The riff-raff comment reminds me of some arguments old Hams make about the (recently dropped) morse code license test requirement. But let's not drag that in here! :-)


The problem is how do you measure the effectiveness of such a management position. You've indicated that it works for you, and I can't dispute that you have a highly competent team, but how would you tell if it was turning away highly qualified candidates? How do you know you couldn't do even better? You've already received some feedback here, both from myself (clearly NOT qualified, I'm a Unix/Perl coder, not a 8052 developer. This is just a hobby for me, so I don't count), as well as Craig (who appears to be highly qualified).


What I think you're dancing all around with out actually labeling is "building a cohesive team". It's can be quite a challenge, and one of the biggest obstacles for engineers that jump to management. You have to remember, statistics do not apply to individuals, they only apply to populations. Individuals have to be measured, and you have to measure the things that are related. I have problems linking an interest in pop culture with engineering skills (and I leave the room the minute my wife turns "the Bachelor" on... ugh!). But I can understand the challenge of trying to integrate a hip hop rave fan into a team of C&W listeners, etc... regardless of competency. But let's call that what it is, a team building problem.