Agile Learning Labs

The Most Important Qualities for an Engineering Manager to Possess

Last night, the Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group examined the question “What are the most important qualities for an engineering manager to possess?” Each person was asked to answer the question based on their own experiences as a direct report. We went looking for the qualities that separated our best managers from the rest.

We used the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to gather ideas, and then we sorted the results using Decision Optimizing Tiny Stickies (DOTS or Dot Voting). The result was a tiered list of valuable qualities, with 'tier one' being those that the group felt were most important.

A few days prior, I had run the same exercise with a different group. I’ll call them “Group X”. Below are the results from each.

September Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group

Tier One
Delegation
Understand the product and the critical path

Tier Two
Establishes team culture
Takes ownership

Tier Three
Buffer between engineers and management
Strong decision-maker
Understand and communicate the business

Tier Four
Found ways for everyone to contribute
Good connector
Managing requirements
Plots the course to success
Runs good meetings

Tier Five
Always prepared
Available as a resource
Contingency planning
Good listener
Holds each person accountable for deliverables
Manages information flow
Motivator
Respected in the company
Sense of humor

Group X

Tier One
Smart

Tier Two
Finds ways for me to contribute
Gives constructive feedback
Goal and result oriented, not process oriented
Invites discussion
Mentor
Principled

Tier Three
Acknowledge the need for career growth
Budget conscious
Can Delegate
Grows people and promotes from within
Honest, trusted
Inspires me to believe in myself
Sets clear expectations
Shields me from BS
Team builder

Tier Four
Available, always has time for me
Believes in me
“Can do!” attitude
Clear communicator
Compassionate
Decisive and firm
Forthright, tells me what they really think
Good listener
Has my back
Humor
Lead by example
Not heavy-handed
Passion
Values learning

September Engineering Managers Support Group

The Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group will meet Wednesday evening, September 26 in San Mateo California.

We will start with a short presentation on NGT and DOTS. Nominal Group Technique (NGT) allows a group to quickly build a comprehensive list of ideas, issues, options or solutions. NGT works faster than traditional brainstorming, yet generates more complete and higher quality results. NGT prevents the quieter voices from being overwhelmed and allows each participant to contribute to their full potential.

The list of possibilities generated by NGT can be narrowed down to identify the best or most important ideas. In this workshop we will use Decision Optimizing Tiny Stickies (DOTS or Dot Voting). DOTS is an excellent way to map a group’s opinion. It engages the collective wisdom of the group, while avoiding groupthink. When faced with a choice between a variety of options, this technique facilitates a group decision that will have the broadest support.

This workshop will teach you how to use NGT and DOTS by applying them to the question “What are the most valuable attributes and skills for a technical manager to possess.” You will learn valuable tools for idea generation and decision-making, and gain a better understanding of what makes an engineering manager great.

After NGT and DOTS, comes a facilitated discussion where participants can share challenges that they are facing and get feedback, ideas, and support from the group. The event is free and pizza will be provided! Come out, join the discussion, and become a better manager.

Did I mention the free Pizza?

Please RSVP Here.

While you are on the Meetup site, take a moment and vote in our two open polls.

The Engineering Managers Support Group is sponsored by
The Technical Management Institute.

Cheers,

Chris