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1.. _managementstyle:2 3Linux kernel management style4=============================5 6This is a short document describing the preferred (or made up, depending7on who you ask) management style for the linux kernel. It's meant to8mirror the :ref:`process/coding-style.rst <codingstyle>` document to some9degree, and mainly written to avoid answering [#f1]_ the same (or similar)10questions over and over again.11 12Management style is very personal and much harder to quantify than13simple coding style rules, so this document may or may not have anything14to do with reality. It started as a lark, but that doesn't mean that it15might not actually be true. You'll have to decide for yourself.16 17Btw, when talking about "kernel manager", it's all about the technical18lead persons, not the people who do traditional management inside19companies. If you sign purchase orders or you have any clue about the20budget of your group, you're almost certainly not a kernel manager.21These suggestions may or may not apply to you.22 23First off, I'd suggest buying "Seven Habits of Highly Effective24People", and NOT read it. Burn it, it's a great symbolic gesture.25 26.. [#f1] This document does so not so much by answering the question, but by27 making it painfully obvious to the questioner that we don't have a clue28 to what the answer is.29 30Anyway, here goes:31 32.. _decisions:33 341) Decisions35------------36 37Everybody thinks managers make decisions, and that decision-making is38important. The bigger and more painful the decision, the bigger the39manager must be to make it. That's very deep and obvious, but it's not40actually true.41 42The name of the game is to **avoid** having to make a decision. In43particular, if somebody tells you "choose (a) or (b), we really need you44to decide on this", you're in trouble as a manager. The people you45manage had better know the details better than you, so if they come to46you for a technical decision, you're screwed. You're clearly not47competent to make that decision for them.48 49(Corollary:if the people you manage don't know the details better than50you, you're also screwed, although for a totally different reason.51Namely that you are in the wrong job, and that **they** should be managing52your brilliance instead).53 54So the name of the game is to **avoid** decisions, at least the big and55painful ones. Making small and non-consequential decisions is fine, and56makes you look like you know what you're doing, so what a kernel manager57needs to do is to turn the big and painful ones into small things where58nobody really cares.59 60It helps to realize that the key difference between a big decision and a61small one is whether you can fix your decision afterwards. Any decision62can be made small by just always making sure that if you were wrong (and63you **will** be wrong), you can always undo the damage later by64backtracking. Suddenly, you get to be doubly managerial for making65**two** inconsequential decisions - the wrong one **and** the right one.66 67And people will even see that as true leadership (*cough* bullshit68*cough*).69 70Thus the key to avoiding big decisions becomes to just avoiding to do71things that can't be undone. Don't get ushered into a corner from which72you cannot escape. A cornered rat may be dangerous - a cornered manager73is just pitiful.74 75It turns out that since nobody would be stupid enough to ever really let76a kernel manager have huge fiscal responsibility **anyway**, it's usually77fairly easy to backtrack. Since you're not going to be able to waste78huge amounts of money that you might not be able to repay, the only79thing you can backtrack on is a technical decision, and there80back-tracking is very easy: just tell everybody that you were an81incompetent nincompoop, say you're sorry, and undo all the worthless82work you had people work on for the last year. Suddenly the decision83you made a year ago wasn't a big decision after all, since it could be84easily undone.85 86It turns out that some people have trouble with this approach, for two87reasons:88 89 - admitting you were an idiot is harder than it looks. We all like to90 maintain appearances, and coming out in public to say that you were91 wrong is sometimes very hard indeed.92 - having somebody tell you that what you worked on for the last year93 wasn't worthwhile after all can be hard on the poor lowly engineers94 too, and while the actual **work** was easy enough to undo by just95 deleting it, you may have irrevocably lost the trust of that96 engineer. And remember: "irrevocable" was what we tried to avoid in97 the first place, and your decision ended up being a big one after98 all.99 100Happily, both of these reasons can be mitigated effectively by just101admitting up-front that you don't have a friggin' clue, and telling102people ahead of the fact that your decision is purely preliminary, and103might be the wrong thing. You should always reserve the right to change104your mind, and make people very **aware** of that. And it's much easier105to admit that you are stupid when you haven't **yet** done the really106stupid thing.107 108Then, when it really does turn out to be stupid, people just roll their109eyes and say "Oops, not again".110 111This preemptive admission of incompetence might also make the people who112actually do the work also think twice about whether it's worth doing or113not. After all, if **they** aren't certain whether it's a good idea, you114sure as hell shouldn't encourage them by promising them that what they115work on will be included. Make them at least think twice before they116embark on a big endeavor.117 118Remember: they'd better know more about the details than you do, and119they usually already think they have the answer to everything. The best120thing you can do as a manager is not to instill confidence, but rather a121healthy dose of critical thinking on what they do.122 123Btw, another way to avoid a decision is to plaintively just whine "can't124we just do both?" and look pitiful. Trust me, it works. If it's not125clear which approach is better, they'll eventually figure it out. The126answer may end up being that both teams get so frustrated by the127situation that they just give up.128 129That may sound like a failure, but it's usually a sign that there was130something wrong with both projects, and the reason the people involved131couldn't decide was that they were both wrong. You end up coming up132smelling like roses, and you avoided yet another decision that you could133have screwed up on.134 135 1362) People137---------138 139Most people are idiots, and being a manager means you'll have to deal140with it, and perhaps more importantly, that **they** have to deal with141**you**.142 143It turns out that while it's easy to undo technical mistakes, it's not144as easy to undo personality disorders. You just have to live with145theirs - and yours.146 147However, in