News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Why are there so many bad managers? by greenyoda on Wednesday January 29, 2014 @09:13PM (#7148678)
One problem that's quite common is that new managers are given very little training or mentoring - the company just promotes a senior developer to management and expects them to somehow figure out how to do it well (at least that's what happened to me). However, management requires a very different set of skills than programming, and, like programming, you can't just learn these skills in a few weeks (especially while working around the clock to try to meet a product deadline that's now your responsibility).

Unfortunately, the mistakes a novice manager can make - hiring the wrong people, irritating good developers to the point where they quit the company, etc. - are much harder and more costly to clean up than the kinds of mistakes you can make as a developer. For one thing, there's a multiplier effect: your actions suddenly affect more people.

Re:Why are there so many bad managers? by semerda on Thursday January 30, 2014 @01:23AM (#7149329)
The training companies provide are nothing extraordinary. Usually few days of managerial training spread over few months on what you can and cannot say/question employees i.e. religion, race etc. and few other tidbits on general managerial operations. If your boss is too lazy to send you to one your HR must. It is their obligation.

However that is not the crust of being a good manager. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and having Empathy is. Realizing that every person is an individual and as such should be treated individually. I recommend books by Dr Paul Ekman like Emotions Revealed & on body language by Joe Navarro that will give you a head jump in working with & understanding people.

Re:Why are there so many bad managers? by jevanish on Thursday January 30, 2014 @12:56AM (#7149264)
So what did you end up doing? Sounds like you eventually figured things out...what would you tell the past version of yourself?