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Why is management universally bad
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Pretty much any job you go to, any time you pull up a job review on Glassdoor or indeed, you can bet management will always be the top consistent complaint.
Yes, it could be people who don't like to be bossed around, but at a certain point you have to ask why is it that its always a top complaint in most jobs, toxic / micro managing / favoritism management.
Top Comment: Until my current job I have never had a manager who actually received on the job training in management or leadership (they definitely aren't the same thing). My current job starts developing you as a leader in your first year after hire, so by the time you are ready to apply for management positions you already have some leadership skills. If you stop participating in the leadership program you stop getting promoted. After that it's not quite a hard requirement to have management experience prior to being hired as management, but it might as well be. To that end they offer developmental assignments. We currently have an open management position in one of our offices, so they asked for applicants, with supervisor approval, to do 6 months in that management role. Toward the end of that 6 months they will request applicants for the permanent job, sometimes the temp will get it, sometimes they don't want it, etc. So my answer about why management sucks is that they often have never been taught to do the job they now occupy. They were really good at a technical role and were promoted to management, which requires a different skill set. They hack away at it, many eventually catch on, some are naturally good at it. Having good management and good leadership requires constant education and evaluation, and from what I've seen most employers do a terrible job of it. And really maybe that's not surprising because they often don't want to train for technical roles either, so the training is often pretty minimal.
Have management roles grown less attractive?
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Would you say the average person has no interest in becoming a manager anymore, and the missing middle is putting companies at risk?
Top Comment: No, I think there is a growing realization within the business world that: Extremely talented individual contributors (ICs) should be highly valued Forcing people who excel as ICs into management is not always a good idea Dual paths to career growth -- optionality to either remain an IC, or move into management -- is a great idea I think this has meant less reliance on moving into management for continued salary/career growth, and therefore fewer people feeling like that's the best option for them. Doesn't mean nobody is interested in becoming a manager... rather, that nobody feels forced to become a manager.
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Main Post: [deleted by user]
Top Comment: +1 Put my hand up for a leadership role about two years ago, and have slowly had to let go of being on the tools so I can be more of a benefit to my team members. That doesn't mean no time on the tools, but what started as 50/50 leadership/tools time is now down to 90/10 and I'm sure we'll be 95/5 before too long. Then, there are moments like last weekend where Microsoft really screwed us with lacklustre "Premiere" support for an issue with our RDP cluster, and I spent my Sunday in the trenches with my team rebuilding our RDP farm. I involved myself my not because I had to - my team are more than capable - but because i still find it engaging, gives them a chance to walk away for an hour or two, and spend time with their families. Not all leadership roles allow for this - but really, if you want to be able to get on the tools that's still a decision you can make.
Are all upper management jobs stressful?
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I'm 28 years old, not even middle manager yet. My manager went on maternity leave and I got to play the acting manager role for six months. I worked with a lot of upper managers and I saw a few things
- They are brutal, care about $$ more than anything else
- They are clients, not really manager's managers.
- There's no coaching or genuine sponsorship from them for your growth
- They are always online and answerable for a lot of things
- They seem better at managing stress rather than anything else.
I've always been very ambitious wanting to make multimillion dollars, become a cxo. Now it seems like I'm not made for it. Covering for my middle manager has been extremely stressful that I handled well in my job but personally I was not doing well. Crying at night sometimes, losing sleep.
I know that my job doesn't involve savong lives, it's merely consulting clients to optimize procurement. Should I give up on my professional dreams? I do care about my quality of life more than my ambition after these six months. I care about my team working under me more than deliverables. As the job progresses, does it become even more stressful? What should I do?
Thank you for your comments in advance
Top Comment: I’ve made it to the VP level so far, and here’s what I can say: Yes, moving up can be stressful at first. But you’re also still holding on to your old responsibilities and don’t have a good handle on the new ones yet. Don’t be hard on yourself. As you gain experience and confidence, you can manage that baseline of stress very well. At a VP+ role, you will sometimes be called upon to put the company needs first above your comfortable salaried hours. So you might have stressors that pop out of nowhere. It will help if you are adequately compensated for this financially, and if you genuinely like the work that you do. To do your job well, you need to set up good people under you, people that you trust will handle things, give them good direction, and get out of their way. You’ll be available for the big and difficult decisions, but if they’re strong employees they will provide you with the information you need to make the call. You will become less of an individual contributor, but more of a people leader. You’ll eventually let go of the day-to-day work and focus on the big picture. This is important so that you don’t get overwhelmed. A mistake many people make when moving up is to hold on to everything because that’s where their expertise has been. Develop new systems to make things more efficient. Delegate. You’ll need to find your own coaching and networking. Build relationships with others in your organization or outside of it. To manage your stress, you must separate your home life from your work life emotionally. I used to lose sleep all the time over work. Now, I’ve decided (even if I have to work late), that when it is time to relax, I compartmentalize my life completely. You can’t do anything about work while you’re in the shower or sleeping or working out. So leave that stress behind. It takes a lot of effort to do this, and a lot of practice, but it pays off.
What are some of the habits/behaviors/philosophies that the best managers' you've had have had?
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I recently got a job as a manager of a small team. I've managed people before and they generally seemed to like me as a manager (ex. one person said he only stayed as long as he did because of me).
But at the same time I've had so many bad managers who presumably thought they were good managers - and I never want to be that person. I would say, and have evidence that, I'm organized, communicative, calm in a crisis, willing to have tough conversations or stand up for people etc.
What have managers who you've really liked or appreciated done?
Honestly, when I think of my answer, its probably a bit unconventional. I really like it when managers are straight with me. I liked managers who had high expectations of me and gave me some freedom, even though they probably came across as scary to some people. I would want to be as straightforward as them, but they weren't as emotionally aware so I wouldn't model myself completely on them.
EDIT: Reading all these I have a follow up question - why are there so many bad managers? Honestly as long as you give a damn about others, have some emotional intelligence, and actually care to manage (okay dealing with team dynamics, standing up for people, etc) all the things in these comments seem doable.
Top Comment: I’ve been doing this awhile and I’m still not an expert, but there are three things that I think mattered a lot to me as a new manager: realize that your “product” is now the team. If you build a great team then they can deliver a great product. And if the team isn’t great, then that’s now your fault. Realize that you’re managing people, not work. That means you may wind up with someone sitting in your office at 6pm on a Friday bawling their eyes out. You don’t need to be their therapist, but you need to acknowledge their problems and make it clear they have your support. you need to think strategically about how the work your team is doing is helping them achieve their individual career goals. The team should never be static. People should be improving, growing, and eventually moving on. You should be guiding that process.
Did you choose management or did ...
Main Post: Did you choose management or did ...
For Those that moved into IT Management positions, how is it over there?
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Contemplating a pivot to the management side of things. To those that took that step, what do you miss about the tech side? What keeps you on the management side? Would you do it again?
Top Comment: I've been on both sides. The hardest part for me was dealing with people not doing what they were supposed to do and mismatch of management styles of me and the leadership. I also really missed actually working with the IT infrastructure.
How do you break into management?
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Hi! I am an individual contributor in a job that I really enjoy. But I am curious to hear how those who currently work in management and supervise your colleagues were able to take that next step in your career.
Was it via a promotion, by applying to a a management job outside of a previous employer, etc? All insight and advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.
Top Comment: It’s a good question! I made it to management by being a good project manager and showing I could manage people that don’t already report to me and then having people directly report to me was an easy transition.