The best manager I had knew technology at a high level. The worst manager I had came from the trenches. The trench guy always wanted to micromanage the projects down to the code. He felt only he could do it right. He failed miserably as a manager because he had little time for budgets and handling personnel issues.

Fight the good fight in the boardroom for budgets, training, benefits, and projects but stay out of my hair regarding the project details. I will answer to you if something goes wrong. A good mentor always hands over the keys at some point. A good manager gives general direction but leaves the details to the staff.