Ask HN: Managing people smarter than you

24 points by raygelogic 3 years ago | 20 comments

I lead a software dev team at a small startup. One of my direct reports is way smarter than me. They come up with clever, simple solutions to business needs. They're also really driven, and will do things like find out what our stakeholders need and create the specs and do planning for those things. Generally we are a team and communicate pretty well on those things, but most of the time I'm left feeling like I'm not adding much value. Usually, they're the one rejecting ideas and having better ones.

That said, they tend to get overwhelmed easily (a bit of overthinking at times), and I'm much more comfortable communicating with leadership/presenting ideas to the company, etc. So I wouldn't recommend they step into management just yet.

Really what I want is to continue leading the team as best I can, and not let my ego interfere. But I guess I'm wondering how to best manage this person. Do I just sit back and let them do their thing? Try harder to meet them at their level and challenge them? How would you all like to be managed if you were in their position?

pedrofornaza 3 years ago |

The fact that you are here, asking about how to do better is already a very good sign. Congrats.

You may feel like not adding much value because you may be measuring yourself by the wrong metric. If you are / was a software developer, its kinda easy to see your contribution, you just pull the git log. When you are leading, its way harder to notice. Thats the jump to the soft skills.

I like to think soft skills are called this way because they have a soft touch. You cant really define what they are, but you know when you are not having it, much like clean code.

It seems like you know where they can develop and get better. Managing them is helping them achieve it. Help them, guide them, nurture them. And mostly important, ask them where you can help.

Being the manager is not being the smarter, just the facilitator. You make thinks smooth. Managing is good when you cant see and it feels it does not exists, but, you know things will be worse if the managers are out.

raygelogic 3 years ago | |

I think the state of things is pretty good overall. most of my anxiety comes from this fear that I'm not gonna be an owner of what we've built if they're the one making all the decisions. it's silly, but letting go of that isn't easy. 'preciate the thoughts.

pedrofornaza 3 years ago | | |

Been there, done that. For me it was mostly measuring me with the wrong metric. We've been taught the whole career about deliverables, etc. When you become a manager, the metric is different.

I always think im doing a hell of a job if my team can just focus, get shit done and leave happy on the end of the day.

The best managers seems invisible and looks like they aren't doing shit.

Cheers bro, just keep improving and its gonna be ok.

Optimal_Persona 3 years ago |

Supervisees will always be somewhere on a continuum from "low experience/confidence, need lots of care and guidance" to "10x takes care of everything". As a supervisor I find that recognizing and acknowledging (directly) to the high performers that:

- I'm aware of their skills, accomplishments & impact, and

- I see my job as shielding them from bullshit and giving them enough slack to organize their own time & workflows wherever possible, and

- I will champion their ideas if they fit the plan, or offer context/feedback they may lack so they don't feel I'm dismissing them out of hand. Works well.

As you note, keeping your ego out of the game can be a challenge! It's especially hard if/when the person is younger or less experienced than you but has better ideas. I regular have to give folks programming projects I'd rather be focusing on than doing manager work!

As a lifelong bassist, I find that approaching work "teams" as a musical group, rather than a sports team, to be a more apt metaphor. It's not necessarily about winning per se, it's more about everyone playing their part in making the music come to life. Generally a bassist's job is to "serve the song" and make everyone else sound good. Sometimes that means sitting out for the first half of the song, or playing one long note per bar so the attention stays on the voice, lead instrument, or production. Many people don't really know what the bass is or does until it drops out of the music. Then it sounds small and empty and everyone stops dancing.

IceMetalPunk 3 years ago | |

I can't play any instruments (except a tiny bit of piano-by-ear), but I think bassists are extremely under-appreciated. A great drum-and-bassline can make a terrible song amazing, and a crappy bass rhythm can ruin an otherwise delightful one. And yet there's a reputation of bassists not doing much, which is totally unfair and inaccurate. Imagine RHCP without Flea, or Queen without Deacon... or hell, even in more "easy listening" genres, imagine any Charlie Puth song without bass. I shudder to think of how any of that would sound.

raygelogic 3 years ago | |

mccartney wrote most of the great ones though ;-)

but, the beatles worked because they didn't have such big egos, at least with each other.

I really do care about making the team successful, way more than my own contributions. it'll take time to let go of the BS in my subconciousness.

Jugurtha 3 years ago |

Fire yourself out of your today's job description for tomorrow's. Groom them. Gradually increase the complexity of their role beginning with involving them in the larger scope of the project and seeing where they saturate, and asking someone else on the team to help them.

More content you may find useful:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710673

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31718705

karmakaze 3 years ago |

> But I guess I'm wondering how to best manage this person. Do I just sit back and let them do their thing?

I think the best way to think of this is not "how to I manage this person?" but rather how to I manage effectively the team with this person's contributions? Where things are working well, let them run, and where ever possible make sure everyone is aware of what's happening and keep people on the same page.

> Try harder to meet them at their level and challenge them?

I think the thing to do is make sure that what they're doing is comprehensible to you, the team, and to a wider audience. Be the 'straight guy' in the middle of a sitcom where everything happening around them gets illustrated to the audience.

> How would you all like to be managed if you were in their position?

