A simple decision requires multiple sign-offs and a steering committee. By the time approval comes, the opportunity has passed. Middle management was meant to remove friction. Today, it often creates it.
This isn’t about bad people. It’s about incentives. When managers are rewarded for control and risk avoidance, they optimize for safety—not speed. The result is predictable: high performers disengage, leaders get insulated, and organizations slow down while appearing “well governed.”
The healthiest teams have managers who decide, protect focus, and absorb pressure from above instead of passing it down.
We don’t need fewer managers.
We need fewer spectators with titles.
