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I'm in my 40s and a good majority of my life has revolved around being or becoming a technical expert. In school I was the nerdy kid in the 90s that just kept my head down, had a few friends, and grew to love computers. I took my computer to LAN parties, and usually did my work to the best of my abilities. I wasn't the top of my class, I was in the middle, and I wasn't an outcast, I was just there. I blended in, and I wasn't part of any popular crowds. I was kind and friendly, and of course joked with my friends and was angsty just like the rest of the teenagers there, but most of all, my primary focus in school was to learn, and so that's what I did. Whether I was learning the things my teachers needed me to was another story, but I was driven to learn because I didn't like not knowing things and above all, failing.
I say this because this learning of things for tests was all I've known most of my life. Even after getting higher education, I was in an entry-level job expected to do the basic technical work that keeps the business going. At that stage you're not expected to see the grand scheme of the company or take complaints or figure out how to make the whole organization better - you just did your job and if something was screwed up, it was usually someone else's problem. Complaints are easy when you're not in charge.
Fast forward to the natural progression of things when you are in the same profession long enough: you get promoted, and getting promoted means taking on larger responsibilites such as having subordinates and making sure a process or program is running smoothly. Now this seems okay until you realize that managing and leading people is hard. There are personalities, conflicts, opinions, people that work hard, some that don't, others that will challenge your authority and decisions, and a whole host of other issues. When you step into this role you soon realize why managers get paid more than the folks that actually touch the process or product that your company needs you or your section to do; it's hard and sometimes thankless. If you are a manager and you're blessed with happy productive workers that need little oversight, I say this: either you're not seeing something or you in fact have won the lottery of management.
My frustration, and whole point of this log is to say, I wish this stuff was taught when I was younger. I know there's business management, but that wasn't my path, and I honestly don't know if they teach you how a business is run on top of people management skills. Everything you learn is great in theory, but I do think that the kids on sports teams had/have an advantage because they understand what it's like to be a part of a team and pull together. If your captain, coach, or whoever, is terrible, you'll see what makes them terrible and can learn from that. Conversely, if they are an amazing leader and makes your team want to win, you can emulate that later in life.
There are also folks that just naturally know how to manage people, and I envy them. I can take up a technical challenge all day and work until I can figure it out, but people problems don't have a clear-cut answer most of the time (for me at least), and that gray-area of decision making where every decision seems at least partially bad, makes my solve-the-problem / black-and-white brain fret with apprehension and worry. I have, over the years, gotten better at managing people through experience but it's still a challenge that I hope I become more comfortable with, because the higher you move up, the more effect your decisions can have on people's lives and their happiness, and that is a big responsibility.
Some people say they won't go into management, and that's fine, it's just that if getting more money and doing things with that money is your goal, it seems the whole system pushes you into a management role at some point. I know there are highly paid technical experts out there, and if you're one of those, congratulations, but I know those come with their own pitfills like mental burnout and overutilization of your skills.
So, all of this is to say: if you think you'll be going into management of some sort at any point in your life, start training yourself now and you'll thank yourself later. While it can't always be avoided, being told you suck as a boss is an ego hit that is not easily overcome, and I know this from experience. You just have to have thick skin, learn from it, and move on. You can start now, even in the small areas you oversee, and you'll see it starts to blossom and become a little bit easier over time; this is espeically true for those technically-minded folks like myself that tend to be introverted and at least a little avoidant of interpersonal conflict. Start small, and just do it.
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2023-06-24
Tags: Management, Leadership, Introversion
Gritty
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gritty@smallweb.space