CHAPTER 10

Do I Want to Be a Manager?

Years ago, in an interview for an engineering management position, I was asked, “Why do you like being a manager?” I had never been asked this question so plainly. Having no prepared answer, I had to think about it for a bit. Finally, I responded, “I like to make people happy.”

It’s more than just making people happy, of course. A more complete description of technical management might be, “Achieving business and product objectives while simultaneously creating an engineering culture that delivers results and makes people feel their work has an impact and that they are progressing and developing new skills.”

You’ll struggle to be effective in the long run, however, if you don’t truly enjoy the idea of making ...

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