The Hidden Glue of Growth: Why Management Deserves More Respect
- Zakeana Reid
- Aug 30
- 6 min read
“This would be a great job… except for the people.”
That was the favourite grumble of a Director at an organization I worked with many years ago. He was a brilliant, deeply technical professional who never wanted to be a manager. He wanted to code, problem-solve, and build. What frustrated him most wasn’t the complexity of the work—it was the time he spent in meetings that went nowhere and the endless status reports meant to keep others updated. In his mind, if he were the one doing the work, it would already be done.
When this landed on my HR desk, what I saw was much bigger than one frustrated leader. This organization had a cultural blind spot: they prized technical smarts but dismissed the importance of management and interpersonal connection.
Here is what happened:
Jyoti (not her real name) reported to the Director, one of three members of the leadership team. After her one-year review, she came into my office in tears of frustration. The story spilled out.
In her first month, alongside her regular work, Jyoti was asked to create a project plan to document a complex internal process. The task included rolling it out, training staff, and showing how it would improve efficiency. She eagerly spoke with colleagues across different teams, pulled the plan together, and submitted it to the Director. At her first monthly check-in, she asked for feedback and a timeline to present it. The Director admitted he hadn’t looked at it yet, but told her to go ahead and start the interviews anyway.
In her second month, Jyoti began interviewing stakeholders, but her monthly check-in was cancelled at the last minute when the Director left early to care for his sick child. Understandable—but still a missed opportunity.
By her third month, Jyoti tried to be proactive. She sent a written update on her progress and proposed next steps before her check-in. The Director thanked her for being thorough and said her email was so complete that they didn’t need to meet.
This pattern continued. Month after month, Jyoti provided updates, hoping for direction. But she never received feedback on her original plan.
At the end of the year, preparing for her annual review, Jyoti proudly presented the completed project. She was excited to show her initiative and her ability to “figure things out on her own.”
Imagine her shock when, in the performance meeting, the Director smiled sadly and said, “I’ve been dreading this conversation for some time. We were not hopeful you would accomplish the task based on the project plan you submitted in your first month, and have been disappointed each month that you continued to put your time and effort into a plan that was not going to achieve the ends we hoped for. But—you have a great attitude.”
The People + Process Problem
Jyoti’s story isn’t unique. It illustrates what happens when organizations prize technical skill (or job/work "know-how") but fail to respect management as a discipline.
When management is undervalued, two kinds of problems emerge—and they feed each other:
People problems
Communication is unclear, leaving employees confused about priorities.
Expectations are unstated, and performance becomes guesswork.
Feedback is inconsistent or avoided altogether.
Engagement drops as people feel unseen or unsupported.
Process problems
Bottlenecks form because no one is coordinating handoffs.
Meetings multiply without producing real decisions.
Priorities shift constantly, creating rework and inefficiency.
Growth exposes cracks in accountability.
The result: time (and money) are wasted on tasks that do not move the organization's plan forward, talented people lose motivation or leave, and individually solid processes collapse under misalignment.
A Systems Thinking Lens
If we zoom out with a systems thinking lens, the problem isn’t just one ineffective manager—it’s a repeating pattern driven by hidden mental models.
Mental model 1: “Managers add unnecessary bureaucracy.” This belief strips management of authority or reduces it to paperwork.
Mental model 2: “Self-starters don't need management.” This belief puts the burden on employees to flag problems, but most don’t want to risk being seen as incapable. The result is often disengagement and wasted effort.
Mental model 3: “Silence means success.” The assumption that “no news is good news” leads managers to avoid giving feedback. Employees, like Jyoti, are left guessing whether they’re on track until it’s too late.
These mental models shape structures, patterns and events:
Structures (organizational design + policies shaped by those beliefs)
Management roles are stripped of real authority or overloaded with admin tasks.
Promotions reward technical skill without training for people management.
Feedback systems (like reviews) are rare, inconsistent, or purely administrative.
Responsibility for alignment and problem-solving is pushed onto individuals instead of leaders.
Patterns (recurring dynamics over time)
Meetings become status updates, not decision-making forums.
Employees stop asking for feedback, assuming silence means they’re “fine.”
High performers burn out, while quieter employees disengage.
Projects drift off course because no one is checking or course-correcting.
Leaders “dread” performance reviews because misalignment has built up for months.
Events (what we see on the surface, like Jyoti’s story)
Employees are working hard on projects that miss the mark.
Missed deadlines or duplicated work.
Frustrated staff leaving reviews in tears.
Performance conversations are filled with surprises and disappointment.
Leaders and staff alike feel that “management doesn't work here."
Why It Matters
As organizations grow, so does the complexity of communication and coordination.
In a small start-up of 5–10 people, you can survive on informal management. Everyone overhears conversations, absorbs priorities over coffee, and can pop into each other’s workspace.
By the time you reach 25–50 employees, cracks begin to show. Misunderstandings multiply, accountability slips, and “heroes” start carrying the weight.
At 100+ people, it becomes chaos without structure. Remote and hybrid work only amplify the challenge: now you’re dealing with time zones, digital tools, and fewer natural opportunities for connection.
Research backs this up. Gallup has consistently found that managers account for about 70% of the variance in employee engagement. In other words, whether people thrive or disengage at work has less to do with the tasks and more to do with how they’re managed.
What holds it all together is effective management—leaders who align people and process in service of the bigger picture. Yet management too often gets treated as an administrative burden instead of the vital, respected function it truly is.
What to Consider: Do You Need Management?
If you’re wondering whether your organization needs a stronger management function, try this quick self-check using the EOS® LMA™ (Lead, Manage, and Hold People Accountable) lens:
Lead: Is someone consistently setting priorities and aligning people to the vision?
Manage: Is someone making sure expectations are clear, progress is tracked, and feedback is delivered?
Accountability: Is someone responsible for addressing performance issues and ensuring results match expectations?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all three, you don’t necessarily need another manager—but you do need to ensure these functions are happening consistently. Without them, both people and process will falter.
What Good Management Looks Like
It’s easy to say “we need better management”—but what does that actually mean in practice?
At its core, management is about working in the business: setting expectations, keeping communication flowing, and making sure day-to-day execution happens. Here are three simple management practices that make the difference between frustration and flow:
Clearly communicate expectations - "Clear is kind," says Brené Brown.
Set the right check-in cadence – Each staff member on your team may need a different rhythm. Talk openly about expectations, what’s working, what’s not, and how to course-correct.
Reward and recognize – Deliver feedback within 24 hours. Praise in public. Correct in private. Make people feel seen and appreciated consistently, not once a year.
When managers practice these consistently, they become the bridge between people and process—the very thing that keeps organizations aligned and moving forward.
My old boss wasn’t wrong—people make work hard. But without management, people and processes never align, and the hard becomes impossible.
So here’s the challenge:
Respect management as a craft that bridges people and process.
Don’t promote based only on tenure or being great at the “work”.
Don’t dismiss management as “red tape.”
And remember: these aren’t “big company” problems. Jyoti (not her real name) and I worked for an organization with fewer than 50 staff, all working in the same office. Even in small, tight-knit teams, the absence of real management shows up quickly—in wasted effort, missed opportunities, and discouraged people.
Organizations don’t fail to scale because of the work. They fail because of the way the work gets managed. So ask yourself: Who’s owning the management function in your organization? If the answer is “no one,” that’s the place to start.
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