>Managing without power can be difficult It is impossible. Whether the Power (in the most general sense of the term) is overt or covert is a function of circum

>Managing without power can be difficult It is impossible. Whether the Power (in the most general sense of the term) is overt or covert is a function of circumstances and the nature of the people being managed. The way i look at it is as consisting of three distinct axes; * People - Their Nature, Wants, Psychology and Behaviour. This is what everybody should focus on majorly since this is the most variable, malleable, amorphous and difficult to learn and master. An analogy i use (and which often raises people's ire) is how we train other species to get them to do what we want; eg. Lions/Tigers in a Circus vs. Sheep herding Dogs vs. Teaching a parrot to Talk etc. You get the idea. There are some fundamental principles but they all have to be tailored for each species and the individual within a species. We are the same except that our social/communication structures are vastly more complex. * Resources - Materials and Time. You are given a finite amount of these with which you have to do the best you can. The big problem here is Time due to our equating it with Money and the self-imposed breakneck speed towards everything. * Domain Knowledge - This is a must and especially relevant to Software Development domain because of the breadth and complexity of the subjects involved. The author of the article seems to conflate this with the whole of "Management". All the above three will have to be "Managed" for a successful outcome but the emphasis on each will vary according to Circumstances and Issues involved.