In most companies, you can broadly categorise people into those who create (makers) and those who coordinate (managers). While this isn’t a perfect divide, most people in an organisation often lean more toward one side than the other, in how they structure their work. Some roles blend both, but understanding these two modes of work can still help us design better, more thoughtful meetings, and even get rid of some altogether.

The friction between makers and managers isn’t about who works harder, it’s about how differently we work. Makers need space for focus; managers need space for coordination. When we impose one schedule on everyone, we set ourselves up for frustration, inefficiency, and missed potential.

Makers and managers live in different worlds. One needs deep focus, the other thrives on constant coordination, and too often, the meeting calendar forgets that. The result? Wasted time, broken flow, and burned-out teams. It doesn’t have to be this way. When we recognise these different modes of work and start designing our days, and our meetings, with intention, we create space for both creative focus and smart collaboration. Maybe it’s time we stopped asking everyone to work the same way, and instead asked: what kind of work are we trying to protect?

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