## Metadata * URL:: [https://review.firstround.com/stop-overcomplicating-it-the-simple-guidebook-to-upping-your-management-game](https://review.firstround.com/stop-overcomplicating-it-the-simple-guidebook-to-upping-your-management-game) * Published Date:: [[2022-06-21]] - Tags:: [[My management principles values and practices|My Management Principles Values And Practices]] ## Highlights Mostly the opinions of [[Russ laraway|Russ Laraway]]. >There’s one common ingredient across every type of manager: You’re leading people. So the core of what makes for good management can’t be all that different, whether you’re leading a team of baristas or engineers. ^563398 >“Direction-setting anchors the team to an aligned result through the combination of two long-term elements (purpose and vision), and two short-term elements (OKRs and ruthless prioritization),” he says. “Each element cascades to the next — purpose leads to vision which leads to OKRs, which leads to priorities.” >“When determining your team’s goals for the quarter, a big part of your job as manager is to gather their input. After all, it’s their team too. >During these meetings, ask each team member to articulate their three priorities — and be really strict about sticking to three. >just saying, ‘Can I have some feedback?’ is not going to cut it,” he says. Try these questions instead: >what moves the needle on employee engagement? “It’s the manager, more than any other factor — there’s not even a close second place,” says Laraway. As Gallup found, managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores across teams and departments. In other words, managers are holding the keys. >according to Laraway’s research, there’s one single factor that most directly correlates to employee attrition: Whether or not folks believe their manager cares about them as human beings, not just worker bees. >I’ve found that folks are too focused on finding really complicated, cool leadership-y things for their unique environment, instead of just focusing on the stuff that works pretty much everywhere,” says Laraway. ^b44024 >Nobody ever applies for a job called 'leader.’ The job is usually called ‘manager.’ (...) We focus on the esoteric, complex ideas that make us a “leader” rather than the specific things managers must do well. ^52ebdb >We have to restore dignity to the office of the manager. (...) We’ve allowed ourselves to fall victim to this idea of grandiosity — that leadership is better than management. ^f3b9f3 >folks tend to overweight the value of charisma