Managing People is a Different Skill Set Than Being an Individual Contributor
# Managing People is a Different Skill Set Than Being an Individual Contributor
# Concept Description
Ethan Banks thought getting into managment would be like a technical lead, but found out it was resource management and coordination meetings. It was a step removed from technology. It required a different skill set, almost unrelated to the individual contributor role, other than being able to conceptually understand what the ICs were doing. Episode 42
Don Jones mentions that managers are dependent on their team for their success, not themselves. They’re also removed from whether any particular day went well (and might not find out for weeks or months!). It’s a different job with different skills. Episode 137
Charlie Nichol knew how to motivate top performers because he was one but lacked the ability to motivate those not performing well at first (i.e. not everyone is motivated by the same thing). Managers take care of many things that happen, but we might not see that they did it (i.e. making sure someone gets paid for coming to work on their first day). Charlie took the aspects of every good manager he had met and developed his own methodology. Management is like parenting in that way (take all the good you see from others and create your own, cannot know what it is like until you do it). You are no longer an expert on technology. Episode 51
Brad Christian realized with a team you can widen the impact and scope of what you can accomplish, especially with a high performance team. Brad learns from his team and considers himself a servant leader. Management is also a path to more money. Brad’s goal is to remove impediments from the team and help them do their job better. If you can do that and enjoy it and hold onto your technical skills a little, you can be successful. Episode 114
Jeff Eberhard had to learn how to manage people significantly older than him. “How do I lead someone who has been doing this since before I was born?”
# Related To
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There Management Interviews Career Goals