A question many new leaders ask, and more experienced leaders should reconsider, regards how many direct reports a leader can manage successfully. When we examine leaders across many industries, it is not uncommon to see direct report numbers ranging from a handful to as many as 15 to 20. So, exactly how many direct reports should a leader have?
To your point, managing others isn’t about giving them rope to do whatever the employees want and being there when problems happen. It’s about setting goals, making sure the team is on the same page headed in the same direction, guiding the employees, mentoring them, helping them grow. This takes time and focus.
At some point, something’s gotta give. Either you are spending so much time managing the team that you can’t get any of your important work done, or you’re focusing on your important work so can’t spend the time to manage the team.
Effectively managing 7 people takes a ton of time. 10 people? Something is bound to get the short stick.
For those reasons, my personal philosophy is that 7 is the high end of the spectrum.
5 to 7.
I believe anything above 7 begins to lose its effectiveness
Because of the inability to meet weekly, or something else?
To your point, managing others isn’t about giving them rope to do whatever the employees want and being there when problems happen. It’s about setting goals, making sure the team is on the same page headed in the same direction, guiding the employees, mentoring them, helping them grow. This takes time and focus.
At some point, something’s gotta give. Either you are spending so much time managing the team that you can’t get any of your important work done, or you’re focusing on your important work so can’t spend the time to manage the team.
Effectively managing 7 people takes a ton of time. 10 people? Something is bound to get the short stick.
For those reasons, my personal philosophy is that 7 is the high end of the spectrum.