The chief functions of a front-line manager in a large organization are to:

• protect the people on the team from stupid outside interference (which higher levels of the bureaucracy are always trying to impose ... task forces, new impossible requirements, silly fire drills, etc.);
• define, clarify, and evolve the team's mission so as to maximize value-added by team members;
• get enough resources (dollars, staff, space, time, etc.) to actually do the mission;
• help junior team members develop their skills, take on new tasks, get recognized, and receive promotions as appropriate; and
• help senior team members stay fresh and productive.

Not easy! I tried, without much success, 1988-1990. As the saying goes, the two happiest days in a man's life are when he gets his boat, and when he sells it.

My escape from management was indeed one of the brighter moments of my career.

Wednesday, July 24, 2001 = 2001-07-24

TopicOrganizations

(correlates: ResearchAndLife, RepoMan, InvestingInExpertise, ...)