The only honest test of the value of any management activity is to run projects without some of them and observe how well people perform with a lighter touch. It's a test few leaders have the courage to take. The worry among managers is that this test would reveal that quality improves when they do less managing. It might just turn out that an executive whose division always demands eighty-hour workweeks might really just need a manager who knows how to hire well, put a few healthy frictions in place, and get out of the way.
