Exploding Management Myths
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The document challenges common management myths, such as the belief that promoting the best technical person into management is effective, or that training employees leads to higher turnover. It emphasizes the importance of interpersonal skills for managers, the need for a supportive environment to foster innovation, and the flaws in measuring productivity based on time spent at work. The text advocates for recognizing the collaborative nature of software development and the detrimental effects of project dependencies and ranking systems.
Exploding Management Myths
- 1. Exploding Management Myths Johanna Rothman New: Hiring GeeksThat Fit www.jrothman.com @johannarothman jr@jrothman.com 781-641-4046
- 2. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “Utilize Everyone All theTime” A mind is a terrible thing to waste Context switching wastes people, prevents innovation, and makes everything take longer 2
- 3. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “Promote the BestTechnical Person Into Management” 3 Management work is different from technical work Managers work outside the team Managers need interpersonal skills
- 4. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “We Have NOTime ForTraining” 4 We are too busy running like hamsters, making do “If you train people, they will leave” If you don’t train them, they might stay
- 5. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “Work Smarter” Who wants to work dumber? Exhortations don’t work Management has to create the environment in which teams can “work smarter” 5
- 6. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “I Need an Expert forThis...” Project dependencies create bottlenecks Never let experts work alone 6
- 7. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “I KnowWhat Everyone is Doing” One-on-ones are for more than just status reports Build trust and a working relationship 7
- 8. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “An Objective Ranking System Works” What’s objective about it? Software is a team sport and we rank people against each other? In a zero-sum game? 8
- 9. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “Time Spent atWork is a Useful Measure of Work” Who here has had good days and bad days at work? The only measure is features complete 9
- 10. © 2013 Johanna Rothman “I Know How Long theWork Should Take...” Conceptually easy to understand is not the same as easy to complete Related to Dunning-Kruger effect: People think they are more competent than they are Wanting to have the work take less time does not make it so 10
- 11. © 2013 Johanna Rothman11 What’s your favorite management myth?
- 12. © 2013 Johanna Rothman You Can Help Me 12 Would you like a book about these myths? What would a great title be?
- 13. © 2013 Johanna Rothman Let’s Stay InTouch... I’ve been writing the myths, one a month on Stickyminds, and then posting afterwards on my site, www.jrothman.com Pragmatic Manager: www.jrothman.com/ pragmaticmanager Please link with me on LinkedIn 13