Comment by jlemien on What are you getting paid in? · 2024-07-17T21:47:20.224Z · LW · GW

a good manager would be good at optimizing against those utility curves

Yup! One of the best things a manager can do is to know their people, which allows them to tailor their communication, motivating words, and all other behaviors in a way that will be most effective for the target recipient. It is a beautiful thing to see in action, and it is a great aspiration to have in professional life.