I often am. A balance is best, sometimes stay out of the way and let creativity fly, other times make sure that other members of the team get a chance to flex their brains. Having them work together on things (e.g. pair programming) with various teammates could have good attributes rub off and other social benefits 'rub on?'.

I've also appreciated feedback to work more 'in the open' so that folks can see what leads up to these ideas/solutions. I use that to now write-up detailed descriptions in issues or code changes for review including some of the ideation history and perhaps a discarded or pre-optimized simple-case design evolution to the proposed one.

IceMetalPunk 3 years ago |

I'm just a lowly dev, not a manager, but the way I see it, a team of devs (including management) has one goal: to create and maintain a product that meets the users' expectations and needs as closely as possible, so they will be happy and pay you for your work. Facilitating that means allowing every team member to shine in their strengths, and supporting them in their weaknesses so they can grow. Collaboration is important, but remember it's not your job to tell them how to do their job, it's your job to support them in planning and executing their job in the most optimal and effective way possible. Sometimes that may mean suggesting better ideas, but that's not a requirement nor a guarantee.

In other words: if they're great at design, planning, and implementation, let them do that, while you focus on communicating their ideas to the upper class -- I mean, upper management -- and helping them with time management when they get overwhelmed. (Which is definitely something I can relate to far too well.)

I don't know if you play D&D, but a good analogy is that managers should act as clerics, fighting when necessary but mostly there to support the team so they can specialize and fight together with less risk of failure.

dontbenebby 3 years ago |

Just refuse to be exhausted. So if someone seems to be arguing and exhausting you, because they want to "misunderstand" (argue) just don't let them. Shut down the conversation until the next day or week. These are your business contacts, not your friends, and you are their superior. People don't like being told what to do, and if you let yourself be tone policed you'll get an ulcer. Speak in a diplomatic way, use a compliment sandwich, all that jazz -- you hand ammunition to an intelligent person wanting to pick apart your language.

Speak shortly and directly, you're aggressive and condescending, at best.

So be ready to call the bluff if someone is basically threatening to not like you -- lots of people don't like their boss... that's why it's work, that's why you get a paycheck, instead of all living in a house doing tye dye and bong hits between coding sessions.

DamonHD 3 years ago |

Sounds like you should continue to do what management ought: smooth the path for those working for you to do their best work.

burntoutfire 3 years ago |

It's quite common with a senior engineers who also know the business domain well. Such person can elicit requirements, design and implement the entire feature without much supervision. This is basically good news for you - you can give them large chunks of work and don't need to spend much effort on overseeing the progress. Just treat them like the independent, valueable expert they are.

Also, as with all your reports, you should help them grow in the direction they want (maybe they want to get more comfortable in business-facing situations? If so, let them conduct some presentations for senior mgmt types etc.).

beardyw 3 years ago |

Sounds like you are a great manager in the making.

Obviously your job is to deliver the thing through your team. Don't be distracted from that. Otherwise help your rising star rise.

I was once in that position and had the privilege later to work for that person.

d--b 3 years ago |

You’re a team. It’s great for you that one of your teammates comes up with good solutions. It helps everybody move forward.

Now you’re good at selling these ideas to the rest of the company, so just do that. Make sure you give the credit to the right people, and they’ll feel rewarded.

If you want you may give people some slightly more specific title like “lead developer” or “solution architect”. Though this may annoy some other people. You may also reward the person with higher salary (disclaimer here: I am not that person).

runjake 3 years ago |

- You fill in their weak spots.

- Make sure they stay on the path (both for themselves and the company). Sometimes, they will stray on both.

- Shield them from whatever corporate cruft prevents them from doing their best work.

faangiq 3 years ago |

Your job is to sell this person upwards. Be the tide that lifts both of you. And don’t fall into the trap of ignoring them because they’re your superstar.

incomingpain 3 years ago |

>I lead a software dev team at a small startup. One of my direct reports is way smarter than me. They come up with clever, simple solutions to business needs. They're also really driven, and will do things like find out what our stakeholders need and create the specs and do planning for those things. Generally we are a team and communicate pretty well on those things, but most of the time I'm left feeling like I'm not adding much value. Usually, they're the one rejecting ideas and having better ones.

Give appropriate praise but avoid flattery.

>Really what I want is to continue leading the team as best I can, and not let my ego interfere. But I guess I'm wondering how to best manage this person. Do I just sit back and let them do their thing? Try harder to meet them at their level and challenge them? How would you all like to be managed if you were in their position?

Do that then, contribute where you can. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Imagine real life is like Skyrim where there are skill trees, except there's hundreds of skills. Someone might have leveled up 1 skill tree higher than yourself but as you realize you have better skills in other ways.

Only compare yourself to yourself yesterday. Could you raise your level and 'meet them', that's your decision to raise this skill up. Or are you raising another skill up? You probably can't be working on more than 1 at once.

tboyd47 3 years ago |

Be a guard for them against people outside your team trying to waste their time.

baby_angel 3 years ago |

try to see yourself like an editor (newspaper) guiding your team, everyone has a place and you are obviously meant to lead. dont be so hard on yourself, you are also learning from them, enjoy the ride.

bjourne 3 years ago |

Find some online games you can play if you are bored. If everything is running smoothly then you are doing a good job and you are adding value. Your contributions are probably much more valuable than you think.