Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#1

Post by raygelogic » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 2:54 PM UTC

I lead a software dev team at a small startup. One of my direct reports is way smarter than me. They come up with clever, simple solutions to business needs. They're also really driven, and will do things like find out what our stakeholders need and create the specs and do planning for those things. Generally we are a team and communicate pretty well on those things, but most of the time I'm left feeling like I'm not adding much value. Usually, they're the one rejecting ideas and having better ones.

That said, they tend to get overwhelmed easily (a bit of overthinking at times), and I'm much more comfortable communicating with leadership/presenting ideas to the company, etc. So I wouldn't recommend they step into management just yet.

Really what I want is to continue leading the team as best I can, and not let my ego interfere. But I guess I'm wondering how to best manage this person. Do I just sit back and let them do their thing? Try harder to meet them at their level and challenge them? How would you all like to be managed if you were in their position?

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#2

Post by DamonHD » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 3:09 PM UTC

Sounds like you should continue to do what management ought: smooth the path for those working for you to do their best work.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#3

Post by runjake » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 3:11 PM UTC

- You fill in their weak spots.

- Make sure they stay on the path (both for themselves and the company). Sometimes, they will stray on both.

- Shield them from whatever corporate cruft prevents them from doing their best work.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#4

Post by tboyd47 » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 3:17 PM UTC

Be a guard for them against people outside your team trying to waste their time.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#5

Post by incomingpain » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 3:22 PM UTC

>I lead a software dev team at a small startup. One of my direct reports is way smarter than me. They come up with clever, simple solutions to business needs. They're also really driven, and will do things like find out what our stakeholders need and create the specs and do planning for those things. Generally we are a team and communicate pretty well on those things, but most of the time I'm left feeling like I'm not adding much value. Usually, they're the one rejecting ideas and having better ones.

Give appropriate praise but avoid flattery.

>Really what I want is to continue leading the team as best I can, and not let my ego interfere. But I guess I'm wondering how to best manage this person. Do I just sit back and let them do their thing? Try harder to meet them at their level and challenge them? How would you all like to be managed if you were in their position?

Do that then, contribute where you can. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Imagine real life is like Skyrim where there are skill trees, except there's hundreds of skills. Someone might have leveled up 1 skill tree higher than yourself but as you realize you have better skills in other ways.

Only compare yourself to yourself yesterday. Could you raise your level and 'meet them', that's your decision to raise this skill up. Or are you raising another skill up? You probably can't be working on more than 1 at once.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#6

Post by beardyw » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 3:34 PM UTC

Sounds like you are a great manager in the making.

Obviously your job is to deliver the thing through your team. Don't be distracted from that. Otherwise help your rising star rise.

I was once in that position and had the privilege later to work for that person.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#7

Post by Jugurtha » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 4:07 PM UTC

Fire yourself out of your today's job description for tomorrow's. Groom them. Gradually increase the complexity of their role beginning with involving them in the larger scope of the project and seeing where they saturate, and asking someone else on the team to help them.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#8

Post by pedrofornaza » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 5:30 PM UTC

The fact that you are here, asking about how to do better is already a very good sign. Congrats.

You may feel like not adding much value because you may be measuring yourself by the wrong metric. If you are / was a software developer, its kinda easy to see your contribution, you just pull the git log. When you are leading, its way harder to notice. Thats the jump to the soft skills.

I like to think soft skills are called this way because they have a soft touch. You cant really define what they are, but you know when you are not having it, much like clean code.

It seems like you know where they can develop and get better. Managing them is helping them achieve it. Help them, guide them, nurture them. And mostly important, ask them where you can help.

Being the manager is not being the smarter, just the facilitator. You make thinks smooth. Managing is good when you cant see and it feels it does not exists, but, you know things will be worse if the managers are out.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#9

Post by Optimal_Persona » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 5:54 PM UTC

Supervisees will always be somewhere on a continuum from "low experience/confidence, need lots of care and guidance" to "10x takes care of everything". As a supervisor I find that recognizing and acknowledging (directly) to the high performers that:

- I'm aware of their skills, accomplishments & impact, and

- I see my job as shielding them from bullshit and giving them enough slack to organize their own time & workflows wherever possible, and

- I will champion their ideas if they fit the plan, or offer context/feedback they may lack so they don't feel I'm dismissing them out of hand. Works well.

As you note, keeping your ego out of the game can be a challenge! It's especially hard if/when the person is younger or less experienced than you but has better ideas. I regular have to give folks programming projects I'd rather be focusing on than doing manager work!

As a lifelong bassist, I find that approaching work "teams" as a musical group, rather than a sports team, to be a more apt metaphor. It's not necessarily about winning per se, it's more about everyone playing their part in making the music come to life. Generally a bassist's job is to "serve the song" and make everyone else sound good. Sometimes that means sitting out for the first half of the song, or playing one long note per bar so the attention stays on the voice, lead instrument, or production. Many people don't really know what the bass is or does until it drops out of the music. Then it sounds small and empty and everyone stops dancing.

Re: Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

#10

Post by IceMetalPunk » Fri, Jun 17, 2022, 5:57 PM UTC

I'm just a lowly dev, not a manager, but the way I see it, a team of devs (including management) has one goal: to create and maintain a product that meets the users' expectations and needs as closely as possible, so they will be happy and pay you for your work. Facilitating that means allowing every team member to shine in their strengths, and supporting them in their weaknesses so they can grow. Collaboration is important, but remember it's not your job to tell them how to do their job, it's your job to support them in planning and executing their job in the most optimal and effective way possible. Sometimes that may mean suggesting better ideas, but that's not a requirement nor a guarantee.

In other words: if they're great at design, planning, and implementation, let them do that, while you focus on communicating their ideas to the upper class -- I mean, upper management -- and helping them with time management when they get overwhelmed. (Which is definitely something I can relate to far too well.)

I don't know if you play D&D, but a good analogy is that managers should act as clerics, fighting when necessary but mostly there to support the team so they can specialize and fight together with less risk of failure.