Ask HN: What is the point of “hands off” managers?

1 points by throwaway_374 9y ago ↗ HN

I've seen adverts for extremely well paid "hands off" lead manager roles. What is the point of these kind of roles? They seem largely like a glorified technical secretary who provides occasional opinions and administers a kanban/agile board - so I can see they deserve secretarial level pay. Why one earth do companies pay top dollar for such roles?

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osullivj 9y ago ↗

Not all management value comes from managing downward, from the manager's supervision of their direct reports. Managing upwards and outwards are critical too. For instance, setting sales and marketing expectations on when new product really will be available.