What does a Manager do?

Once, my 7 year old asked an innocent question while we were all dinning - "Dad, what does a manager do?". I sensed more disappointment than curiosity in his query. On probing, I found that a conversation with his school friends had left him upset. Their discussion was around their dads' profession. When my son shared, with pride, that his dad is a Manager, it fetched a prompt response - "Oh Managers, don't do anything." While my son was flustered with the comment, I had a reality check. It was a moment to reflect.

I've sensed a similar sentiment about managers in a lot of working professionals as well. In fact, management per se, is perceived with very little pride and respect. There is widespread despair and grudge within the employees towards managers and management. Interestingly, managers themselves hold a similar view about their peers & higher-ups. To some extent, this perception of management keeps nice people away from the guild, causing a double blow. WHY?

I'm sure there are multiple answers to this simple question and every working professional would have his/her nuanced version of it. I'm inclined to pause, hear views and stories around this, before forking into solution-mode. It's always good to confirm the existence of a problem before solving it, right? :-)