ScalingEmerging Pattern
Hire player-coaches who can execute the work they manage, not pure managers who only delegate
Managers should be capable of performing the tasks of those they manage. If they manage engineers, they need to write excellent code. If they manage marketers, they need to be exceptional marketers. Hiring 'pure managers' creates velocity problems as the organization scales.
When to use
When hiring your first managers or building out management layers beyond founders
Don't do this
Hiring managers who only coordinate without being able to step in and execute when needed
1 Founder Who Did This
1
Levelsby Sam Corcos
After a two-year hiatus from the codebase, velocity ground to a halt and two-week projects became three-month ordeals. Now Levels never hires 'pure managers' - all managers must be able to perform tasks of those they manage.
Result:Recalibrated team processes and restored shipping velocity after recognizing delegation without capability was the root cause
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