E-Myth Revisited

Do great software developers make great managers?

There is an amazing book that changed how I looked at both my career and how I structure the teams I am in charge of.

That book is The E-Myth by Michel E. Gerber.

It's a fable that has many lessons in it. One of the most important things I learned from this book is to categorize any team member role in the business as one of 3 things:

The Entrepreneur:

This is the person going out and finding innovative ways to solve problems and getting compensated for it.

They design the systems that comprise the business.

The Technician:

These are the people actually doing the work. They can be of varying skill levels; for example, for a restaurant to work, a high-level technician would be the head chef.

A lower level, but still vital to the business running smoothly, would be the person that buses dishes or the host who seats people.

The Manager:

This is the person that runs the business day to day. They supervise the systems, ensuring all the processes are completed to specifications and in a timely manner.

Why does this matter to you?

People are rarely all 3. For example, I am not a great manager(not to be confused with leadership). I do NOT do well following a checklist.

I do better creating the systems and training others to operate the system. That puts me closer to the “Entrepreneur” role and obviously I have some chops as a Technician.

This changes my dynamic with a team. When I join a team, one of the first things I do is try to partner with a solid manager.

Both Dominic, my on-and-off again business partner, and my executive assistant Lerato work well together because their management skills greatly complement my weaknesses.

When you are choosing your team member’s roles you might want to make sure you are playing to everyone’s strengths.

Just because someone is a great technician, in our case, a software engineer, they may NOT be great managers.

For those of you technicians looking to move up the ladder, keep this in mind.

You need to do some deep reflection and ask yourself: what lights you up? Ensuring other people follow the system as a manager?

Designing new systems as an Entrepreneur?

Or just trying to craft the best widget, cook the best steak, write the most efficient code as a technician?