A strong desire to maintain harmony may cloud their judgment and render them ineffective. Weak managers play both sides of the fence by agreeing with the position of whomever they are talking to at the time. Trying to be everyone's buddy quickly unravels your authority and leads to disrespect. To be a great manager, you must have a strong moral compass. The responsibility you have to your staff to enable their top performance is paramount.
Great managers are strong enough to go to bat for their staff time and time again.
The crew captain, who is halfheartedly rowing in the back, barks out a few occasional instructions. The crew has no idea where they are going. All they see is a vast expanse of water and all they hear is the irritating crack of their captain's verbal whip. Now imagine another canoe, one with 8 robust rowers and a crew captain who participates vigorously. The second crew captain is communicating a vision.