order to prepare yourself as a kernel manager, it's best to148remember not to burn any bridges, bomb any innocent villagers, or149alienate too many kernel developers. It turns out that alienating people150is fairly easy, and un-alienating them is hard. Thus "alienating"151immediately falls under the heading of "not reversible", and becomes a152no-no according to :ref:`decisions`.153 154There's just a few simple rules here:155 156 (1) don't call people d*ckheads (at least not in public)157 (2) learn how to apologize when you forgot rule (1)158 159The problem with #1 is that it's very easy to do, since you can say160"you're a d*ckhead" in millions of different ways [#f2]_, sometimes without161even realizing it, and almost always with a white-hot conviction that162you are right.163 164And the more convinced you are that you are right (and let's face it,165you can call just about **anybody** a d*ckhead, and you often **will** be166right), the harder it ends up being to apologize afterwards.167 168To solve this problem, you really only have two options:169 170 - get really good at apologies171 - spread the "love" out so evenly that nobody really ends up feeling172 like they get unfairly targeted. Make it inventive enough, and they173 might even be amused.174 175The option of being unfailingly polite really doesn't exist. Nobody will176trust somebody who is so clearly hiding their true character.177 178.. [#f2] Paul Simon sang "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover", because quite179 frankly, "A Million Ways to Tell a Developer They're a D*ckhead" doesn't180 scan nearly as well. But I'm sure he thought about it.181 182 1833) People II - the Good Kind184----------------------------185 186While it turns out that most people are idiots, the corollary to that is187sadly that you are one too, and that while we can all bask in the secure188knowledge that we're better than the average person (let's face it,189nobody ever believes that they're average or below-average), we should190also admit that we're not the sharpest knife around, and there will be191other people that are less of an idiot than you are.192 193Some people react badly to smart people. Others take advantage of them.194 195Make sure that you, as a kernel maintainer, are in the second group.196Suck up to them, because they are the people who will make your job197easier. In particular, they'll be able to make your decisions for you,198which is what the game is all about.199 200So when you find somebody smarter than you are, just coast along. Your201management responsibilities largely become ones of saying "Sounds like a202good idea - go wild", or "That sounds good, but what about xxx?". The203second version in particular is a great way to either learn something204new about "xxx" or seem **extra** managerial by pointing out something the205smarter person hadn't thought about. In either case, you win.206 207One thing to look out for is to realize that greatness in one area does208not necessarily translate to other areas. So you might prod people in209specific directions, but let's face it, they might be good at what they210do, and suck at everything else. The good news is that people tend to211naturally gravitate back to what they are good at, so it's not like you212are doing something irreversible when you **do** prod them in some213direction, just don't push too hard.214 215 2164) Placing blame217----------------218 219Things will go wrong, and people want somebody to blame. Tag, you're it.220 221It's not actually that hard to accept the blame, especially if people222kind of realize that it wasn't **all** your fault. Which brings us to the223best way of taking the blame: do it for someone else. You'll feel good224for taking the fall, they'll feel good about not getting blamed, and the225person who lost their whole 36GB porn-collection because of your226incompetence will grudgingly admit that you at least didn't try to weasel227out of it.228 229Then make the developer who really screwed up (if you can find them) know230**in private** that they screwed up. Not just so they can avoid it in the231future, but so that they know they owe you one. And, perhaps even more232importantly, they're also likely the person who can fix it. Because, let's233face it, it sure ain't you.234 235Taking the blame is also why you get to be manager in the first place.236It's part of what makes people trust you, and allow you the potential237glory, because you're the one who gets to say "I screwed up". And if238you've followed the previous rules, you'll be pretty good at saying that239by now.240 241 2425) Things to avoid243------------------244 245There's one thing people hate even more than being called "d*ckhead",246and that is being called a "d*ckhead" in a sanctimonious voice. The247first you can apologize for, the second one you won't really get the248chance. They likely will no longer be listening even if you otherwise249do a good job.250 251We all think we're better than anybody else, which means that when252somebody else puts on airs, it **really** rubs us the wrong way. You may253be morally and intellectually superior to everybody around you, but254don't try to make it too obvious unless you really **intend** to irritate255somebody [#f3]_.256 257Similarly, don't be too polite or subtle about things. Politeness easily258ends up going overboard and hiding the problem, and as they say, "On the259internet, nobody can hear you being subtle". Use a big blunt object to260hammer the point in, because you can't really depend on people getting261your point otherwise.262 263Some humor can help pad both the bluntness and the moralizing. Going264overboard to the point of being ridiculous can drive a point home265without making it painful to the recipient, who just thinks you're being266silly. It can thus help get through the personal mental block we all267have about criticism.268 269.. [#f3] Hint: internet newsgroups that are not directly related to your work270 are great ways to take out your frustrations at other people. Write271 insulting posts with a sneer just to get into a good flame every once in272 a while, and you'll feel cleansed. Just don't crap too close to home.273 274 2756) Why me?276----------277 278Since your main responsibility seems to be to take the blame for other279peoples mistakes, and make it painfully obvious to everybody else that280you're incompetent, the obvious question becomes one of why do it in the281first place?282 283First off, while you may or may not get screaming teenage girls (or284boys, let's not be judgmental or sexist here) knocking on your dressing285room door, you **will** get an immense feeling of personal accomplishment286for being "in charge". Never mind the fact that you're really leading287by trying to keep up with everybody else and running after them as fast288as you can. Everybody will still think you're the person in charge.289 290It's a great job if you can hack it.291