Five principles for successfully managing managers

Saumil Mehta shares his hard-earned framework for becoming a high-impact “manager of managers” — and why skip level leaders, not more middle managers, are the key to scaling product teams.In this episode, you’ll learn:* When a manager struggles, look one level up* Why the jump from line manager to skip lead is so tough* The “API endpoint” trick for leading through layers* How to get feedback without undermining your managers* Why covering for a weak manager can backfire* How to match people to the right projects* A simple 2×2 for knowing when to step in or step back* First-week habits that set skip leads up for successReferenced* High Output Management* Jeff Weiner’s Essay* Read the newsletter* Subscribe to Lenny’s Newsletter* Add Lenny’s Reads to your podcast feedSubscribe: YouTube | Apple | SpotifyFollow Lenny: Twitter | LinkedIn | PodcastFollow Saumil: Twitter/X | LinkedInAboutWelcome to Lenny’s Reads, where every week you’ll find a fresh audio version of my newsletter about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career, read to you by the soothing voice of Lennybot. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe