I found a lot of this very relatable, but from the sound of it, Adm. Rickover built organizations which are structured around him, rather than creating "more Ri

I found a lot of this very relatable, but from the sound of it, Adm. Rickover built organizations which are structured around him, rather than creating "more Rickovers" which provide some delegation. This kind of organization is not for everyone, definitely not for people who'd like to grow in their capability and responsibility. I think it have worked better during Rickover's times than today, as people's expectations of their careers have shifted. This also applies to keeping people in the same role indefinitely, which simply won't fly in many companies and societies today. Managing 40 direct reports, each probably (given the scale the US military industrial complex operates) representing an operation of tens to hundreds more is not just difficult from a time management perspective; you're going to need to context switch between so many disciplines and activities that your head would spin. Finally, your "bus factor" with a central manager like that would be through the roof. Still the parts about ownership, accountability and details are all very true.