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Individual contributors can expect workplace psychological safety, but managers do not. This is not something that can be fixed, it's part of the role. Like how a plumber will sometimes have to smell sewage.
Reasons:
- Managers are more or less fungible.
- They compete against each other since contributors and other resources are limited.
- They are exposed to competitive pressures affecting the company.
- They are not fully informed about the the subjects for which they are responsible.
- Nobody will protect managers from these factors the way an IC is protected.
Managers can have a psychologically safe environment in a "peace through strength" fashion, or by being in the right place at the right time. But it is not permanent, and regression to the mean is just a growth cycle or reorg away.