[Cyberdogs7]

I am a lazy manager then. The problem is context. I ask all my engineers to self track accomplishments for several reasons:

1. It puts them in control. If they want to leave the team, they have a handy list to hand to their new manager right away.

2. They can capture details I would miss, no matter how close to the work I am. They will capture exact why that design process was hard and what it was like dealing with those 4 external teams.

3. It improves their writing and communication skills. I spend my 1:1's going through the accomplishments and working with them on how to expand and add context to items, where to add detail, and how to be concise with the results.

So far, I receive positive feedback on this. On the flipside, I don't do this for myself :)

[McDyver]

So, is a manager in this context really needed?

I'm in control, I need to make my case towards a new manager and team if I want to move (basically a new interview process), and try to improve on communication and writing even though +80% (number pulled out of empirical personal experience. YMMV) of my peers want to focus on work and be happy and introvert.

[brazzy]

You have your context, your manager has everyone's context. They cannot understand the details of everything, but you cannot make strategic decisions (budgeting, staffing, which projects to do at all) because you don't have the overall picture and the input frim everyone else.

[flerchin]

No. Management is not needed in this context. Maybe for coaching/removing low performers.

[ChadNauseam]

I'm surprised everyone is roasting you for this. I personally don't want my manager breathing down my neck and monitoring everything I do. I'm paid well and given a lot of freedom at work, the "obligation" of spending 30 seconds every week to make a note of something cool I did so that I can tell it to the people who pay me seems pretty reasonable.

[avensec]

I read it as discourse related to a binary proposal without any nuance. The root being "Whose responsibility is it to keep track of accomplishments: The Manager or the Individual?"

[Cyberdogs7]

I rarely comment on things and I am now being reminded why. I think people are also making the wrong assumption that it's an obligation. It's a recommendation I make to engineers. It just so happens they all see the value and do it. Once a quarter or so they get excited to review it with me and we use that moment to have candid discussions around career/role progress and start looking at trends for performance review or timelines for promotion.

[dennis_jeeves1]

>I am a lazy manager then.

And a very incompetent one. While there is some value in what you said i.e Engineers tracking their progress and what they did. This often results in bragging. The most competent people are generally not the best braggers. The best braggers often make a career out of it.

If I run a company and i had a manager like you, I would fire you. I really mean it.

[alexpetralia]

You should review the HN guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Whatever your opinion is, it was not worded in a productive way.

[deely3]

1. So, if they do not plan to leave the team they can skip it?

2. Why do you need this details? Why you did not recieve this details in the firts place?

3. As any other writing. If you believe that this skills should be improved then why not use some training? And again, if person writing skills is already good then its ok to skip it then?

> So far, I receive positive feedback on this.

Positive honest feedback from subordinate? Did you provide any alternative they can choose?

[Cyberdogs7]

1. Yes, people can skip it. I can never force someone to do this and it's typically something only career driven engineers want to participate. I do have an 80% volunteer participation rate in my current team.

2. I need the details because I don't look over the shoulders of my engineers. I always evaluate the end product and provide support when asked. But if a design doc required an engineer to go escalate and issue with another teams director, how would I know that? Anytime they show initiative, by definition it would be without my knowledge.

3. This part of the training.

For the positive feedback, I am the highest rated manager for manage satisfaction in my org of 400 engineers. This is from anonymous survey results. This has been consistent through my past 4 companies, including multiple FANNGs.

[Eldt]

You could do the work and allow them to supplement what you've noted down.

[filoleg]

Not a manager and not the person you are replying to, but I kind of get their perspective, as I see it somewhat similar to how I treat referral/recommendation letters.

If someone I closely know asks me for a recommendation letter, and they are a person who (in my eyes) deserves a great letter, I just tell them the format for the specific letter (e.g., 2 paragraphs, less than 300 words, what type of content the letter is supposed to contain, etc), and ask them to write it themselves. Then I take it, review to make sure all is good, go over it with the person (in case there are any potential suggestions for improvements [based on my knowledge of them] or parts that i find questionable), edit if necessary with them, and then submit it.

Now that I am looking at it, that's a very similar process to how performance review historically went with my managers.

[Spivak]

My manager does this for me and I adore him for it. I can just talk about myself with normal human words and he'll come back with it all written up in business-speak.

[Cyberdogs7]

I very much could, but again, I am a lazy manager. Not even trying to convey sarcasm there.

I do believe them doing the work is important to point 1., putting them in-control. The most important part of my job is setting them up to succeed. If they require their manager to always positively advocate for them, they are leaving their careers up to change. Not all managers are looking out for their directs, so teaching people to look out for themselves is important to me.

[gardenhedge]

> I am a lazy manager then

Indeed. From the sounds of that it sounds like you don't have the full picture at all.