Some time ago we got together with a few families in Santa Cruz for a day at the beach and, upon reflection, a lesson in good management. After getting the kids to succumb to suntan lotion and getting the moms set up on beach blankets, the dads decided against middle-aged wisdom on some athletic endeavors. Sand soccer ended quickly, driven by an embarrassing lack of cardio and one too many kids getting hit in the head. We also had a volleyball, and so the three of us set upon some friendly bump, set, spike….or in our case swing, throw, miss. As is natural to athletes of our pedigree, it was immediately agreed upon that we should establish a stretch goal: twenty-five consecutive hits without a drop. We’d get three, then five, then seven, eleven, seven, two, and so on. Sometimes the drop was my fault, sometimes the error of another.  It is not in my general nature to quit at anything, and I would had gladly carried on in that random fashion until exhaustion or darkness set in—but instead that’s when the manager in our group took the reins. First, he suggested, what if we establish a “universal” setter, so the ball goes back and forth in a V pattern instead of a circle. Seven, five, twelve, eleven…we were getting a bit better but it wasn’t enough. Next he suggested we rotate, putting the most agile bumper in place to deal with the strong shore breeze. Twelve, Fifteen, Eight, Twenty. We brought the group in tighter to further minimize the effect of the wind. Six, Nineteen, Fourteen….Twenty Eight! Congratulatory high fives all around, and then we were back with the kids and the wives and the waves. It was a few days until I realized the lesson available there. An effective manager needs to clearly assess his employees, and yes, push them to maximize their talents in the vein of the strengths finders movement. But beyond pushing for personal growth, a good manager also needs to adapt either the group strategy or the assigned roles to those capabilities. Doing that correctly takes significant time, effort, and creativity—sometimes even more of a challenge than doing the work itself. It’s something I hope to continue developing in my career…and perhaps even next time when I’m out at the beach.