Managing Developers...Part 10...Summary and Next Steps

"As a manager, I see now that I need improvement"
...so how do you affect change to be a better manager? Just listen. Go to your meetings but don't speak, just listen. If your team is apathetic then just wait, don't force dialog. Then, when they start speaking, don't just listen, "hear" what they are saying.

I can't stress this enough. Practice MBWA (Management By Walking Around). Don't just sit in your office all day or attend management meetings. Spend time in your team room. Listening. You will learn so much by just listening to conversations. And your people will start to respect you again.  You will begin to be viewed as someone who can be trusted and cares.  

Finally, evaluate everything you hear. If you feel like your people are wrong and you are right, well, YOU'RE WRONG. Your people will make you successful. They want to succeed. They want you to succeed. Let them help themselves, which will help you. You should be evaluating how you can help them.

If you've gotten this far along in these postings, you'll know what needs to be done next.