My boss and I talked about the recent calibration. We discused the fact that it is easier to be promited as a manager than it is as an individual contributor. I'm not confortuable with that and for good reason-- the work gets done because people do it, not because managers manage them.

The reality isn't so fair. A weak manger with a good team will look great. Any manager with a bad team gets to blame the problems on the team-- for a year at least. So a manager with a weak team gets to blame and fire someone else.

Also, rewards trickle down from the top. My VP will give his direct employees the most money. What's left over goes to the next layer of management. What's left over after that goes to next layer. Finally what's left over after that goes to the individual contributors.

More rewards trickle down from the top. Less blame purcolates up from the bottom. It makes management a gravy train.

At least I'm on that train.