There are definitely far fewer "tasks" associated with management positions. The thing I have come to appreciate on this side of the hall versus the individual contributor side is how much responsibility, war gaming, discussions with other management, discussions with people in the industry but outside of the company, etc. happen to make sure we are steering our groups in a direction to be successful and thrive. Heck, I probably spend at least 16-24 hours a month just sitting on various calls and Teams meetings for topics affecting the industry as a whole to make sure we have game plans in place for changes that may be coming. Couple that with individual development for the guys on my team to make sure they are given opportunities to also pursue their individual goals within the company and providing mentoring as needed, it really all starts to add up but isn't too apparent to the guys actually putting their hands on equipment and doing the call outs.in almost any corporation, large or small, or factory or industrial setting i've been in, the people at the bottom are always working the hardest, actually getting the most product per hour, accomplishing the most tasks, etc etc. this would include tons of factories around oklahoma.
the people in the "ideas" economy do doubt have FAR more "down time" whether they'd admit it or not.
The other part I never really appreciated is if we should somehow end up in court over a business deal, I am the one that gets put on the stand to defend our department and why we do things the way we do them and how we operate 100% within contractual and regulatory guidelines. Granted I put a high value on how my name is received in our industry as a whole and have never knowingly provided direction or done anything that I couldn't stand behind 100%, that still adds a little extra pressure on top of everything else.