My best employees send me weekly summaries with 3-5 bullets re: what they accomplished that week, as it relates to our team’s top goals, and an overview of the 3-5 things they need to be focused on the following week. They also let me know, clearly, what they need from me. If there’s a problem, then, they let me know what the problem is and what they are doing to solve it.

I do not have time for headaches and I do not want to hold hands. I want my people to feel empowered to solve their own problems and I have tried to create an environment where they feel comfortable screwing up, quote unquote, because important lessons are often learned during “failure.” So if I have a headcount that needs constant supervision, needs me to punto a punto outline their every task, and/or cannot be entrusted to solve problems without getting my explicit approval, then we have a problem. So to the extent that a direct report can take as little of their manager’s time in a day as possible, then we have a win.

That said, there are plenty of numb-nuts managers out there, and if someone is to find themselves working for the deeply average, then perhaps crafting an exit strategy should be the first order of business. We each spend too much of our lives in the employ of another to have those hours pass miserably.