Is Management For Me?

So you are considering making the leap from line employee to manager. Perhaps you are attracted by the higher pay, increased influence, or just a change from the day to day routine that now defines your job. Maybe you dislike your boss and think you could do a better job than him with one hand tied behind your back and a ravenous wolverine attached to your leg. Whatever your motivation, making the move to management is something that shouldn't be taken lightly.

A good friend of mine was dismissed from a job a couple of years ago. "I do the same thing at every company," he told me. "They offer me a management position and I take it for the money. Then I'm miserable and my performance suffers."

There are a few questions you should ask yourself before deciding to pursue a career in management. First, and most important, you should not become a manager if you are a jerk. All you will do is make people's lives miserable. There is a simple test to determine if you have a problem in this area:

TEST: Ask yourself, "Am I a jerk?" If the answer is yes, then management is not for you.

Second, ask yourself,"Do I enjoy pain?" Unless you plan to work for Santa Claus, you will find that the pressure of management can be intense. In most cases, you will spend more time at work as a manager than as a line employee. There are certainly perks, but when things go wrong (and they will), management can be one of the worst places to be.

Third, ask, "Does the work managers do interest me?" If you are a hot shot aardvark trainer and you love what you do, what enticements can management offer you in the way of day to day job content? Instead of contributing individually, you will now be largely contributing through others. Your work will be less hands-on and you may wonder if signing invoices and doing performance reviews is really all you thought it was cracked up to be. Administrative work can be overwhelming in some organizations, and while no one outside of the Communist Party really enjoys administrative work, it is a necessary part of a manager's job.

Fourth, ask, "Am I a people person?" Managers attend meetings, hire and fire, promote and demote. If you would rather be working at your desk than in a meeting, or if you would rather focus on your own assignments than be regularly interrupted by the crisis du jour, management may not be for you. If you are someone that enjoys working with people and can act with integrity, even when confronting a difficult situation with employee discipline requiring delicacy and directness, you may be headed down the right path.

Finally, ask, "Will management lead to greater career opportunities for me?" Entering management too soon can leave you without a solid background in your chosen field. If management doesn't work out for any reason, companies may see your lack of line experience as a detriment, even though you may have several years of management experience. For obvious reasons, there are fewer management than line level career opportunities, and focusing solely on management jobs may leave you unemployed longer than if you could also look at line level opportunities that might eventually lead back to management.

I knew someone who was a manager making a six figure salary. He was laid off and searched for work for 9 months, finally finding a job for half his previous wage. Within 3-4 years he had worked his way back up to a management position at close to his original salary, but his road was not an easy one. If you have hard skills to fall back on, at least you will have the option of making a living as something other than a manager should the need arise.

Conversely, entering management too late can cause people to wonder why you haven't managed before. It's a little like being a 47-year-old who never married. People think there must be something wrong with you, even if there isn't.

There's no easy formula to determine if you will be a successful manager and if now is the time in your career to make the move. Sometimes the decision is made for you, even if you would rather not manage. Perhaps the best way to know if management is for you is to try it. If you don't like it, don't be afraid to step back into a line position and do the best you can in that position. It is much better to be a satisfied saw sharpener than a miserable manager.

If you decide to take the plunge and join ranks of management, give it everything you've got. Learn as much as you can, build strong relationships and deliver on the projects you are asked to work on. Ask others for feedback and make corrections along the way.

No matter what career you choose, if you are driven by a desire to make a positive difference for your company, you'll be able to do great things.