Manager trap -- Focusing too much on technical problems.

One trap hands-on managers can fall into is that they focus on technical problems and neglect the people management problems.

Take for example a team that is constantly behind and failing to meet its commitments. A technical manager may feel the draw to cancel all meetings for a week and heroically work to save a project. Unfortunately, doing so is rarely the right call: there are a myriad of potential management issues that may need to be addressed.

Do stakeholders have the right expectations of the team, or do they need better communication? Does the team have the correct charter, or is it too broad in scope? Does the team have sufficient / the correct people to achieve its goals, or hiring needed? Does the team have the right processes in place, or do they need to be improved? etc. etc.

An engineering manager that makes a diving catch of any one project risks accidentally neglecting the long term issues affecting the team.