balance is hard.

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#54

Post by matusp »

apwell23 wrote: post #18
harimau777 wrote: post #4

I think the problem is that there's a difference between a good manager and a manager who keeps their job.

despite talk of "great flattening" I've found that management seems to be strangely immune from layoffs compared to ICs. enterprises just love layers and layers of management. can't get enough of it. No CEO has ever seen a management layer he didn't like.

True. Also paradoxically, managers are the most likely to have negative value for the company, running entire departments or projects into the ground. Yet you rarely see this being reflected.

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#55

Post by MrDarcy »

datadrivenangel wrote: post #34
selecsosi wrote: post #15

IME the gap in management between ICs is accountability. It's easy to say you are sorry, or say things won't happen again but good management, and what I strive to do is hold myself accountable. To me, that means 1. To identify the issue that occurred (especially when you caused it), and much more importantly, 2. Put systems into place that prevent it from happening again. Employees can feel very clearly when a manag…

Good systems thinking combined with an actual desire/incentive to continuously improve is a combo that results in good management.

Also why neurodiverse people often make exceptional managers.

The neurology often results in good systems thinking.

The diversity results in lifelong disciplined improvement of social interactions.

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#56

Post by moonlet »

selecsosi wrote: post #15

IME the gap in management between ICs is accountability. It's easy to say you are sorry, or say things won't happen again but good management, and what I strive to do is hold myself accountable. To me, that means 1. To identify the issue that occurred (especially when you caused it), and much more importantly, 2. Put systems into place that prevent it from happening again. Employees can feel very clearly when a manag…

The thing that makes someone trustworthy is taking accountability for your own self and actions, but having boundaries such that you don’t take accountability for the selves and actions of others. That’s basically all I want to see from a manager, a direct report, or a peer.

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#58

Post by delichon »

linsomniac wrote: post #50
yakkomajuri wrote: post #46

This is not just about management but life overall. You will mess up with the people you love -- and repair is the way to go there as well.

Absolutely, EVERYONE needs to figure out how to benefit from their mistakes rather than try to sweep them under the rug. This is one recurring theme I bring up with my kids: If you don't learn from your mistakes, you've made two mistakes. It is really hard to say "I messed up", but you can't live your life acting like you don't make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes, and then move on.

Not so sure. I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, failed to sweep him under a rug, and now I've got the Folsom Prison blues.

Re: All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

#60

Post by n4r9 »

bluGill wrote: post #53
selecsosi wrote: post #15

IME the gap in management between ICs is accountability. It's easy to say you are sorry, or say things won't happen again but good management, and what I strive to do is hold myself accountable. To me, that means 1. To identify the issue that occurred (especially when you caused it), and much more importantly, 2. Put systems into place that prevent it from happening again. Employees can feel very clearly when a manag…

Mostly I agree with 2, but be careful not to get so many systems that nothing can get done anymore. Finding that balance is hard.

That, and be careful to avoid a "box-ticking" culture where people rely on systems over independent thought. Also a hard balance.
Post reply on HN