The Cocktopus Problem: Eight Arms, No Judgement

On the Subject of Leadership · Sep 7, 2026 · 10m

Mintzberg’s diary work found half of observed management episodes concluding inside nine minutes, and later research shows that people compensate for interruption by working faster, at a price in stress, frustration, and effort that throughput never records. A manager or board watching only velocity therefore sees no problem at all. In this essay, released in audio format, I argue that the person who takes on eight things and ruins all eight is following the organisation’s specification rather than indulging a personality, because busyness is legible whereas judgement is not.

In this article…