When my dad ran engineering companies in the '60s and '70s, one of the things he was well-known for was walking the line in the factory, talking to machine operators, and figuring out ways to improve both safety and productivity. He prided himself on not only being able to operate every piece of equipment in the factory but also being able to take it apart and maintain it -- and often design a better version of it. He was well-liked and well-respected by the workers -- but he butted heads with management above him all the time. He told me "that was my job -- to protect the workers below from the management above". In the software world, I've only had a couple of managers like that... and I've been doing this professionally for over forty years now.
When my dad ran engineering companies in the '60s and '70s, one of the things he was well-known for was walking the line in the factory, talking to machine operators, and figuring out ways to improve both safety and productivity. He prided himself on not only being able to operate every piece of equipment in the factory but also being able to take it apart and maintain it -- and often design a better version of it. He was well-liked and well-respected by the workers -- but he butted heads with management above him all the time. He told me "that was my job -- to protect the workers below from the management above". In the software world, I've only had a couple of managers like that... and I've been doing this professionally for over forty years now.