ABSTRACT
With the advent of agile, many in the IT community have adopted a no managers needed here philosophy. While self-directed development teams have certainly shifted the role of managers, we believe very strongly that managers are an essential key to enabling and sustaining positive change in IT. Great managers provide the support needed to nurture people development, both technically and socially, as well as creating a culture of transparency. Often it is managers who effectively navigate upstream and downstream channels of collaboration to coordinate work inputs and outcomes into the hands of end users and customers. Engaged listening shows respect toward others by demonstrating that their opinions matter. Listening is an essential skill that most of us do miserably. In the book <italics>Lead with Respect</italics>, the authors provide some valuable insights on what respect looks like and how respecting people can drive engagement, accountability, hands-on problem solving, and people development.
