A manager should stay as far away as possible from his players. I don't know if I said ten words to Frank Robinson while he played for me.
Reports tell you what your subordinates want you to know.
The buck stops with me, but I can tick off dozens of very good senior executives that are responsible for hundreds or thousands of people who work for me.
A lot of companies have teams, but they are not really independent. They still have to get stuff approved by the boss. You have to change how and where decisions are made. If the hierarchy makes the decision, it will be based on politics.
If it were up to the executives, they probably wouldn't have directors at all.
No matter how lofty you are in your department, the responsibility for what your lowliest assistant is doing is yours.
Too many guys don't know what to do with their lives after boxing. I was lucky because I had two managers who didn't trust each other, and so they were always making sure where all the money was, and because of that, so did I.
Keep the boss aware. Bosses, after all, are held responsible by their own bosses for the performance of their subordinates. They must be able to say: "I know what Anne [or John] is trying to do."
It's a great discipline to have to report to somebody, even if you're the sole owner
When you first start working for me, directly for me, I micromanage until I trust you.
