One of my clients said to me, “There’s no one who doesn’t need a boss.” He meant it as “Everyone needs someone to check with, to make sure they’re headed in the right direction.” I agree.
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Management, especially good management, is hard to do. This blog is for people who want to think about how they manage people, projects, and risk.
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Not only to check the direction. I think a good boss is someone who you can consult with and learn from. More is here: http://roman-rytov.typepad.com/miles/2006/03/who_is_the_idea.html
I suggest “coach” instead of “boss” in this context. I have a boss but he doesn’t provide feedback. A coach watches what you do and makes suggestions for corrections.
It would be better to distinuish between “a good boss could be useful” and “everyone cannot do it without a boss”. The same happens with family. A good spouse is a great thing in the life, but it would be better to live alone than with a bad one. In fact a lot of misery exists just because too many people are willing to live with any boss/spouse. Perhaps it’s because yesterday I watched on TV “Chi to Hone” (Blood and Bones, see at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419515/). It’s a great movie and it makes the point sharp clear.
98% of people need a coach. 2% are self-motivated and they are the real hackers who don’t need any kind of pointy haired boss ;)