[hinkley]

It doesn’t just have to be helping your boss. From your reports’ point of view, it’s a matter of spending less time telling us how to do our jobs and spending more helping the boss figure out how to do theirs.

Because often the people doing the thing have a pretty good idea what’s possible and what’s not, and when the management wants unicorns they will be unhappy with everyone because all they are getting from them is ponies. Someone has to tell them that’s because unicorns don’t exist and they’re being not just unreasonable but unhinged.