You are a great professional, you love your job and your company – but you feel it’s time for something more, a next step. You want to become a manager. But do you?
Before you start sending off your CV, let’s take a closer look. In my previous life as an HR Business Partner, I have often been consulted on whether or not to hire or promote someone as a first time manager. And the questions to me were: should we? Is the person ready? Will the rest of the team accept him?
Unfortunately the key question was hardly ever asked: is this the right path for this person?
We still live in a world where the most common (in some companies the only) path to grow and build a career is ‘up’. And that means getting a team. If I have to believe some senior executives, wanting this next step shows ambition and commitment, not wanting this is a sign of weakness and lack of potential.
But is it? I don’t think so. For me this is one of the many symptoms of the misunderstood adage: ‘you can be(come) anything you want’. I’m all for the positive side of this which is: don’t let yourself be limited by what you have learned to believe about yourself. You might not be too shy, short or clever for whatever it is that you want to do. But I would caution against the other side: if you don’t like being in the spotlights – there is no need to become a performer. If you don’t like snow, you don’t have to go skying. If you have no interest in managing a team, you shouldn’t feel forced to become a people manager. You can be anything you want – but how much more fulfilling would it be if that would lead us to become more ourselves instead of moving even further away from who we really are.
Following your own path isn’t always the easiest way – but it is guaranteed to be the most fulfilling.
Can anyone become a manager? If you have a genuine interest in the additional roles that you get when becoming a manager, like the people management role, the concertation role, and often also a project management role, then my answer would be yes. As long as you want to invest in becoming the best manager that you can be. Self-awareness and discovery are key here. There is no one recipe for all, or 10 tips that make everything right and change you into the ideal leader overnight.
From solid good managers that people enjoy working for to inspiring leaders that put their company on the map: none of them got where they are by drinking a magic potion or following a standard curriculum. They got there by being the best version of themselves – in their own unique way. It’s more a question of learning how to get out of your own way – than of learning what to do.
If you want to discover whether your own best version includes becoming a manager – or if you want to find out what path suits you best – contact us for a free intake session.
Alternatively, we will be launching a blended learning approach on ‘Becoming a Manager’ 1st half of next year. We will work with small groups of new and aspiring managers, who want to find their own voice. Only for the brave of heart – who are ready to dig a bit deeper. Interested? Subscribe to this blog, so you won’t miss any updates!
Nilah Nilah 