Hey Darryl, I am a manager and I mostly agree with the article and your comments.

This is a good guideline to put managers on the right track, but you will always run into real life situations that will expose gaps in these types of articles.

Don't get me wrong, these are great talking points, but as you indicated in your list,they need to be measured against each situation. Good intuition and "gut" feelings that your decision is the right decision for the company is key. Don't forget, that when managers surround themselves with a good team, these attributes are easier to apply.

Example: Having a love of procedure is not necessarily a bad thing in some situations as long as the manager knows when to sway on and off the procedure path. Having procedures sets standards and in a multi-discipline department (dba's, soft devs, admins, ect) provides much needed guidance when a problem occurs or change is in order.

Anyway, my 2 cents. Good stuff.


James