A good judge is not visible on the field. The same goes for management.
It’s incredibly hard to understand if a manager is doing a good job. It’s much easier to tell when they’re not.
The Paradox of Invisible Excellence
Bad management is obvious:
- Constant firefighting and crisis mode
- Team members confused about priorities
- Work falling through the cracks
- Developers spending 80% of time on non-development tasks
- Meetings that could have been emails (or shouldn’t exist at all)
Good management is invisible:
- Teams have everything they need to implement features
- Blockers are removed before developers hit them
- Context and requirements are clear
- Focus time is protected
- Problems are solved before they become crises
When management is working well, developers don’t think about management at all.
Management vs. Leadership: Different Jobs
There’s confusion between management and leadership, but they’re fundamentally different roles:
Leadership is about vision and direction:
- Where are we going?
- Why does this matter?
- How do we inspire people to care?
- What’s our strategy for getting there?
Management is about execution and support:
- Do you have what you need to do your job?
- Are there any blockers I can remove?
- Is the work flowing smoothly through the system?
- Are we measuring and improving our processes?
Many companies promote technical leaders into management roles and wonder why it doesn’t work. Leading with enthusiasm and managing operational details require completely different skill sets.
The Referee Model
Think of management like refereeing a sports game:
Good referees:
- Enforce rules consistently but invisibly
- Let the players play the game
- Make quick decisions when needed
- Stay out of the way of the action
- Only intervene when necessary
Bad referees:
- Make themselves the center of attention
- Over-officiate minor infractions
- Make inconsistent calls
- Slow down the game with excessive intervention
The best managers referee the development process, not the developers.
Key Management Questions
A good manager constantly asks:
Resource Questions
- Do developers have the tools they need?
- Are there skill gaps we need to address?
- Is the team the right size for the work?
- Are we investing in the right areas?
Process Questions
- What percentage of developer time is spent on actual development?
- Where do tasks get stuck in our workflow?
- What repetitive work can we automate?
- How quickly can we deploy changes?
Context Questions
- Do developers understand the business impact of their work?
- Are requirements clear and complete?
- Do we have realistic timelines?
- Are we solving the right problems?
What Should Be Automated (Or Delegated)
Many traditional management tasks can be handled by the team or automation:
Team-Managed:
- Code review processes
- Technical decision-making
- Sprint planning and estimation
- Architecture discussions
Automation-Managed:
- Status reporting and dashboards
- Deployment and testing pipelines
- Performance monitoring
- Basic project tracking
Manager-Managed:
- Resource acquisition and planning
- Cross-team coordination
- Stakeholder communication
- Career development and growth
- Removing organizational blockers
The 80/20 Rule of Management Impact
80% of management value comes from:
- Protecting the team’s focus time
- Ensuring clear requirements and context
- Removing blockers before they become urgent
- Maintaining team psychological safety
20% comes from:
- Strategic planning and vision-setting
- Performance reviews and career development
- Cross-functional coordination
- Crisis management
Yet many managers spend 80% of their time on the second list.
Signs of Good Management
You know management is working when:
- Developers are excited about the problems they’re solving
- Technical debt is managed proactively, not reactively
- Team members feel comfortable raising concerns or proposing changes
- Work flows smoothly from idea to production
- People have time to learn and grow
- The team delivers consistently without heroic efforts
The Future of Management
As software development matures, management will likely become:
More automated: AI and better tooling will handle routine coordination and reporting.
More specialized: Different types of managers for different aspects (technical, people, operations).
More invisible: The best management systems will require minimal human intervention.
More focused: Managers will spend time on uniquely human problems: motivation, growth, and strategic thinking.
For Aspiring Managers
If you want to move into management:
- Practice removing blockers - Start with your own team’s impediments
- Learn to translate - Between technical and business stakeholders
- Develop systems thinking - See the whole workflow, not just your part
- Study human motivation - Technical skills are table stakes
Remember: the goal isn’t to be noticed. It’s to create an environment where great work happens naturally.
Like a good referee, the best managers are the ones you forget are there.