Managing

What makes a good manager?

Is it people skills? Getting the team to deliver on time? Transparency? Communication? Vision?

The only correct answer is, “That depends.”

Is it from the employee standpoint (managing down)? Executive standpoint (managing up)? Shareholder’s standpoint? What does each care about in this specific context?

In many real ways, managing a team of AI agents is very much like managing a team of people. Successfully managing those agents takes many of the same skills. Get better at those skills, and you’ll have more success.

However, there is a big difference. It may seem obvious.

AI agents are not people. No matter what the current argument around AGI and anthropomorphism suggests.

People have feelings. They have experiences, desires, dislikes, bad nights of sleep, children, extended families, partners, and lives.

AI agents have none of that.

As such, managing a team of AI holds a lot of appeal for managers burned out on the people side of the job. A manager of AI can focus on the process and output. The technical delivery. The building of stuff by the team. The question of “what did we get done and how good is it?”

I admit it. I find it appealing sometimes.

Now leadership has choice and opportunity. Manage AI or people? Manage AI and people?

What makes a good manager?