Posts Do you want to be a Manager?
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Do you want to be a Manager?

You may be the best developer in the world, or you may be able to diagnose any network problem in three minutes flat, but that does not automatically make you a good candidate for a manager. That’s like saying “I play a mean cello, so I should conduct the entire orchestra.” These are two different skill sets.

The Manager tag should not be your goal. It is not something by which to measure your personal worth. It’s a responsibility, and it’s a lot of work. It’s also very unfair to team members to take on their management if you don’t really know how to do it.

If you think you deserve to be in management, ask yourself these questions:

  • Could you lay off an employee that you like very much because upper management needs to make cuts?

  • Could you confidently promote one of your employees above others?

  • Would you be able to tell an employee he or she needs to attend to his or her hygiene better?

  • Can you lead a team to results without micromanaging?

  • Could you say “no” to upper management when they make unreasonable demands of your staff?

  • Could you take responsibility for failures of your team even if only one staffer screwed up?

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.