How to Manage 15+ Direct Reports Without Losing Your Mind

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The email landed in my inbox last Tuesday:

"Dave, my team just went from 8 to 18 people overnight. Three other managers were laid off and their teams got folded into mine. I'm drowning. HELP!"

The quiet middle management purge over the last couple years has left thousands of leaders managing spans of control that would have been unthinkable five years ago.

The “more of the same” playbook doesn't work when you're managing 15+ people.

Most leaders try to do everything they used to do, just faster.
That's a playbook for burnout.

The answer isn't working harder. It's redefining management.
And leveraging AI to do it excellently.

Do Less: Slow Your Cadence

Let's do the math:

• 8 people × 30-minute weekly 1:1s = 4 hours

• 18 people × 30-minute weekly 1:1s = 9 hours

Layer in some basic prep and switching time, and that's nearly half your week.

The Fix:

• Weekly 1:1s become bi-weekly for solid performers

• Monthly team meetings become quarterly

• Daily check-ins become weekly summaries

Frequency isn't quality. Better to have meaningful bi-weekly conversations than rushed weekly check-ins.

Take Risks: Vary Your Distance

Strategic attention allocation:

Close Management: New hires, critical projects, performance issues
Medium Management: Solid performers, skill development
Distant Management: Top performers, subject matter experts

This isn't neglect. It's wise resource allocation.

Deputize Others: Distribute Leadership

You need to ensure your team gets leadership.
That doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself.

• Identify 2-3 lieutenants to review work and coach others

• Create peer review processes for routine decisions

• Teach "What do you recommend?" as your default response

Leverage AI: Your Management Force Multiplier

AI helps you manage more people better than you managed fewer people before.

AI-Powered 1:1 Preparation
Upload team work samples and notes to Claude or ChatGPT:

• "What patterns do you see in Sarah's recent work?"

• "What development areas should I focus on?"

• "What questions should I ask based on their challenges?"

Automated Performance Insights
Feed team dashboards into AI to identify:

• Who's trending up or down

• Which projects need attention

• What obstacles are blocking multiple people

Smart Meeting Summaries
Record meetings and use AI transcription to:

• Generate action items automatically

• Track who committed to what

• Monitor follow-through

Broadcast More: Scale Communication

One-to-one doesn't scale. One-to-many does.

• Record Loom updates instead of explaining things 18 times

• Create shared dashboards for performance tracking

• Use group 1:1s for people in similar roles

Bundle and Standardize

Standardized Expectations
Create common templates for similar roles. Use AI to generate:

• Role-specific expectation cards

• Decision-making frameworks

• Escalation criteria

Group Similar Activities

• 3-person 1:1s for similar roles

• Batch approval sessions

• Skill-based coaching groups

Be Explicit: Communicate the New Reality

What You're Stopping:

• Reviewing every piece of work

• Weekly 1:1s for everyone

• Being the go-to for every problem

What You're Starting:

• Strategic planning and obstacle removal

• Developing senior people as leaders

• Building systems that scale

Updated Values:

• From "manager approval required" to "use your judgment"

• From "escalate problems" to "bring solutions"

The New Operating System

Your job shifts from:

• Reviewing work → Setting standards others can apply

• Solving problems → Teaching others to solve problems

• Making decisions → Creating decision frameworks

With AI as your co-pilot, you can:

• Prepare for conversations faster

• Spot patterns you'd miss manually

• Personalize development at scale

• Generate insights from team data automatically

Your people don't need more of your time. They need clearer direction, better systems, and confidence to operate without you.

A well-designed team of 18 can outperform a micromanaged team of 8.

The question isn't whether you can manage this many people.
It's whether you're willing to lead them differently.

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Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave