Steph Locke (5/7/2014)I personally wouldn't want to be a manager but I really value good managers for being able to handle all the politics, team interactions, meetings, project prioritisations and all the other stuff that is needed.
I agree with this 100%.
Right now I have a manager I really respect, and I feel pathetically grateful for that because it's far too rare. He has a solid technical background and really knows his stuff, but he doesn't touch the work himself; that's what we (his team) are for. Instead he focuses on getting the best out of us for the company, which involves far more political wrangling than I'd have the patience for. I believe he earns good money for this and he should, it's a real skill.