What are the characteristics of good managers?
Hi Blind
Curious to know what are the traits that make for a good manager. It seems all my manager does is create quip docs and ask people for status updates. There is usually little guidance on prioritization or optimization, and comments on docs are also very superficial. In his mind, anything that can be done should be done. He's not aggressive or pushy, but he seems to lack key mentorship traits and his strong suit is managing up, rather than managing people he works with.
In contrast, my previous manager (not in tech) used to actively help me navigate my projects in our 1:1s. Is this an Amazon thing, or a tech thing? In my experience withing Amazon I've seen a lot of not-so-stellar people managers and that scares me.
YOE - 5
TC - 120k (UK)
comments
The best manager is one who can navigate different personalities - meaning different working styles with different people.
The best manager is one who is hands off but always available for help without judgement.
The best manager has a set of principles they work on and they communicate those principles. Those principles are supposed to enable their reports to do their work. And when someone deviates from those principles, they can steer people back on track.
The best manager shows some spine against other teams when they affect their own team.