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All managers make mistakes; good managers acknowledge and repair

(terriblesoftware.org)
308 points matheusml | 2 comments | 22 Aug 25 12:50 UTC | HN request time: 0.413s | source
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ThalesX ◴[22 Aug 25 13:20 UTC] No.44984331[source]▶
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 people can do their best work."

I couldn't give a rat's ass if a manager doesn't apologize to me in a way that makes my eyes water, admitting his humanity in the process, if that manager doesn't insist on making the same mistake and getting in my way all the time.

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1. hvb2 ◴[22 Aug 25 14:28 UTC] No.44985115[source]▶
> I couldn't give a rat's ass if a manager doesn't apologize to me in a way that makes my eyes water, admitting his humanity in the process, if that manager doesn't insist on making the same mistake and getting in my way all the time.

But this is part of the point, while for you that might not matter, your manager cannot assume this. Other people DO care.

One of the ways your manager can mess us is by assuming you don't care about that...

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2. ThalesX ◴[22 Aug 25 16:44 UTC] No.44986698[source]▶
I guess that could be the case.

In my stints in managerial roles, I was mostly focused on the work to be done. I haven't gotten bad reviews, on the contrary. So I'm making the mistake of assuming that focus on work to be done is more relevant than focus on how to approach each individual.