How Frontline Managers Can Take Back Their Day

If you’re a frontline manager, you probably feel buried under rep questions. Most days. Instead of coaching or strategy, you’re stuck in reaction mode.

Reps can be lazy (sorry, reps). When they don’t know something, their first instinct is to ask you. 

Not to think. Not to check the playbook. Not even to Google it. Just to ask.

Here are ways to get your day back.

There are three kinds of daily rep needs:

1. Basic info
   
   
2. Problems
   
   
3. Emergencies
   
   

Here’s how to handle each.

1. Basic Info

Do the upfront work: playbooks, Notion pages, training videos. Then train reps to look for themselves.

• Ignore basic pings for a few hours. Nine times out of ten, they’ll find the answer. (The first time you might need to say, “did you look in the playbook?”)
  
  
• Office Hours: set a 30-minute block every day (say, 11:30–12:00). Any “where’s the link?” questions go there. It’s your excuse to ignore them the rest of the morning.
  
  

2. Problems

Reps love to bring problems without solutions. Fix that with one question:

“What do you think we should do?”

I learned that line early in my career from Paul Olean, and it stuck. It forces reps to think. Their answer might not be perfect—but it builds confidence and problem-solving muscles. And it teaches them: don’t show up empty-handed.

3. Emergencies

Your door is always open here. Just make sure “emergency” means actual emergency—not “I can’t find the proposal template.”

Protect Your Time Even More

• Productivity Blocks: team-wide focused work. Prospecting, meeting prep, deep work. Everyone on the same schedule, no distractions.
  
  
• 1-on-1s: 20 minutes. Clear agenda.
  
  
• Huddles: 10 minutes. Odd start times (11:38–11:48) keep people sharp and on time.
  
  
• Team Meetings: 10, 20, or 40 minutes. Never 30 or 60. End on time.
  
  
• Agenda Required: No meetings without an agenda.
  
  
• Discipline: None of the above works without the discipline to adhere. You need to set boundaries and stick to them.
  
  

The Result

You get hours back. Reps learn to think. Emergencies get handled without the noise. And the team finally runs like a system—not a fire drill.