Some people try to be ‘pure’ business managers. They give out orders right, left and Chelsea, but they never end up with any actions themselves. Don’t be like them.

This no-actions-teflon outlook doesn’t give a senior manager kudos or respect. They just look like a pompous ass who can give it but can no longer take it.

Take on a couple of actions for yourself and add some value to the meeting or the project. They can be things that take two minutes to do, but help make something move faster or better than it would otherwise have done. Maybe an introduction, Maybe just lending your voice to someone else’s task so that they get a quicker or a better answer.

Leaders who actually pick up the spade, even to a small extent, get respect, and better performance from their teams.

Leaders who think themselves so important that they no longer ‘do’ anything tend to be those that lose touch with the realities of their business. And we all know where that leads.