Are you a manager? Do you want to be a manager? Do you work for a manager?
Answered yes to any of those questions?
If so, read How to manage smart people by Scott Berkun.
Quick article that’s full of great little tips like:
The following phrase is one of my favorite tools as a manager: ěWhat do you need from me in order to kick ass on this project?î Asking this question of a report invariably scares the shit out of them. Itís a cut to the chase, where you, as manager, lay out on the table the magic wish list of possibilities, and asks them to put their cards on the table. If a good discussion ensues, you then have the opportunity to actually deliver some of the things they might need. All the pet complaints theyíve been harboring have a chance to surface, and perhaps, simply fade away in the face of your brutal honesty and openness as a manager.
I made it clear that the removal of obstacles was my main responsibility as a manager: not quite as direct as the quote you cite, but perhaps not as disorientingly scary, either.