Middle Management Blues

There are many mysteries of life that continue to astound me as I grow older and theoretically wiser.   A few I should mention: Why is popular music popular when it sucks asbad as it does ?   It makes me cringe.   Why do politicians of all stripes treat the public like a bunch of indolent morons?   Maybe we’ve earned it.   Lastly, why do people get promoted into management when they have absolutely no idea how to manage?   Conventional wisdom says that exceptional technicians (and I use this word in its broadest possible interpretation) tend to get promoted because they are exceptional technicians, not because they are good managers.   Rarely is there much thought given to the interpersonal gifts one may or may not have, especially in a technical organization.   I’ve found that many exceptional technicians are exceptionally terrible managers, and I bet that the same traits that make them good at their jobs are the very ones that make thei...