The Gift of Management

Management is a form of ownership. There are many capable people with great leadership qualities who are not necessarily suited to entrepreneurial roles. While founders and CEOs tend to be exalted with the most praise and visibility in today’s climate, it is the managers and those they manage who implement the work. Those individuals are essential, as it takes all parts to make the whole. Instead of being perceived as less than the top positions, it would serve all sides for those roles to be celebrated and understood for the valuable positions they are.

While modern media and society tends to lead everyone to believe they should not only want to be but should embody the executive role, not everyone is suited to it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just as it takes all different types of people to have an interesting and successful experience in life, so too does it require a variety of individuals with a variety of strengths, weaknesses and ambitions to create a successful organization.

Consider this: if an individual has the greatest personal happiness, life balance, and mental wellbeing in a subordinate position, is it truly a negative thing for them not to move into a different “higher” role? Every unique individual has their own definition of what a successful life means to them, and the societally prescribed ambitions — whether personal or professional — rarely…