How ‘accidental managers’ sink teams and sour workplaces (opens in new tab)

Data operations employee Martha isn’t the leader of her team—but she often feels like it. She coordinates work schedules, prioritizes projects, and advocates for her team members with upper management. (Martha is using a pseudonym to protect her identity). It’s not that Martha’s boss isn’t around, it’s that “he just seems much more interested in creating things than coordinating the team,” she explains. So, as the next most senior member of the team, it falls on Martha to pick up many of thes...