the ones that are never more than 2-3 years removed from hands-on work, full time down in the trenches. The best individual contributors are the ones who have done time in management. The best technical leaders in the world are often the ones who do both. Back and forth. Like a pendulum.” 振り子 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simple_gravity_pendulum.svg The Engineer/Manager Pendulum by @mipsytipsy