meh, he's not wrong, but he's not right either. The author assumes that the manager above them is actually <i>right</i> about the impact, and therefor the priority, of the problem. In the more common case, where the manager has the ol'head-up-the-arse problem, the real solution is to know how to kiss-tushy and pick your battles carefully.
If you can't come to terms with being right, but also keeping your mouth shut at the same time, then indeed your management potential will be limited.