“But too often in our business, money is used as a substitute for managing. So the idea that if I can pay you a lot of money, [then] I don’t have to engage with you, I don’t have to be direct with you, I don’t have to be honest with you, I don’t have to coach you…” John Mack in Demand to Be Managed on HBS Working Knowledge.
John Mack (head of Credit Suisse First Boston) is talking about management in the financial services industry, but he could easily be talking about the software industry.
In the end, good management attracts good employees and creates a sustainable business.