DEV Community

Ben
Ben

Posted on

What is your way to be management?

I am just a developer. I am seeking a way for career advancement.

What is your way to be management?

Top comments (14)

Collapse
 
themindfuldev profile image
Tiago Romero • Edited

My way is through Servant Leadership. It's a beautiful concept which is pretty much about building respect not through power but through relationships, love, service, and sacrifice, where you tend to others while empowering them to grow.

You can learn more at 9 Qualities of the Servant Leader.

I learned it through this book here: The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership by James C. Hunter.

It's a short and very meaningful read. Perhaps you can find it in your local library.

Collapse
 
imben1109 profile image
Ben

Yes. I am learning to be a leader.

I know I want to be leader instead of boss. I do not know why so many leaders (supposed to be) become bosses.

Collapse
 
themindfuldev profile image
Tiago Romero

Nice! I forgot to mention that, in practice, it really helps when you have a good leader on your team.

I didn’t have one to begin with, for many years.

Even though I studied this book, it was not clear what to do in certain situations.

Then, it was through seeing my previous manager putting these ideas into practice that I really absorbed the approach. He was a master on solving conflicts in the most kind way.

Thread Thread
 
imben1109 profile image
Ben

How can i find a person demonstrating his awesome practice? ><

Thread Thread
 
themindfuldev profile image
Tiago Romero

I guess it must be a secret, it took me years to find it for the first time :P

Some people also have some natural talent for this, being very patient and resilient.

Collapse
 
mandarvaze profile image
Mandar Vaze

It might be useful to know "why" you want to be in the management ?
From my personal experience, I also was "promoted" to be a manager, but after a while I realized I did not enjoy it, mostly because I moved away from hands-on coding.
I'm not saying that all the managers are/need to be hands-off. So depending on your "why", you may be able to choose the right path.

Collapse
 
imben1109 profile image
Ben • Edited

I do not know why a developer do not know the whole picture of a system sometimes.

I do not know. Maybe I want a better salary. Maybe I want to own something for businesses. Maybe I think I can do better than the manager.

Collapse
 
mandarvaze profile image
Mandar Vaze

I do not know why a developer do not know the whole picture of a system sometimes.

In my world view, technical architect knows (should know) the whole picture of the system. Managers usually deal with "other" issues, hiring, taking status/reporting status etc. which I found boring.
(So now I am a software architect)

Maybe I want to own something for businesses.

If you want to learn "business" side of things (to start your own company someday) identify whether you like "non tech" (I don't)

If you don't like, but still want to start on your own, start networking, and make friends with people who could be potential co-founders.

Finally, it also matters whether you are working in BigCo or a smaller one.

BigCO typically have fixed paths, and fixed responsibilities - even for "managers", smaller companies OTOH are more flexible, and this is where you can show initiative and learn about "business" (and practice PM skills - from your other question)

Thread Thread
 
imben1109 profile image
Ben • Edited

Haha. Yes. you are right.

One more question. Do you know why some non-technical guys (maybe manager ) do not respect technical people?

They just think IT Task is just a busy job and can create magic. They just want a low cost just high quality.

Thread Thread
 
mandarvaze profile image
Mandar Vaze

They just want a low cost just high quality.

It does not mean they do not "respect" technical staff.

Driving down the "cost" is part of the "for profit" business. For software product, biggest cost is usually salaries.

Thread Thread
 
imben1109 profile image
Ben

So, they would try to cut cost just like cut you. ><

Collapse
 
stevebrownlee profile image
Steve Brownlee

An effective strategy to determine if (a) you want to be in management, and (b) if you would be good at it is to determine how much time you can spend helping other people around you, and then doing it at every opportunity. Great managers spend much of their time making sure that their teammates are growing in their capabilities, have the resources they need to do their job, and are protected from distractions wherever possible.

This has other benefits, regardless if you determine that you want to shift into management.

  1. People learn that they can trust you. Psychological safety is the number one factor of a successful team.
  2. You become better at what you do by gaining other perspectives, and your teammates do the same.
  3. Your teammates will be far more willing to help you if you need it.
Collapse
 
mandarvaze profile image
Mandar Vaze

It might be worthwhile to go this article (Not written by me - just found it relevant)
Should I become a manager?

Collapse
 
cathodion profile image
Dustin King

You could tell your manager that you're interested in becoming one, and ask if they have any advice. (Hopefully this won't make them see you as competition. 😅)