Very,, very true.

I would point out that a good manager _is_ a mentoring, coaching leader. Organizations need managers - to scale, and to be accountable (who does the hiring? who gives out bonuses?) But what is not effective for creative professionals is to order them around like servants.

Frerquent feedback about tangible, concrete events is also far, far more effective than the annual - and largely worthless - performance review - when people can not longer remember what was happening six months before.

Good leadership is not a new idea. What Sonali advocates is "mission command" - something used by NATO and defined by the Prussian Army. But Theory X autocratic management styles became entrenched during the early 20th century, and luckily that is being discarded.

I also respect that Sonali expresses a need for mentorship (and impliicitly, coaching), rather than insisting on just letting junior staff work the way they want. They often do not know what they don't know: but instead of telling them what to do, they need to have things explained, and then allowed to apply these learnings in their own way. New people also often bring a fresh perspective that is valuable.