Chapter 37. A Disclosure
My management career began with a misunderstanding.
âRands, youâre doing a great job on tools development, and Iâd really like you to Lead the effort.â
It sounded liked your standard professional compliment. Atta boy! Go run with it! Problem was, I didnât hear the capital L.
Lead is what my manager had said. Not lead, but Lead. He asked poorly and without definition and specifics, but he did ask. He was subsequently baffled two months later when I said, âI donât think I can finish this by next month, I need more time.â
Him: âWhy donât you hire another engineer?â
Me: âWait, I can do that?â
I see three possible situations whereby you might become a manager:
You decide. âI believe I am going to be a better manager than engineer. I choose management.â
You evolve. This is what happened to me. Essentially, a series of small decisions and actions where, at the end, you end up being a manager.
You have no choice. âYou. Manage this team. Go.â
Whether you get to choose or not, there are aspects of management that you need to understand.
Management Is a Total Career Restart
Now, if youâre evolving into the career, this will be less obvious, but if management just landed in your lap, realize that while youâre in the same game, itâs a totally new game board and youâre at square one. You will use the skills that made you a great engineer, but thereâs an entirely new set of skills you need to acquire and refine.
This sensation will appear ...
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