The best managers I have ever worked for made the job look easy. As a rule, they did not fly around from one emergency to the next. They calmly went about the job in front of them. However, they always had one eye toward the future, keeping their team ahead of the next crisis before it happened.
This same behavior of looking toward the future, allowed them to focus on their people. The best managers I have worked for believed in fostering and promoting talent. They believe that a team is best when they are all in it together. No one gets to be the team hero, just as no one gets to be the team zero.
Running a team smoothly means fewer opportunities to show your success in the line of fire. But then again, you aren’t causing a hail of bullets to head in your direction.
It’s always better to be the manager with the department that just runs. Dealing with crises every day, week, and month is how you burn out yourself and your team. The problems will always come around, don’t make more than you need.