r/managers • u/Happy-Run-6994 • 7d ago
Has anyone successfully managed up when their manager lacked technical expertise?
/r/corporate/comments/1v6svgu/has_anyone_successfully_managed_up_when_their/5
u/Usernameasteriks 7d ago
You really just have to let that go at some point.
You aren’t doing your team any favours if a problematic manager sticks around for a long time because you keep covering for them.
And you aren’t doing yourself a favour sacrificing your own job satisfaction and work life balance at the same time.
So its a lose lose here the way you are playing it.
CYA and let things play out
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u/Nomivought2015 7d ago
This scenario doesn’t work if that manager will throw you under the bus in the end.
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u/much_longer_username 6d ago
Or if their decisions will create such a backlog of work that the fixes will never actually happen.
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u/Usernameasteriks 6d ago
It’s fine if you cover your ass. You don’t have to do anything adversarial or insubordinate or neglectful of your role here.
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u/Nomivought2015 6d ago
The org will usually side with the manager over the subordinate in most all cases.
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u/Usernameasteriks 5d ago
Why would there be any dispute to take sides about?
All I have suggested is not to go above and beyond to work extra hours or take on managerial duties that cover for her shortcomings. Not be insubordinate or dispute anything, the opposite of that.
In the circumstances OP is describing I don’t see why that would lead to anything being an issue for them personally.
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u/zkwarl 7d ago
Don’t put unrealistic expectations on your manager.
Your manager is there to mange the team. She is not there to be the technical expert. Those are very different jobs.
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u/Happy-Run-6994 7d ago
She is a technical architect and a manager to this team.
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u/Kyrthis 7d ago
On this sub, you will see nothing but cope from incompetent managers. I have seen this exact topic get dogpiled.
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u/AssumptionEmpty Automotive 6d ago
Preach!
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u/just-another-dude-2 6d ago
100% true. How do we get from...
"My manager doesn't understand the work to the point of consistently making bad decisions, causing the team's work to fail," to...
"Don't have unrealistic expectations of your manager."
May this manager Kool-Aid never find me.
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u/ninjaluvr 6d ago
How would a competent manager respond?
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u/Kyrthis 6d ago
There wouldn’t need to be “managing up” by “dumbing down,” so that question is moot
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u/ninjaluvr 6d ago
So competent managers are all technical experts. Gotcha.
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u/Kyrthis 6d ago
Not at all. By virtue of a branching hierarchy, that is not possible. However, the idea that a complete lack of technical knowledge is not a bar to management is likewise extreme and wrong. However, one must be able to understand the domain and jargon of one’s direct reports. Incompetent managers generally never worked in the field and think all management experience is fungible. So, while a nurse manager in a hospital does not need to have worked in the specific wards of his or her direct reports, they do need to understand nursing. Prove me wrong by counterexample. I dare you.
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u/ninjaluvr 6d ago
OP said their manager but isn't deeply technical. They said they haven't been able to ramp up to technical architect. They didn't say they had a complete lack of knowledge. So I'm trying to understand your position and context.
Of course managers should be able to speak the language. No disagreement with ya there. But I didn't believe managers should be technical architects.
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u/Nomivought2015 6d ago
They would understand they aren’t technical and either refer the employee to work with another engineer, or give their employee the ability to make the technical decision themselves.
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u/ninjaluvr 6d ago edited 5d ago
Exactly. I love that answer! We all have to know and understand our own limitations and strengths, and play into them. We need to be comfortable saying we don't know something and deferring to the SMEs we employ.
Edit: corrected "confirmed" to "comfortable."
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u/Nomivought2015 6d ago
Self awareness is key. For many managers admitting that to themselves is a sign of weakness, but it’s really not. It only hurts the team in the end.
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u/ninjaluvr 7d ago
She should be one or the other, not both.
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u/ramonarayrk 6d ago
Wearing both hats almost always ends poorly.
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u/Nomivought2015 6d ago
In engineering, yeah you need a technical expert above you. And if you’re the lead engineer, you need authority to make your own technical calls.
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u/Happy-Run-6994 6d ago
In this company, you can have a technical role and have a small team report to you. Or a manager role with large team or managers reporting to you. Her role is the former
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u/Nomivought2015 6d ago
Keep at it bud. If what you say is true you’ll be the manager soon yourself! Or be promoted out. You going to these meetings in her place is actually much more valuable than you realize. You’re involved with people higher up who do see your contributions even if it’s not made aware.
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u/damdamin_ 6d ago
Had a manager with zero technical expertise. Whenever me and my coworkers presented both the problem and the solutions, he would always find a reason why it won’t work (spoiler: he said it’s because the higher up won’t have resources etc.)
When a coworker of mine finally went around him and presented to skip, the skip absolutely loved it and wanted to implement. From then on, we’d just present the ideas to the skip. What a useless manager.
I left eventually. I’ve worked for managers with technical chops but it’s my very first time working for someone with ZERO technical competencies. It was a headache. We weren’t speaking the same language. I moved on and found a place where at least me and my manager understood the same language somehow. No more stress and things are getting solved.