Buy any training materials that I request - Books are cheap compared to my salary. If I can learn something new that will save time, the investment will have been worth it. The same goes for magazines, software conferences, etc.

Be flexible - When it’s time to get some coding done, there are times that I’ll be more productive than others. My computer doesn’t care if I’m using it at 3AM or 10AM. You shouldn’t either.

Trust - If you don’t trust me, you’re setting me up for failure. Trust your employees first, and take appropriate action if they give you reason not to trust them. If I know you trust me, I can focus on getting my job done.

Keep me happy - A happy developer is a productive developer. Sometimes there are small things you can do that will keep me happy. Buy lunch every once and a while. Tell me to go home early on a Friday. As a bonus, I won’t be looking for another place to work if I’m happy.

Guide, but don’t over-manage - You have the big picture, so I need your guidance. That doesn’t mean that you have to know every detail about what I’m doing. You’re not a babysitter, you’re a teammate.

Be accessible - If I get need something, please be available. I may need you to pull in the right resources to solve a problem.

Have answers - You’re the hub of the wheel. If you don’t know what’s going on, you’re useless to me. You need to be organized and connected.

Be able to prioritize - You have a better idea of what is important for the overall product. That means I need you to prioritize features accordingly. That means I’ll always be working on something important.

Tell me what is expected of me - I need to know exactly what is expected of me, and I need to know how you’ll determine if I’m completing what is expected. I also need to know how you’re going to gauge my performance. When it’s time for my review, there should be no surprises.

(From http://www.ytechie.com/2008/06/what-a-developer-needs-from-their-manager.html)