We’ve certainly come a long way with respect to the art and science of Management, especially in the high-technology industry. Long gone are the days of executive diktats from up on high, the need for the words “Sir/Ma’am”, the corporate memo that tells one how to behave, stultifying and deadening hierarchies, and the blue suit. However, whereas we’ve come a long way, far too much management-by-title still exists and far too many people in high-tech confuse management for leadership, a sin that makes for a terrible work culture, low morale, and ultimately one that will lead to the dissolution of many a company. And hierarchy does exist, often instantiated in the behavior of first-line or middle managers whose power lies not in the depth of ideas but in the two-dimensional organization chart.

As Indian-American managers, we should challenge ourselves to be leaders, to understand the responsibilities that come adjoined to rights, and to enshrine in everything we do the principle that creativity, freedom, and irreverence unchain the intellect and drive us to new heights.

Getting results by doing the right thing should be our ultimate goal.

You have all undoubtedly read enough about the management principles that helped Japanese automakers take over the car market by force, the ideas that fuelled Apple Computer’s growth and the ones that make Google run. I don’t want to bore you with more stories about the need for decentralized decision making, more homilies about the fact that the best ideas sometimes come from low-level employees or from the factory-floor; nor want to recite platitudes or tell you that sometimes, just sometimes, MBA’s—even from Harvard—aren’t worth much. What follows are some simple ideas, in snippet form. Think them through to their logical conclusions and I think they’ll set you in good stead. They are in no particular order—only you can figure out how important they are to you.

• Don’t ever confuse position with accomplishment or intelligence: We all know that there are undeserving people who attain positions of responsibility. A corollary of this is that there are plenty of deserving people who don’t attain positions commensurate with their accomplishments, abilities, or raw intelligence. Confusing the two elevates form over substance and is the number one sin any manager can commit.

• Don’t ever confuse salary level with ability: Similar to the point above, making more money doesn’t mean you are smarter. Apply this principle to yourself—you might make more money than people who report to you but that doesn’t mean you are more capable. A truly great manager is excited, not defensive, when a report is more intelligent or capable than she is.

• Always respect HR rules and always do your best to exceed whatever requirements HR rules place on you-any hint of X-ist behavior should get you fired: All too often, people think of HR rules as “stuff I have to do to comply.” The implication is that these rules are draconian, don’t make sense, and could be done without. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are rules about discrimination on lines of race, gender, creed, and sexual orientation for a reason—there has to be some measure of justice. If you are someone who only respects HR rules out of fear that you’ll be caught if you don’t, then you are a poor manager. Go out of your way to create a just and comfortable workplace.

• Remember that your office is not neutral space: I have never understood when managers ask their team members to come in for 1-1 time, claim it’s “your time” and then conduct the meeting in their own offices. Space is never neutral ground. To really get the team to be candid and open, try doing your 1-1’s with them in THEIR offices or in a neutral venue.

• Value logic: Simply put, few managers value logic over results. But over the long haul, a logical approach to problem solving, to project incubation, and to initiative formation will hold the enterprise in better stead than a short-term results-oriented approach.

• Don’t overdo the “let’s talk about the football game” stuff: For the longest time, Indian-Americans tried to fit into the mainstream corporate culture by attempting to learn about the iconic cultural forms of mainstream society. I think this is very dangerous. Not only does it elevate the culture of football above all others, but also it creates homogeneity, which is dangerous for any intellectually-driven enterprise. Be yourself and add complexity to the culture of the enterprise.

• Respect, encourage irreverence: Consider it a gift when a team member or even an indirect report does something that a religious leader would consider blasphemous. Sea-change innovations always come about as a result of irreverence. Inertial frames have to be broken and irreverence provides the raw material for such change.

• Look for portable smarts: The Internet era was a great one for the one-trick ponies who populate Corporate America. When looking for a professional to join your team, focus on the “portability” or “transferability” of her intelligence and abilities. She will move on to other things in the company as will you and a good hire is not someone who can do only one job well.

There is a lot more that can be written and many more ideas for us to share with each other. But the above is a good start. Management is meaningless and is at-best only a distant cousin of leadership if it doesn’t empower people to achieve greatness in a way that maps onto their own definitions of success and their own desires. Hierarchy will exist, yes. But the measure of a great manager is her ability to make it seem like it doesn’t while simultaneously getting results that reward the enterprise and the person.