Why the Role of Manager Might Be a Mistake for You

Why the Role of Manager Might Be a Mistake for YouWhy the Role of Manager Might Be a Mistake for YouThe single biggest career tripping point in the work world is the shift from being an individual contributor to becoming responsible for others as a supervisor or manager. Theres leidhing about your work as a soloist that prepares you for the very difficult work of managing. While the role might mean a bump in ego and a jump in pay, it may not be your cup of tea for other reasons. Here are nine reasons why you might just want to run away from that job offer or promotion. As a newly-minted manager, youll experience some or all of the following 1) The Need to Acquire a Whole New Skill Set Noted career coach Marshall Goldsmith, author of several books on improving performance in the workplace, says What got you here wont get you there. You might be an ace designer or crack software coder, but you know nothing about guiding, developing, and getting work done through others. The knowled ge and skills that ensure you are in demand for the big projects are immediately devalued upon your assumption of a managerial role. Reality check You need to cultivate a whole new set of skills in a hurry to stand a chance at being successful as a manager. 2) Less Work and More Managing Once you become a manager, the work you love will no longer be your primary focus, because your staff will be doing the actual tasks. Most of us did not pursue a particular vocation or educational focus just to give up the actual work and take on the job of managing others. While youll still probably have oversight of said work, you wont get to really get into it anymore like you did as a staffer. If you truly love what you do, think long and hard before shifting to a managerial role. 3) Less Control Over Your Own Success As a manager, your success or failure is in their hands, not yours. Remember the glory days when everyone applauded your work? Those days are gone. Youre in charge of your team. If they fail, youve failed. If they succeed, well, its about them, not you. 4) A Requirement to Shift Focus You may have to make an abrupt shift in focus from yourself to your team. Many first-time supervisors or managers struggle to change their focal point to their team members. Youre accustomed to worrying about your own deadlines and your own performance. In your new role, its all about supporting the work of your team members. 5) Enduring New Manager Status No one really wants to work with the rookie manager. Your experienced team members arent particularly interested in training another newbie manager. Its tiring and frankly, most of them expect you to fail. 6) Making Mistakes and Keeping Your Chin Up Youre going to have a lot of mishaps. GuaranteedOne can predict with uncanny accuracy the major mistakes you will make in your first few years as a manager. Your anfhrer could write them down and post them on the wall in your cubicle, and you will still make the se mistakes. Theres no way through the maze of learning to manage and lead without making mistakes. Get used to it, learn how to own them, learn from them, and move on. 7) Getting Taken Advantage of by Others You will be played like a Stradivarius. While you probably like to think the best of people, there are always individuals who will take advantage of your rookie enthusiasm and general cluelessness to further their own agendas. 8) A Short Supply of Support Once you get your promotion, your anfhrer will likely disappear and leave you to sink or swim. While you would love to believe the boss who promoted you will be there to guide and coach you, the experience of many shows that youll be mostly on your own. So start swimming. 9) Pressure From All Sides As a new manager, youre going to feel pressure from above and below. The life of a manager is about translating the programs, goals, whims, or burning issues of the moment into action through your team members. In many c ases, youll be asked to do the seemingly impossible with your insufficient and over-taxed team members. Get used to being squeezed in the vice between the demands of your boss and the capacity and capabilities of your team. A Big Reason to Consider A Manager Role After reviewing all of the challenges that come with a management position, you may still feel undaunted. If helping others is part of who you are and what you value, there are few roles that offer more potential to have a positive impact on the people you encounter in your life. The work is challenging, sometimes thankless, and always pressure-packed. However, at some point, you will look back over your career and marvel at the accomplishments of the individuals you touched for a moment in time. Books and courses can offer complete instructions on how to manage or lead. These resources can certainly give you context and tools, but the real process of learning to succeed as a manager and evolving leader is often messy a nd trial-by-fire. Forewarned is forearmed.