Many IT professionals dream of one day becoming a manager. After all, managers have more responsibility, more opportunities for growth and often earn more money. But not everyone is prepared for the challenges and trade-offs that come with this career move. The reality is that moving from an individual contributor (IC) role to a management one is hard and it requires you to make sacrifices and step outside your comfort zone. There’s a reason that some engineers hesitate to accept or pursue management roles, even when part of them wants that role. As somebody who has made that transition, here are some of the challenges that I faced.
Giving up your technical skills and identity
As an IC, you spend most of your time working on technical tasks, solving problems and delivering results. You have a strong sense of ownership and take pride in your work. You identify yourself as an expert in your domain. As a manager, however, you have to shift your focus from doing the work to enabling others to do the work. You have to delegate tasks, provide feedback, coach, mentor and support your team members. You have less time and opportunity to use your technical skills and you may feel like you are losing touch with your craft.
You have to accept that your role and value as a manager are different from those as an IC. You have to embrace the fact that your impact is now measured by the success of your team, not by your individual output. You have to trust your team members to do their jobs well and resist the urge to micromanage or take over their work. You also have to find ways to keep learning and growing as a manager, such as reading books, taking courses etc.
Dealing with ambiguity and complexity
As an IC, you usually have clear and well-defined goals, tasks and deadlines. You know what you need to do, how to do it and when to do it. You have a high degree of autonomy and control over your work. As a manager, however, you have to deal with more ambiguity and complexity. You have to set the vision, direction and priorities for your team and align them with the broader organizational goals. You have to make decisions that involve multiple stakeholders, trade-offs and uncertainties. You have to handle conflicts, politics and interpersonal issues that may arise within or outside your team.
You have to develop a strategic mindset and a systems thinking approach. You have to look at the big picture, understand the interdependencies and implications of your actions and anticipate potential risks and opportunities. You have to communicate clearly and effectively with different audiences and build trust and rapport with them. You also have to be flexible and adaptable and embrace change as an opportunity for learning and improvement.
Balancing multiple responsibilities and expectations
When you work as an IC, you usually have one main responsibility: delivering high-quality work on time. You have a single manager who sets your expectations, evaluates your performance and gives you feedback. As a manager, however, you have multiple responsibilities and expectations. You have to manage your team, your peers, your boss and other stakeholders. You have to juggle various tasks and projects and prioritize them according to their urgency and importance. You have to meet the needs and expectations of different people, who may have conflicting or competing interests.
You have to develop a strong sense of self-awareness and self-management. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses, your values and goals and your preferred style and approach. You have to manage your time, energy and attention effectively and avoid burnout or stress. You also have to seek feedback regularly, both from yourself and from others and use it to improve your skills and performance as a manager.
Learning how to delegate effectively
As an IC, you are used to doing everything yourself, or working closely with a small group of peers. You have full control over the quality and outcome of your work and you can easily fix any issues or errors that may occur. As a manager, however, you have to delegate most of the work to your team members, who may have different levels of skills, experience and motivation. You have to let go of some of the control and trust that they will deliver the results that you expect. You also have to provide them with clear guidance, feedback and support along the way.
You have to learn how to delegate effectively. This means choosing the right tasks to delegate, matching them with the right people based on their abilities and interests and setting clear expectations and deadlines. It also means monitoring their progress, providing constructive feedback and recognizing their achievements. Delegating effectively will not only free up your time and energy for more strategic work, but also empower your team members to grow and develop their skills and confidence.
Becoming a good coach for your team
When you were an IC, your manager or senior peers coached and mentored you. You had a clear vision and plan for your career, and you received regular feedback and guidance on how to improve your skills and performance. But as a manager, you need to coach and mentor your team members. You need to help them set their career goals and plans, and give them the resources and opportunities they need to reach them. You need to give them constructive and timely feedback, and help them learn from their challenges and mistakes.
To cope with this change, you have to learn how to coach effectively. This means developing a coaching mindset and skills, such as listening, questioning, empathizing and motivating. It also means creating a coaching culture in your team, where everyone is encouraged to learn, grow and support each other. Coaching effectively will not only improve the performance and satisfaction of your team members, but also enhance your own leadership skills and credibility.
In the next blog post, I will write about some of the tips that helped me make that transition successfully.