Management in India - how specific to India?

[Michael Swierczek]

Rahul Goyal,

Thank you for taking part in the Java Ranch book giveaway contests.

My main question is, how specific is the advice in your book to India? I looked through the table of contents, and it appears that only the last section of chapter 11 is specific to India. Is that correct? The rest of the book appears to have advice that is globally applicable.

I know very little about management, and as someone in a senior developer role ( but not a formal management position ), it is something I should learn. I am very pleased by many of the book's section headings - "Myth: fast moving managers - in a tearing hurry", "Good communications skills - especially listening", "Myth: every problem is my problem to solve", "Team spirit is created by the team and not the manager", "Managers can damage team spirit", "An environment of trust and respect", etc... etc... It matches my own attitude towards managing others, although I am certain you have much more expertise and nuance in your ideas than I have with my general ideas.

I also have a personal question, if you don't mind. I find managing others, even people I trust and respect, to be less enjoyable than tackling technical tasks directly. I would rather be writing a new feature on our software than trying to delegate the work to someone else, even if that person is totally suited to the task. What made you decide to move from a primarily developer role into a management position? Do you get to write code or do system or network administration tasks as part of your job? If not, do you miss that? I like to understand how the writer of a technical book thinks versus the way I think, because I think it helps me approach the subject from their angle.

Thanks for your time,
-Mike

[Rahul Goyal rg]

Michael Swierczek wrote:Rahul Goyal,

Thank you for taking part in the Java Ranch book giveaway contests.

My main question is, how specific is the advice in your book to India? I looked through the table of contents, and it appears that only the last section of chapter 11 is specific to India. Is that correct? The rest of the book appears to have advice that is globally applicable.

Hi Mike,

Happy to be here!

Much of the concepts/insights are applicable universally too. The book tries to capture India specific nuances for the same and some processes like Campus hiring may be very specific as well.

Michael Swierczek wrote:
I know very little about management, and as someone in a senior developer role ( but not a formal management position ), it is something I should learn. I am very pleased by many of the book's section headings - "Myth: fast moving managers - in a tearing hurry", "Good communications skills - especially listening", "Myth: every problem is my problem to solve", "Team spirit is created by the team and not the manager", "Managers can damage team spirit", "An environment of trust and respect", etc... etc... It matches my own attitude towards managing others, although I am certain you have much more expertise and nuance in your ideas than I have with my general ideas.

I'm glad that you liked these and found common ground.

Michael Swierczek wrote:
I also have a personal question, if you don't mind. I find managing others, even people I trust and respect, to be less enjoyable than tackling technical tasks directly. I would rather be writing a new feature on our software than trying to delegate the work to someone else, even if that person is totally suited to the task. What made you decide to move from a primarily developer role into a management position? Do you get to write code or do system or network administration tasks as part of your job? If not, do you miss that? I like to understand how the writer of a technical book thinks versus the way I think, because I think it helps me approach the subject from their angle.

Thanks for your time,
-Mike

It's great that you know what excites you and what doesn't. You may find Chapter 3. Basic Skills, Traits, and Competencies of a Manager , relevant in this context.
It's also wonderful that the IT industry has a great career path for folks who wish to focus on technical skills more.

Personally, i was always inclined to take on manager-like tasks, even when i was coding full time and chose to work in companies that allowed technical skills to be exercised.

If you step back and look at the following:
- What is the 'best' use of my time & skills for the organization benefit? Is it coding? designing? delegating & monitoring work? ...
Whatever is the answer, it would be the right answer for the organization.

Follow up question would be: Do i enjoy doing that? or am i willing to give it a try? (experiment)

You may find the answer.

PS: I'm not sure i answered the last part of your question. Perhaps you could rephrase and i'll make another attempt.
Thanks
Rahul Goyal

[Michael Swierczek]

Rahul Goyal,

Thank you for your response. You answered most of the last part of my question. I just personally have a hard time viewing a manager role as more interesting than a developer role. I'm not saying it is easier or less challenging - I believe being a good manager is exceedingly difficult. But while I view the work of a good manager as very valuable and worthwhile, I do not find it to be interesting at all. I view learning these skills as a necessary annoyance. I do my company, myself, and especially my team members a disservice if I am a poor team leader. So it is essential for me to become skilled at it. I just don't enjoy it.

[arulk pillai]

Some managerial tasks are quite boring and repetitive with paper shuffling, signing time sheets, allocating tasks, reviewing documents sitting in too many meetings that don't add much value, etc. Rather than managerial skills, the leadership skills are more challenging like


-- Taking initiatives
-- driving changes
-- devising strategies.


Not all managers are good leaders. You could still be a hands on developer with leadership skills without worrying too much about the title by cultivating good communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills.

[Rahul Goyal rg]

Michael Swierczek wrote:Rahul Goyal,

Thank you for your response. You answered most of the last part of my question. I just personally have a hard time viewing a manager role as more interesting than a developer role. I'm not saying it is easier or less challenging - I believe being a good manager is exceedingly difficult. But while I view the work of a good manager as very valuable and worthwhile, I do not find it to be interesting at all. I view learning these skills as a necessary annoyance. I do my company, myself, and especially my team members a disservice if I am a poor team leader. So it is essential for me to become skilled at it. I just don't enjoy it.

Mike,

You have a great perspective...and I hope you'll start to find the necessary evils less of an annoyance overtime.

Thanks
Rahul