Becoming a Manager

6

Gaining Self-Knowledge

Although the new managers did not at first appreciate the full ramifications of their decision to become a manager, they knew the choice was significant. All admitted that the decision to accept promotion created some anxiety and ambivalence. They pondered two questions: “Will I like management?” and “Will I be good at management?” The answers would come only with experience.¹ As the year progressed and they could see a new professional self-concept forming, they found themselves asking an even more unsettling question: “Who am I becoming?” They were learning about themselves, one said, not only as “a manager, but also as a person.” Therefore, we end by discussing the development of the managerial character.

WHY DID I ...