TL;DR: Inspired by "Terrible Terry" Allen, one of WWII's most effective generals, this guide outlines how to lead like a true macromanager. Set clear objectives, hire competent people, provide resources, then get out of their way. The best leaders create environments where teams achieve objectives not from fear of punishment, but because they genuinely don't want to let you down. As Churchill urged: "Never give in, never, never, never, except to convictions of honor and good sense."

I love this YouTube channel called Fat Electrician and no, it has nothing to do with electricity. This dude, in the best way possible, breaks down some of the greatest stories involving US military heroes and unironically fun tales about corporate America like how Taco Bell is a giant troll and how Coca-Cola is basically a psyop. His approach to storytelling, focusing on the big picture while making key details memorable, mirrors effective management philosophy.

Amazing content. 10/10 though fair warning, spicy language like mine, so heads up if you're a high school teacher showing this to your class.

Anyway, he did a talk recently on this badass named "Terrible Terry" Allen who was considered by many, including General Patton, to be the best wartime general ever.

Terry's leadership style exemplifies what makes macromanagement so effective: trust your team, focus on outcomes, and avoid micromanaging the process. (And as a Bills fan this style mirrors at lot of Coach Belichick’s management but I refuse to write an article about the Patriots even in the post season. Go Bills!)

Even the British, who really didn't like Americans, stated: "The British and Canadian troops on their flanks expressed great admiration for their courage and enthusiasm when they again meet the Germans all hell cannot stop the Timberwolves." (The Timberwolves were created, trained, and led by Terry to fight at night. Terrible Terry just became Terrifying Terry if you ask me.)

And arguably the best: "A soldier of uncertain future in peacetime Army, but certainly should be entrusted with a division in a time of War."

Time Magazine called Terry "the best commander of an infantry division in the United States Army." Sir Alexander Harold of the British army called Terry Allen "the best division Commander he's seen in two world wars." This was at a time when British and American officers had a rivalry and didn't think highly of each other at all, per Fat Electrician.

I like Terry and try to model my management style after him, though I haven’t shot anyone in the ass cheek for disagreeing with me, y-e-t. The best part about him and the respect he had from his men:

(You) always wanted to achieve the objective, not because (you were) worried that (you) would get in trouble or get chewed out by Terry, but because (you) genuinely did not want to let Terry down, because (you) respected him that much.

Needless to say, he had a management style that I understand and appreciate. I've never cared about titles or cars or any of that sort of shit. I prefer getting things done with people who want to get things done. I hire the same way. I believe in giving people a shot, after all how does one go from moppin' floors to next week it's the fries (I refuse to cite this based on principles but the song is an accurate description of how to one cannot simply level-up in work or life without being given or taking the opportunity to). So, if that opportunity doesn't work out because you don't see the vision or understand the cause, then we must part ways, and I don't mind parting ways.

That being said, this approach has its downfalls, as do I. I hate getting lost in the devilish details that bore me to tears in some cases. While micromanagement stifles creativity and builds resentment, effective macromanagement requires clarity about the mission and expected outcomes. I feel like I would really appreciate being on the former end, giving people shots and enough rope to either wrangle the bull or use it for more self-destructive opportunities, so long as they have the capabilities to accomplish both. Some people choose the latter, but most people choose the former. I advise everyone to always choose the former. Grab the bull.

Now how to utilize this management style. (Note: This is clearly a work in progress. I’ve only been managing people for 20 years since the Blockbuster days in South Florida but one day I expect this to be a good book on how to breed creativity and leadership skills, which this damn country is in dire need of right now. (Sorry, Gen Z kids. Your generation missed out on the unstructured play and neighborhood exploration that builds problem-solving skills, all because society became overly cautious with helicopter parenting and neighborhood busybodies making unnecessary calls to authorities.)

Number 1 Rule: Open and Honest Communication

There must be open and honest communication. It can be behind closed doors but if your team members have a lot of WTF questions you should answer them all at once. Also, there should be no punishment for not understanding the objective or asking questions before the objective begins. Don't let them be a five-year-old about it, but if they need to know something so they don't fuck up, well, they’d better ask so no one else, especially them, fucks up.

Top Five Things to Do as a Macromanager

1. Don't hire fools. Hire for competence and initiative: Build a team of people who don't need constant supervision to excel. (You don't need the smartest soldier, you need the one who understands the objective and is going to get it done)

2. Be clear and set clear vision and objectives: Ensure everyone understands the "what" and “when” you want done, the “why” and “how” do not necessarily matter as much unless this is a broader discussion for specific outcomes. Take that hill doesn't need to involve why unless it's an overall objective discussion.

3. Have Some Mechanism of Keeping Track of Objectives: Whether these are daily, weekly, or monthly check-ins will depend on the objective but let the metrics be so that anyone on the team can understand what and when they are. They give out ribbons and medals in the military because it's pretty damn clear you had to be there to get it done, same goes for these types of objectives.

4. Provide resources and remove obstacles: Focus your energy on making sure your team has what they need to succeed. Sun Tzu, in The Art of War, wrote, “The line between disorder and order lies in logistics,” and Napoleon Bonaparte famously stated, “An army marches on its stomach,” though he seemed to forget both that and the rest of his logistics when marching to Moscow. The point is: make sure your troops are well fed and that you have the materials to get the job done. If that means cloud storage, something that would’ve blown the minds of both men, then make sure you’ve cozied up to AWS or Azure for credits.

5. Celebrate autonomous problem-solving: Recognize and reward team members who take initiative and find solutions independently. You're finding people who see your vision and can get it done. It's that simple. If they get it done sooner or in a more prosperous way, reward that and they will do more of it.

Top Five Things NOT to Do as a Macromanager

1. Don't abandon your team: Macromanagement doesn't mean being absent; be available for guidance when needed and make sure they know when to ask. I'm admittedly a bit bad at this one, your team needs to tell you when they are running low on supplies whether it's pens, paper, or motivation. Do not neglect this or it will cost you an insane amount of time and money. Don't ask me how I know.

2. Don't skip setting expectations: Without clear expectations, macromanagement can lead to confusion and misalignment. Everyone on the team should know the objective. That's how team sports are played and whether it's business or life, your team should know where you stand and what you're trying to achieve.

3. Don't neglect feedback: Provide regular, constructive feedback on outcomes, not process and be open to discussion and talk about the why's, when's, etc. in a closed door setting for individual feedback and public setting for individual or group praise.

4. Don't ignore warning signs: If a project is veering off course, address it early rather than waiting for complete failure. If you start from the center of a circle and veer off one degree you end up in a completely different location than you were supposed to be at. This is just math.

5. Don't forget the personal element: Build relationships with team members to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. In order to macromanage, you must know who you're sending to do what. You don't give your kicker the ball to run in football not because they can’t physically, but because they would be killed doing so. Don’t get your people killed, metaphorically or especially literally, unless you’re in war then, well, war fucking sucks. (Slava Ukraini!)

In conclusion, micromanaging sucks for everyone involved. If you're a manager, try to be like Terry, your soldiers will love you for it, and I know I would.

The best leaders set clear objectives, provide necessary resources, and then get out of the way. If they truly respect you and you’ve taken care of them, they will get the job done. Then, and only then, will your team respect and enemies fear you like they respected and feared Terry and maybe one day some funny, brilliant fat electrician will make a YouTube video about you. (New achievement unlocked)

Verified Claims is hiring in August. Keep an eye out for recruiting posters. We will need an army to combat the amount of misinformation and disinformation out there especially since the grifters are coming out of the woodwork, again. As Churchill urged during Britain's darkest hour: Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.

Teamwork makes the dream work. ;)