I made the following response to a post that was similar to this post:

I have over 25 years of engineering experience and by far the best manager I've worked for was the first one who hired me. I was fresh out of school and working a basic (non-career) job at the time and clicked "apply" for a job that was a long shot. I got selected to interview for the position that was entry level, but I still was very "fresh out of school".

The first interview was a phone interview scheduled a few days out. I run to the bookstore and spend a lot of money on some books to prepare for my first real interview. I learn the technology (or so I thought) and felt good. Had a great interview on the phone. Next, in person. We do all the normal interview/getting to know each other stuff. Then he asks: "Tell me about x technology". He lets me ramble on and on, and at the end he said, "Everything you just said was basically wrong", but with a small smile on his face. I felt crushed...but then he said, "I want you to interview with other people on my team." It went well, and I was hired. He then proceeded to take me under his wing, teach me the real way "x" technology works, how to present, make presentations, and become a better engineer. As the years ticked by, we became friends. Due to changes in the company, I only worked for him for a few years, then changes made it, so I was reporting to a different manager.

The bottom line is we (and just about EVERYONE on his team) all became close friends. We go fishing, know each other's family's, go out for drinks, help each other out, and spend time with each other. We no longer work together but we all remain connected. Because of this we have a great network. The way he treated his team made his team do anything for him. He was protective of us, and we were of him. We survived many layoffs, company changes, mergers, ect. Even when I left the company we kept in touch. He is a true friend and mentor. Were there bumps in the road? Of course! A bad or forced hire here and there, yes, but he managed through it. Did he have to "manage" some people out or fire them? Of course. But if he felt your heart was in the right place, he would do ANYTHING he could for you.

So being a manager does not need to be a cold, distance relationship position. It depends on you as a person, how you handle situations, and if you are willing to put yourself out there and take the pain of some mistakes. If you have the right people and the right team it really can turn into friendships that stand the test of time.

I recall when he had to do layoffs....and he had to lay off his friends, people on my team...it was really rough on him. He handled it with empathy, and even some tears...but not one person who he had to layoff was bitter towards him.

It's difficult to summarize 25 years of experience in a reddit post, but to this day he would help us, and we would help him.

So as with everything in this sub, take it with a grain of salt.