The Only Job a Manager Has
1 min read
A manager’s job comes down to one skill. Knowing when to step on the accelerator and when to step on the brake.
Managers are in a endless cycle of trying to accelerate a team's work or slow them down if they are over their skis.
Teams (or individuals) who are too far out on the time scale, solving speculative problems need to be reeled in (brake). Those who spend endless time cycling on something that has low reward to the effort need to be moved forward (accelerator).
Knowing when to step on the accelerator or brake is developed with experience. The best managers see these behaviors before the people or teams and reach for various tools to slow down or accelerate effort.