Manager

Today, While reading the an article "A time of Growth" from the HBR, this absolutely simple and applicable concept surfaced,

Different altitudes of management,

A manager needs to work at different altitudes of thought.

Like most things in this world, there are three altitudes, first the lowest level which is the nitty gritty or the execution level, moving up we have the strategic level and finally right up there we have the context level, that is, mission, aspirations, values, and leadership that basically define the company/group.

It is important for the manager to move nimbly between the various levels.

He needs to contribute at the various levels and not restrict himself or over emphasis on any one of these levels.

Summarizing, There are three altitudes/levels at which a manager should function,

Altitude 1: Context
Altitude 2: Strategy
Altitude 3: Execution

Rules for functioning:

Work all the altitudes
Move between altitude nimbly.