Career Development: What It Means to Be a Manager, Director, or VP (2015)

Leveling, Titles, and Pay Structures

• Many agree that granular leveling systems can become “fake science”: box‑ticking, overly granular, and easy to game.
• Defenders say levels still provide useful guidelines and transparency, so long as they’re treated as guidance rather than rigid policy.
• Several commenters note that “level” and “value to the company” often diverge: frameworks reward visible “impact” and architecture, not crucial but unglamorous maintenance.
• Others emphasize that rank and pay are only loosely coupled; you can see wide pay ranges within the same title, and ICs at VP‑equivalent pay in some companies.
• There’s cynicism that promotions often go to those who are politically savvy or attached to powerful sponsors, not simply the most valuable contributors.

Fairness, Market Value, and Career Mindset

• The article’s “fair market value” framing is debated: some accept it as the only coherent definition of fairness; others stress internal fairness relative to contribution and non-monetary value (mentoring, culture).
• Several argue employees should ask directly for raises instead of chasing levels, but note that in many orgs the only practical path to more money is promotion or external offers.
• A recurring theme: to advance, stop behaving like a purely reactive “employee” and start acting with ownership—proactive problem‑solving, understanding the “why,” and managing yourself before managing others.
• Others push back that not everyone wants or is suited to that path, and good “just do the work” employees are still essential.

What Manager, Director, and VP Actually Do

• Many like the article’s framing:
  • Manager: executes a plan and manages people doing work.
  • Director: makes and owns the tactical plan across teams.
  • VP: owns the strategy/plan and is accountable for results.
• Others say reality rarely matches this neat model: duties depend heavily on company size, sector, and org design; titles like VP can mean anything from hands‑on lead to near‑C‑level.
• Multiple reports describe senior leaders who think like directors (obsessing over execution details) instead of owning strategy and outcomes.

The “Invisible” Work of Management

• ICs who became managers describe surprise at how much unseen work there is: retention efforts, handling poor performance, cross‑team coordination, firefighting, hiring, and shielding teams from upper‑management chaos.
• Some argue good managers are proactive—shaping culture, managing load, and preventing resignations—while others note large organizations often constrain managers’ ability to act (comp, headcount, structural issues).
• There’s significant frustration with ineffective managers who do little beyond repeating deadlines, failing to protect teams, or treating people as interchangeable.

Quality of Management and Career Choices

• Commenters share checklists of “good manager” traits (advocacy, honest feedback, aligning goals, caring about attrition) versus “bad manager” behaviors (gaslighting, avoiding hard feedback, managing up only).
• Several engineers say this discussion reinforces their choice to stay on IC tracks; they view higher roles, especially VP, as high‑stress, political, and often detached from real work, despite the pay.