What it really means to be a Manager, Director, or VP
A clear breakdown of the distinction between management levels: managers execute with support, directors drive results independently, and VPs create the strategic plans.
tl;dr
The hierarchy is fundamentally about approval chains and responsibility levels. Directors are execution machines responsible for getting things done. VPs and CEOs are responsible for creating plans and making strategic decisions.
My Thoughts
In the article is a bit longer, but simplified is a question of approval chain. Directors are execution machines, even though they can question the directions, they are responsible for execution of plans. VPs and CEOs are responsible for making plans and taking the right decisions.
The article breaks it down clearly:
Managers are paid to drive results with some support. They have experience in the function, can take responsibility, but are still learning the job and will have questions and need support. They can execute the tactical plan for a project but typically can’t make it.
Directors are paid to drive results with little or no supervision (“set and forget”). Directors know how to do the job. They can make a project’s tactical plan in their sleep. They can work across the organization to get it done. I love strong directors. They get shit done.
VPs are paid to make the plan. Say you run marketing. Your job is to understand the company’s business situation, make a plan to address it, build consensus to get approval of that plan, and then go execute it.
This is my personal commentary on the original article. Please read the original article for the full context.