Submitted by GlennR on
in
Forums
If you work in a small start up, this may be of use to you. (You may need to register to read this. It's free, though.)
http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/be-a-minimally-invasive-manager/
The author assumes that the manager has no non-management performance goals, but I think his thesis is valid.
Many Managers also still Ball carriers that came from the team.
Glennr,
I think you noticed the same thing I did, right off the bat.
>>> "Managers aren’t ball carriers. They’re running interference for the ball carriers."
The thesis is generally valid if we were to consider only the management or managing "responsibilities".
The author doesn't address or even mention the fact that his idea of hiring "Managers as service" would only work if managers are hired from the outside and only given "management" responsibilities. Or promoted completely out of the Individual contributor role.
The reality is that many (if not most) managers were star forwards on the team and they still have some ball running responsibility.
The Blog post sounds almost as if he supports the idea that all star individual contributors should stay in that role - and the company should just hire "professional service managers" to manage them.
I suspect, perhaps, that he was trying to argue for a kind of transition of thinking.
His point is great food for thought for the newly promoted former star forward from the team
... now has to see where he needs to get out of the way for the rest of the team to succeed.
It doesn't mean that he doesn't get to shoot a few goals himself - on occasion.
TJPuccio