| Elon Musk seriously bungled his takeover of Twitter. But he did get one thing right: managers need to be in the trenches with their employees.
Musk’s questionable managerial practices have shown him to be a capricious, unreliable leader of employees. But amid all the ultimatums and Stone Age mandates he’s issued as CEO of Twitter, he has made one valuable statement about managing.
In an email, Musk told employees that “all managers are expected to write a meaningful amount of software themselves” and declared that bosses should be able to actively participate in the work of their subordinates. And as Ed Zitron writes, that’s actually a good point.
A person who manages coders should be able to contribute to and review that code — just as a person who manages cooks should be able to prepare the food alongside them. This sort of practical knowledge engenders goodwill between employee and manager, creating a culture of mutual respect that can increase communication and facilitate better performance.
That’s why, despite the irony of the messenger (Musk is perhaps the most visible example of an out-of-touch boss), there’s a gem of helpful insight to be mined here.
Read the full story here. |
