I'm writing this as a sign of growing up enough to be able to share my opinion in a way that can help others grow and not to punish them or just nag about my problems, so here we go.
When I was a kid I remember watching a clip on TV from an award show where one guy took the mic and said that production companies and movie theaters should keep the credits rolling no matter what, obviously not for the audience since they do not care but for the crew who worked on the movie and would like to feel recognized and appreciate.
Years later I grew up to realize how true that statement was, even though I don't work in a media related field but the main idea can touch any worker on this planet and as a software engineer who spend most of his time working from a desk with almost no noticeable interaction with others I think I need to see my name in the credits a.k.a. team planning docs, email updates and leadership meetings so I can achieve something meaningful in my career to be proud of, I know its tough for manager to represent the individuals reporting to them but ICs (individual contributeres) need full support from their managers to grow because that's what "managing people" is all about.
I have worked most of my career as an IC so I'm not here to tell others how to do their job but I'm able to advice them how enhance it and I believe I can tell any manager what makes them a great manager by telling them how to gain the loyalty of their team!
First thing first, make the 1:1s and standups meaningful and please don't waste time by asking for updates that does not concern anyone but you.
Second, please invest in the people you manage by mentoring them and funding their learning resources.
Three, don't push them without telling them why! we all know managers get pushed by their managers in a chain of douches pushing each other but that does not mean you can't cut that chain at your end and be reasonable with the team for sometime!.
Four, when the team do mistakes tell them and don't just punish them in the background without their knowledge, this is the worst that can happen to an IC!
Finally, when they grow you grow so don't be that selfish and relax! your turn will come as theirs!
I can talk more and more about this but I won't though I'm waiting for the time I become a manager to prove to everyone that I can do it better.
That's all folks.
