People : Have a local leader

I believe that it is important for teams to have local leadership, even if the leader does not provide domain expertise. For example, if you can't find a good engineer to manage an engineering team, find a non-engineer to manage them. It is better than asking all of them to report to a manger who is not in the same location.

The model where a manager in San Diego manages teams in Detroit or Hyderabad will not be effective in the long run. Most teams without an effective local leader will lose focus and perform under par.

Effectively managing a remote direct report takes more skills and effort than managing a direct report who works in the same office. I wonder what people who work for managers who they rarely see think about that organizational model. I would like listen to someone who has that experience.