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Submitted by US101 on
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Mark and Mike,

What is your definition of a manager?

This questions seems so basic that I'm not sure you've covered in a podcast.

Is it - "Someone who gets results through others"?

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Jon-

In the context of manager tools, a manager is someone who has responsibility for the output of others, whether those others are directs (report formally to him/her) or not.

That said, I believe the majority of our manager listeners have directs, and I skew that way generally in my thinking.

this is reminiscent of Drucker's tongue in cheek definition of a leader: one who has followers.

We try not to spend too much time here, simply because it doesn't drive us to better answers relative to behavior. The distinctions exist, but are only relevant at the margins.

Hope this helps!

Mark

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Thanks Mark. Definitions are kind of like scaffolding for the mind. They help you frame concepts, but they are only a starting point.

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Mark - In the context of Manager-Tools - do you have any analogy for a manager, such as a "conductor"?

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Jon-

I use lots of analogies when making specific points, but I don't have a primary one. And, it would not be conductor if I did, because the conductor has SO much influence on virtually every note in real time. An orchestra can't perform well without a conductor... yet for the best of managers, that IS the standard: how the team performs when they're NOT there!

Mark