To What Extent Should a Manager’s Evaluation Be Based on the Performance of Their Subordinates?

From the start of having a “real” job, I quickly concluded that the quality of management was crucial. I went so far as believing that, as a society, we should focus on training and developing people to be better managers and leaders. Every work will require and benefit from individuals with good management and leadership skills. One of the many ways management is so critical is that it has a tremendous impact on the employee–both in terms of the latter’s productivity and job satisfaction. I suspect this is obvious and banal, and yet to what extent are managers evaluated based on their employees’ performance? Now, managers don’t have complete control over their employees–and in some situations their authority can be quite limited–so let me rephrase the question: To what extent are managers evaluated based on their actions relating to getting the best performance out of their subordinates? In my work experience, managers aren’t really evaluated on this. Now, I’ve always assumed two things: 1) That managers should be evaluated on how well they help their employees perform, and 2) this is common practice in other organizations and businesses. I’m wondering if these two assumptions are correct, and I’m interested in hearing from others, based on their experience and perceptions.

Affordable Housing Thread

This is such a complex topic, relating also to homelessness, and I hope to have links to articles, while also making this a space to discuss the topic. The goal is to gain a better understanding and identifying effective solutions. Here’s a twitter thread about how YIMBY’s (Yes in My Backyard)–people who support building more housing units in their communities can create the impression that they’re pro-landlord and pro-developer, and how this can turn others off because of strong anti-landlord and anti-developer feelings. Continue reading “Affordable Housing Thread”

Should Congress Regulate Social Media Platforms?

Here’s a tweet from a libertarian that made me think of this:

Do you agree that presence and type of political bias at Facebook is none of Congress’s business? This seems wrong to me on a variety of levels. Let me try and sort them out. Continue reading “Should Congress Regulate Social Media Platforms?”

NBA Players Who Changed the Game

Here’s Colin Cowherd’s list:

There’s something that Dr. J said that makes me think of this topic. He said that one of his criteria for a great player is the impact a player can have on the way others play. He specifically said that if kids go out on the playground and try to emulate a player, that’s a sign of greatness. I don’t think I’d used that criterion to determine the best players, but I would use it to define players that changed the game. With that said, here’s some thoughts on this topic. Continue reading “NBA Players Who Changed the Game”

Controversial Hiring and Firing of Kevin Williamson at The Atlantic

The Atlantic recently hired a conservative writer, Kevin Williamson (from National Review), got significant criticism for doing so, and has not fired Williamson. This Daily Beast article breaks down the controversy, and I wanted to discuss what I think is a really complicated issue, and controversial issue. I suspect you guys might not want to talk about this, but I hope you do, because I’m interested in getting feedback on this.

Here’s the main source of the controversy: Continue reading “Controversial Hiring and Firing of Kevin Williamson at The Atlantic