Louis Massaro explains he no longer wants to 'manage' people by policing tasks; instead he hires managers, steps into a leadership/coaching role, and focuses on developing his team’s thinking and capabilities. He stresses that knowledge alone is worthless without applying it, and that the first quality of leadership is being a lifelong student.
I don't like managing people anymore. I don't have the patience for it anymore. I just don't. Right. It was a necessity. At some point. I had to do what I had to do it. Now I don't want to manage anybody. I don't want to be checking after somebody to see what they need to do. Right. If I had to do it, if I had to go back to that place, I would. But now I bring somebody in to manage and I step up and I lead and I coach my team and I try to make them better and I try to get them to think on another level and give them the next level capabilities and get them to take the next level action so we could all get the next level results. The way you learn in this room is the way you lead. I don't care what you know. I care what you're committed to and what you're taking action on. What you know doesn't mean anything. You have to apply what you know. And the first quality of leadership is being a lifelong student.
