how to manage smart people, not rocket science.
Not quite on-topic but definitely an article I wish every boss I ever worked with had read: How to manage smart people.
The
following phrase is one of my favorite tools as a manager: “What do you
need from me in order to kick ass on this project?” Asking this
question of a report invariably scares the shit out of them. It’s a cut
to the chase, where you, as manager, lay out on the table the magic
wish list of possibilities, and asks them to put their cards on the
table. If a good discussion ensues, you then have the opportunity to
actually deliver some of the things they might need. All the pet
complaints they’ve been harboring have a chance to surface, and
perhaps, simply fade away in the face of your brutal honesty and
openness as a manager. [librarian.net : a library weblog]
following phrase is one of my favorite tools as a manager: “What do you
need from me in order to kick ass on this project?” Asking this
question of a report invariably scares the shit out of them. It’s a cut
to the chase, where you, as manager, lay out on the table the magic
wish list of possibilities, and asks them to put their cards on the
table. If a good discussion ensues, you then have the opportunity to
actually deliver some of the things they might need. All the pet
complaints they’ve been harboring have a chance to surface, and
perhaps, simply fade away in the face of your brutal honesty and
openness as a manager. [librarian.net : a library weblog]