Maker vs. Manager: Mastering Two Distinct Leadership Modes to Maximize Your Impact

The Scenario: You’ve blocked off the morning to finally finish that big proposal. You’re ready to focus, dive deep, and knock it out. By 9:30 a.m., you’ve already been pulled into two quick meetings, responded to Slack messages, and answered a “just one quick thing” email. Suddenly it’s noon, and your deep work window is gone. Sound familiar?

For most leaders, this tension isn’t new. Balancing creation with coordination is the hallmark of modern leadership. But few people talk about how draining it can be to switch back and forth between these two distinct modes of work. As Alex Hormozi puts it, success depends on recognizing—and respecting—the different demands of the Maker and Manager work styles.

Maker vs. Manager: Two Modes, Two Rhythms

The Maker Mode

Makers are creators. They add value by building things—whether that’s writing content, developing products, designing strategies, or solving complex problems. Their work requires deep concentration and long, uninterrupted time blocks. A five-minute interruption can cost them hours in lost focus and productivity.

Think Bill Gates’ famous “Think Weeks,” where he isolates himself to read, think, and strategize.

For Makers, success depends on flow, creativity, and undivided attention.

The Manager Mode

Managers are the facilitators and coordinators. Their value comes from decision-making, communication, and oversight. They excel at moving between tasks quickly, leading meetings, providing feedback, and unblocking teams. Their schedules are often packed with interactions that require quick thinking and rapid context switching.

Sheryl Sandberg, during her time at Meta, was known for a highly structured calendar filled with meetings designed to move the organization forward.

For Managers, success looks like clarity, decisiveness, and team coordination.

Why This Distinction Matters for Leaders

Switching between Maker and Manager modes isn’t seamless. Every transition comes with a cognitive cost. You can’t walk out of a high-stakes meeting and instantly drop into deep strategy work. It can take up to 25 minutes to regain full focus after a single interruption (source: Forbes).

Leaders who ignore this reality risk:

• Burnout
• Reduced productivity
• Frustration—for themselves and their teams

But those who master these two modes can dramatically increase their impact. It’s not about choosing Maker or Manager. It’s about knowing when to operate in each mode—and protecting that time.

4 Practical Strategies to Master Both Modes

1. Audit Your Week
   Are you spending your time intentionally as a Maker or Manager? Track your time for a week to understand where your energy is going.

2. Time Block with Purpose
   Dedicate distinct parts of your day to each role. For example, schedule deep Maker work in the morning when your focus is strongest, and Manager tasks in the afternoon when collaboration is key.

3. Protect Your Maker Time Relentlessly
   Turn off Slack and email notifications. Decline unnecessary meetings. Create a “Do Not Disturb” window and honor it. This signals to your team that you value deep work—and they should too.

4. Cluster Your Manager Tasks
   Batch meetings, calls, and decision-making sessions. This keeps you in a coordination mindset, avoiding constant mode-switching that saps energy.

The Leadership Edge: Modeling Healthy Work Rhythms

This isn’t just about personal productivity. Leaders set the tone for their organizations. When you model intentional Maker and Manager time, you give your team permission to do the same. The result?

• More focused teams
• Better decision-making
• Less burnout
• More innovation

As Paul Graham wrote in his essay, Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule, “When you're operating on the maker's schedule, meetings are a disaster.” True then. Still true today.

The Bottom Line

The best leaders aren’t just good Makers or Managers. They’re intentional about how—and when—they show up in each role. In today’s complex business environment, adaptability is a superpower. But adaptability doesn’t mean multitasking. It means designing your time to win.