Why We Urgently Need Real Managers in Software Engineering

They’re Not Just There to Tell You What to Do

The Secret Developer
4 min readMar 12, 2024
Photo by redcharlie on Unsplash

Like many software developers, I’ve had my fair share of poor managers.

I’d love to use this blog post to share my experience of trash management techniques, before diving into the details about what makes a great tech manager.

The latter might be tricky as I’ve never seen a great tech manager in person, but I’ll give it a go.

My Most Recent Experience

The catch-up

Only last week my tech lead said we were going to have a catchup. We haven’t had it. Usually, this wouldn’t be a big deal and I shouldn’t complain as I don’t know the pressures my tech lead might be under.

I say usually because this keeps happening. I get pushed out again and again. After the first five times, I’m not willing to accept this behavior anymore.

Reading of the Situation

I’m not important enough to make time for. It’s a people management issue but also a culture issue within the company.

I want to look at why this matters, and how this might get resolved.

Why It Matters

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The Secret Developer

A top software developer who has worked for some of the biggest tech companies (yes, that one too) reveals the stories behind Big Tech and software engineering.