I've had the same experience as a hands-off manager. In almost all of those cases I should have let the person go instead of trying to improve how I manage them. Hind sight and all and choosing to let someone go can be difficult, but still
The ultimate guy who didn't need managing was Richard Feynman. Just put him on the payroll, and great things will happen!
I feel like the author is an extraordinary individual, perhaps sharing some traits with someone like Feynman, but is not aware of how far they deviate from the mean. Although this is the recipe for success with high performers, most people have less discipline and will implode.