Managing Corporate America

[LVSteve]

On the other hand, effective leaders don't have to be great managers if they can develop and motivate the team to cohesively get the job done.

Unfortunately, this is where things go awry. The metric for a "good" manager today is whether he/she gets all their Microsoft Project information up the chain on time and do they make pretty PowerPoint presentations. Too often the process has become the product, to the detriment of the company involved. Sadly this attitude is widespread throughout the modern world in industry, government and even the armed forces. Explain to me how choking on our own administrivia makes the company/country/world a better place.

 

[anoblefox]

I agree with faulkner; If you can recognize your subordinates ability(s) and know how to be fair and motovate people you can suceed without knowing everything about the trade or business.
On the other hand, my personal view is that you tend to respect the person that you work for more when they demonstrate their knowledge of the craft or trade and lead by example; can they identify what you are doing and get you the tools you need to do it, they know how long the job takes and don't try to dictate how long a task requires.
Granted my views relate mostly to civil service. I have worked for a man that was fair and treated us good yet knew little of the job because he came from an entirely different department, yet we would do anything for him and took care of him.
Conversely, I have worked for so many idiots in civil service that was scarred to death to have someone smarter or more experianced than them around.
I say it is a gift if you have someone better than you, treat them well and let them make you look good! Is this not what Team playing is really all about?