There is no shortage of opinions on this topic. The most honest answer is probably “it depends” but that’s also the least helpful. After 4.5 years leading multiple engineering teams, here’s my single-sentence answer to what makes a great manager: A good manager balances high empathy with high expectations and knows when to pull which lever. High expectations without empathy might “succeed” but at the cost of toxicity. It’s not my definition of success or something I want to be p...
