Jane Burnett* suggests what you can do if you discover the hard way that management might not be for you.
So, you scored a job as a manager with higher pay and more responsibility than ever before.
But what do you do when you find out the hard way that management might not be for you?
Here’s how to approach the situation.
Gain autonomy over your circumstances
Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick-ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, and co-host of the podcast Radical Candor, answers a reader’s question in The Muse about how to proceed when you don’t like being a manager, and you could lose a lot by resigning.
The piece is from the site’s monthly series called Ask An Expert.
She tells the person to do some thinking about why this is, and one of the issues she tackles is what to do if the problem is “all the paperwork and bureaucracy that a lot of organisations impose on managers.”
Scott writes, “Try asking for some administrative support or finding ways to mitigate some of that nonsense.”
“Remember, you’ve found yourself in the driver’s seat now.”
“So, if there are some processes you could refine or other things you could do to help eliminate frustrating bottlenecks, you have at least some power to make changes.”
Be sure to give it some time
This is essential.
Eilene Zimmerman answers a question in The New York Times about what to do when you reach the management position you’ve coveted, it fails to meet your expectations, and you want to return to a position you liked in the past.
She shows why you need to give it time.
“Don’t be hasty — it will take six months to a year to really know how you feel,” she writes.
“At that point, do an assessment so that you can articulate why you may no longer want the job.”
If you’re not a manager yet, speak up
Foram Soni Sheth, career coach and co-founder at Ama la Vida, told Glassdoor about how to avoid management jobs at an organisation you sought out because you wouldn’t have those responsibilities.
“The last thing you want is for your boss to work hard to promote you to a manager role and find out at the last minute that you don’t want it … Be upfront and honest with your boss and communicate what you want out of your job,” she said.
“Be sure to have frequent communication with your boss about your needs and develop a plan to work towards your goals.”
* Jane Burnett is a reporter for Ladders in New York. She tweets at @JaneBurnett16. Her website is janeburnettmedia.com.
This article first appeared at www.theladders.com.
