Brad M McGehee

Comments

1. Dave (subscribed) said July 3, 2012, 1:48 am:

   I think the qualities I’d want in a manger somewhat depend on exactly what job I’m doing. I would want the sort of person who would trust me to do my job; ideally (s)he has recruited me for my skills (rather than internal politics, or inherited me when they were appointed, etc.) – and so respects my professional opinion and abilities.

   I believe that it isn’t necessary for my manager to be someone that I like outside of a work environment, but a good level of working (professional) respect helps. Ideally someone who understands my job from the ground – so they can relate to what I’m saying in terms of resource requirements, etc. – but not someone who wishes they were doing my job!

   I’d like someone who would run interferance when I’m fixing something that isn’t working well, in the same way that I in turn try to fix things before my manager’s manager notices!

   I think most of all, I’d like as a manager someone who enjoys their job. This will mean that they are striving for the same things I am, so we would work better as a team.

2. Adam Mikolaj said July 9, 2012, 11:05 am:

   I think I’ve had one of the best managers out there before. Here’s why:

   -He left me to do database work and trusted me with the decisions I made
   -He would challenge me if he thought there was a better way to do something
   -He didn’t pull me along to unnecessary meetings and actually kept me out of most of them
   -He understood the technology
   -He didn’t deal with any politics or office garbage. Our monthly catch up meetings were strictly focused on our work
   -He was a cool guy who didn’t mind BS-ing a little bit
   -He was able to give praise where praise was due

   Bottom line was he managed what work I had to do and I did the work. It worked out very well.

3. Boris Hristov (subscribed) said July 9, 2012, 2:28 pm:

   Adding to what Adam and Dave already mentioned – the ability to see the best people and put them “in front of” the others. I am saying this because in big companies(I mean really big), the company culture dictates that the longest you are with the company, the better you are. Am I the only one who thinks that’s ridiculous?

4. Steph Bowling said July 17, 2012, 4:43 am:

   Ideal Qualities:
   – Trust
   – Support
   – Management
   – Connection

   I work a lot of hours on and off site. I need a manager to trust I am doing my job regardless of my physical location.

   A manager that is there to support your decisions is a great quality! If my manager isn’t going to support my ideas and suggestions, then we aren’t going to work together very long.

   Good managers know how to manage the team. If I am working 80/week and other team members are catching up on personal stuff while I am slaving away is a major no-no. The manager needs to be the load balancer.

   Managers need to be connected to the team. If the manager is spending all day in meetings and off-site then he isn’t going to know what is going on! Good managers keep their fingers in the game w/o being overbearing or give the appearance of micro-managing. My current manager spends alot of time working alongside the team and managing …maybe a little too much time working with the team, but since we are so short staffed, this is the way it is, right now.

   Good managers keep employees!!

   Steph

5. Seth Delconte said July 18, 2012, 9:35 am:

   I’d want a perceptive manager who is skilled in knowing/learning what motivates each individual team member…

6. Anthony Young said July 31, 2012, 3:13 pm:

   An ideal manager is one who takes an interest in what their employees are doing and the challenges they face. This should not be done by micro-managing or trying to learn how to do every little thing their employee does, but should involve actually watching them do some of their work and monitoring their workload so that they can better appreciate and evaluate the work the employee is doing. In addition, an ideal manager is one who recognizes the strengths of their employees and provides mentoring and development opportunities to improve their skill set and prepare them for promotion within the company.

7. Brad said July 31, 2012, 4:13 pm:

   For me, an ideal manager is someone who provides quality leadership and has good people skills. He/she effectively communicates expectations and holds employees to high standards. They trust their employees to produce excellent work and offer guidance when needed. They balance their management style between being too ‘hands on’ and too ‘in the dark’. Like a great sports coach or captain they motivate their team and lead by example. They never criticize team members [or other staff] in front of others, if at all. They are knowledgeable and have areas of expertise but are not afraid to seek help when needed.

8. Stephanie B said August 1, 2012, 9:27 am:

   A good manager should:

   Have an I.T. background and understand what the role of a DBA is (I know that sounds obvious, but I have had managers who didn’t).

   Know the strengths and weaknesses of each of their team members are.

   Have good communication and management skills.

   Be able to motivate their team and get the best out of them.

   Develop their teams’ skills, knowledge and capability.

9. bradmcgehee said August 1, 2012, 1:47 pm:

   This month’s winner is Adam Mikolaj (Twitter: SqlSandwiches). He will win a $50 Amazon gift certificate and a copy of SQL Backup Pro. Thanks to everyone who entered.