The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided. — Casey Stengel

The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.

Author: Casey Stengel

Insight: There's a brutal honesty in this that most workplaces dance around. Stengel wasn't claiming he could win everyone over, or that a good manager needs to be universally liked. Instead, he understood something simpler and more practical: manage the perception carefully enough, and you can keep things functional even when some people actively dislike you. This plays out constantly in real life. You can't control who dislikes you—sometimes it's just chemistry, or they resent a decision you made, or they wanted your job. But you can be strategic about influence. Keep those detractors away from people still forming opinions, and you've protected your credibility where it matters most. It's not about manipulation so much as recognizing that early impressions stick, and opinions spread fast in tight environments. The uncomfortable part is that this works. A manager who's honest about their limitations—who accepts that not everyone will be their fan—often does better than one who exhausts themselves trying to convert everyone. The real skill isn't charm; it's compartmentalization. Know who's already made up their mind about you, and focus your energy on the space where you still have room to lead effectively.