

They didn’t make me a manager until I had been on the job for over a decade.
One day I look at an old favorite, “The Dirty Dozen.”
Early on, the Major is ordered to meet with the General, who tells him he has to train twelve condemned prisoners for a suicide mission behind the German lines. The Major obeys the orders, but opines that whoever came up with the plan must be insane. The General tells him to shut up and go; then the General tells his staff that the idea is insane.
Then the Major has to meet the troops and convince each man that it’s in his best interests to join the mission.
Being given stupid orders and then having to lead a bunch of psychos and idiots to achieve the goal is the essence of being a middle manager.
Details?