Because companies' initial training and orientation costs are more substantial than ever before, it's in their interests to get a premium return on their investments. Translation: They must invest their time and money in employees who will do a good job for them and not their competitors. The bloodthirsty corporate world of today is a free-for-all competition for cream-of-the-crop employees.

And in turn, authoritarianism in the managerial hierarchy is breaking apart like a powdered donut dunked in a cup of coffee. Who wants to work for an unimaginative ogre these days when there are so many more pleasing alternatives?

And, on the other end of this sour spectrum, managers who rely on managing via e-mail are not about to inspire commitment from their staffs. Neither authoritarian nor indifferent bosses are going to keep the greatest achievers with the greatest potential in their folds. They're not going to extract the maximum human potential from their people because they're not both asking and allowing their employees to boldly go forward.

Or, in the case of the mad e-mailer managers, they're not there in the flesh and blood to poke and prod them to perform. Enlightened companies know the score and are consciously training, and in some cases retraining, their managers to be teachers and counselors — coaches.

Human potential is more or less boundless. But it needs to be tapped like a keg of frothy beer to get its full kick. Companies with adroit management in place actively mine this vast human potential. But they always need stables of schooled coaches and wise mentors to get the job done.

Otherwise all that latent talent and great possibility remains dormant and unrealized like some kind of buried treasure. People are brimming with ideas, including ideas on how better to do their jobs and perform at higher levels. They're chock full of skills and know-how that can easily go undetected and unused if there's no coach to find it and unleash it.