It's similar to how people misunderstand sales. Many are used to dealing with pushy salespeople or bullshitty managers. Good sales don't feel like sales. Good m

It's similar to how people misunderstand sales. Many are used to dealing with pushy salespeople or bullshitty managers. Good sales don't feel like sales. Good managers don't feel like they're managing. Good lawyers write in an unambiguous way. Middle managers are mostly information routers & filters. Sometimes adapters. They summarize important points, they make sure the important information doesn't get blocked or lost in those filters. And if one segment (e.g. customers) don't understand, they translate it. Often they're the ones to perceive the information directly - good managers don't just look at data, they look at the anecdotes too to make sure that the data isn't corrupted.