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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: 0s | source
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selecsosi ◴[22 Aug 25 13:29 UTC] No.44984445[source]▶
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 manager lacks accountability and as part of mid and especially high level management (if your goal is actually improving both output and quality of people's lives) to not just say you did something wrong, but actually put your skin in the game ensuring what happened will not happen again (usually it means being better at saying no or aggressively managing prioritization rather than heaping additional tasks on people).

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1. bsoles ◴[22 Aug 25 16:37 UTC] No.44986614[source]▶
> Put systems into place that prevent it from happening again.

Also called wishful thinking... Often such measures do definitely not work. There is even an internet law named for this: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure".

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2. selecsosi ◴[22 Aug 25 16:46 UTC] No.44986720[source]▶
This is why you have to have skin in the game, and a backbone to say no to executives when it compromises delivery if there isn't escalated mediation.

Said another way, I don't say no a lot, I put prioritization up front and tell them that we are sacrificing other deliver items.

That is a decision that an exec can work with, mediate between teams, and builds mutual respect for senior leadership as you don't break promises you've already made, unless there is mutual agreement from the business.