Someone once asked me, "What exactly is the difference between a manager and a developer?" I have experienced both roles, but I still took some time to think about it. This question is really quite important.

Programming has been a pastime of mine since I was six. At that time I wrote my first program: copying a game's source code from one of my father's books. I was immediately fascinated, and I never gave it up until programming became my career. Over the years, after solving all kinds of interesting or complex programming problems, I felt it was time to take on new challenges.

But changing careers meant giving up the professional skills I had honed over many years. However, after some struggle and consultations with professional mentors, I resolutely took that step.

Now, after three and a half years in management, I am finally qualified to answer this question. The biggest difference between managers and developers lies in the different criteria for measuring success.

Specifically:

(I) Your success will be more fragmented

When I was still a programmer, I would come to work every day with a work plan in my head, and usually by the end of the day I could finish that plan. It felt like I was making progress every day.

As a manager, however, I often go home without knowing what I actually accomplished that day. It's not that I didn't do anything; it's just that there were no measurable results.

As a manager, one of your tasks is to help engineers make changes, but changes cannot be completed overnight; they require time and attention.

• The changes you strive to achieve may be ambiguous and hard to define clearly.
• Recognizing the need for change itself can also be difficult.
• Engineers find it hard to let go of old habits, and need constant reminders. Changing their mindset is a challenging and not easy task.

At New Relic, we hold a regular review every quarter to provide a feedback channel and keep the focus on long-term goals. Some quarters may see rapid progress, but most of the time, there is only fairly decent progress.

When major changes occur among team members, constant guidance from managers is needed. The tool we often use is called "regular info-bits (regular information exchange)." Specifically, engineers send short emails to managers about their work progress. The email topics are usually related to professional development, teamwork, project updates, communication, and work-life balance. This process helps them think more systematically, and you can also learn about their growth through this information.

This approach takes a long time to show results, but in the end, when you see that your team members have built confidence and grown well, you will feel that all the hard work was worth it.

(II) Your success has strategic impact

Good developers can have a huge long-term impact on the company; good managers guide the success of the entire team.

Engineering problems are often black and white. But people problems are almost always ambiguous. Even if you know what problem you need to solve, the solution is not always clear. Just because you solved one person's problem with this method in the past doesn't mean you can use it to solve a current problem. Human behavior simply has too many variables.

To build a seamlessly cooperative team, there are a series of challenges:

• Team building is not as simple as putting together a few star members.
• A cohesive team requires a full understanding of each person's strengths and weaknesses.
• Teams are not static; every time someone joins or leaves, the team needs to readjust.

As a manager, your job is to ensure your team runs as efficiently as possible. But you can't expect to make drastic innovations with every slight change, nor can you expect to make radical changes to processes at every turn. Effective managers need to:

• Continuously assess what help your team needs.
• Note that this need may differ for different jobs and different teams.
• Use and invent the right tools to support your team.

The key is gradual change, continuous observation, and continuous improvement. For example, if you find that your team isn't getting enough support, first find ways to reduce the chaos, then seek tools to optimize your team. Work with your team members to overcome difficulties, first choose important issues to address, then go back and check whether the change was appropriate.

(III) Your success often lies in helping others succeed

At New Relic, we believe in the concept of the Invisible Manager. This means we work behind the scenes, putting engineers in the spotlight and highlighting their success. We firmly believe that engineers should receive the credit; they deserve it. So at New Relic's new feature launch events, we encourage team members to stand in front of the public to introduce the product, rather than product managers or engineering managers.

Most managers were successful engineers before. And as a manager, you can have a greater impact, not only on the business but also on employees' lives. Many managers find that helping others also helps themselves grow.

First, manage yourself well

For me with an engineering background, focusing on the problem at hand is more important than anything. In my mind, there is always a complete plan covering everything the team needs: growth, dynamics, quality, support, product delivery, meetings, blog posts, and so on. I have a clear vision of what my team should become in the coming year. This helps me make every daily decision and ultimately move toward our long-term goals.

Managing a team well takes a lot of work. But it also brings a lot of joy and pride. The best thing you can do as a manager is to think. Once a month, find a quiet space, think about each person on your team, and review old emails and project reports. You will find that your influence is not only on your product, but also on the people in your team. That is the true measure of success.

The author of this article is Kirby Frugia, who works at New Relic, a SaaS service provider. The original article was published onNew Relic Blog。