Lies you’ve been told about management
Everything you believe about management is a lie. As we grow up, get educated, hear stories, consume media, we are fed all kinds of falsehoods about what true management is. Let's set up those lies and knock them down:
Lie: Management is a promotion.
Truth: Management is a new career altogether. It's a radical shift in the way you think about work and how you contribute.
Lie: Management jobs are for the most qualified expert.
Truth: Management is for the people who (shocker) have the best skills when it comes to management. Good prioritizers, communicators, coordinators. Most experts are better equipped to keep going deeper.
Lie: Management "promotions" are the only way to make more money.
Truth: This should not be true in your business. Create pathways for your experts to earn more as they gain proficiency. Add mentorship (which is v different from management) to their list of responsibilities.
Lie: Management is about control.
Truth: Management is about setting goals and helping people find their way there. You may be instrumental in helping define the ends, but allowing your team freedom in the means can lead to unexpectedly great improvements.
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Lie: Management is about getting other people to work the way I did/do.
Truth: That's micromanagement and it's what drives people crazy. Management is letting go of your preferences and focusing on priorities. Set goals, keep people on the rails, but give them freedom.
Lie: Management is the only way to impact other people.
Truth: Mentorship is a great way to help other people progress in their career. You know a ton about your area - pour that into others. You can have huge impact while going deep instead of wide.
Lie: Management makes you the main character.
Truth: Management done well makes the manager fade into the background. A well-oiled team appears to be magically running on its own.
Lie: Management is about other people serving you.
Truth: Management done well is about you serving your team. One of your most important jobs is identifying where your team is getting blocked and doing everything within your power to free them.
Lie: Management makes me more indispensable.
Truth: Management is about working yourself out of a job. It is a constant investing in teammates who will eventually take over. If you can show an ability to do this, many great opportunities will come to you to do it over and over.
