Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
After seven years in software development at a San Francisco based e-commerce company, my friend (let’s call him Mr. X) was promoted to his first manager’s position as an Engineering Manager. Up to that point, his track record had been stellar. His intelligence, focus, and determination had won him recognition and various promotions in his organization. When his company assigned him to be the engineering manager for one of the company’s hottest new products, he ran into trouble early on. Mr. X’s past successes were due to his extraordinary technical leadership and programming capabilities. Accustomed to programming, he was a control freak and had the tendency to micromanage. His efforts to micromanage the engineering team alienated them. And within few months, Mr. X was back as being a technical leader (sr. programmer) and someone else was leading the team. Mr. X failed as an engineering manager because he was unable to make the transition from being a strong individual programmer to an engineering manager. He failed to grasp that the strengths which had made him successful during his sr. programmer role could be liabilities in a role that required him to lead an engineering team by trusting their programming skills instead of doing it yourself. What might Mr. X have done differently? He should have focused on mentally promoting himself into the new position, a fundamental challenge for new leaders. The one thing to remember is..............you can’t become successful in your new job as a manager by continuing to do what you did in your previous position as an individual contributor. Since you might have been promoted due to your skills and accomplishments, it is only human to think that your senior management wants you to do what you were good at. Maybe that’s the only reason why you might live in the denial, and believe that you are being productive and efficient, if you continue your old behavior. But instead of continuing your responsibilities as an individual contributor, you need to prepare yourself mentally to move into your new role by letting go of the past and embracing the imperatives of the new situation to give yourself a running start. This can be hard work, but it is essential that you do it. I hope, this blog comes to you as a reminder to forget what you knew, and try adapting yourself to the new management role that you have inherited. What would you do in this situation, if you were to be promoted to your first ever management job? Thanks. – Bhavin Gandhi.
Citation preview
1 Author: [email protected] | Contact information: http://gandhibhavin.wordpress.com
Did you get promoted to a management position for the first time? Then stop doing what you know. Find out why. by Bhavin Gandhi
After seven years in software development at a San Francisco based e-commerce company, my friend (let’s call him
Mr. X) was promoted to his first manager’s position as an Engineering Manager. Up to that point, his track record
had been stellar. His intelligence, focus, and determination had won him recognition and various promotions in his
organization.
When his company assigned him to be the engineering manager for one of the company’s hottest new products, he
ran into trouble early on. Mr. X’s past successes were due to his extraordinary technical leadership and
programming capabilities. Accustomed to programming, he was a control freak and had the tendency to
micromanage. His efforts to micromanage the engineering team alienated them. And within few months, Mr. X was
back as being a technical leader (sr. programmer) and someone else was leading the team.
Mr. X failed as an engineering manager because he was unable to make the transition from being a strong
individual programmer to an engineering manager. He failed to grasp that the strengths which had made him
successful during his sr. programmer role could be liabilities in a role that required him to lead an engineering team
by trusting their programming skills instead of doing it yourself.
What might Mr. X have done differently? He should have focused on mentally promoting himself into the new
position, a fundamental challenge for new leaders. The one thing to remember is..............you can’t become
successful in your new job as a manager by continuing to do what you did in your previous position as an individual
contributor.
Since you might have been promoted due to your skills and accomplishments, it is only human to think that your
senior management wants you to do what you were good at. Maybe that’s the only reason why you might live in the
denial, and believe that you are being productive and efficient, if you continue your old behavior. But instead of
continuing your responsibilities as an individual contributor, you need to prepare yourself mentally to move into your
new role by letting go of the past and embracing the imperatives of the new situation to give yourself a running start.
This can be hard work, but it is essential that you do it.
2 Author: [email protected] | Contact information: http://gandhibhavin.wordpress.com
I hope, this blog comes to you as a reminder to forget what you knew, and try adapting yourself to the new
management role that you have inherited. What would you do in this situation, if you were to be promoted to your
first ever management job?
Thanks. – Bhavin Gandhi.
Bhavin Gandhi | November 13, 2012 at 3:09 PM | Tags: 21st century, Change Management, Clear
expectations, First time manager, Leaders of Tomorrow, Leadership, Leadership Failures, learning and
development, Management, Manager Training, Manager's Guide, Manager's Note, Performance
Improvement, Performance Management, Self learning | Categories: 21st Century, Leadership,Management |
URL: http://wp.me/p103Cm-8z
