Making of a Manager: Part 1
When opportunity knocks, can a man with no formal management training answer the call? Follow his journey as he learns to lead, one challenge at a time.
“Life is a series of events,” your grandpa used to say, “Some you enjoy, some you throw away, and some you learn from. The trick is deciding which is which.”
He was a wise man, and you miss him now that he’s gone.
But Grandpa’s impact is not gone from your life; his clever sayings resurface at the right times, like when you suddenly become the new manager and are trying to figure out how to motivate your team members.
There’s Mark, whose job is to support his three college-bound children and wife, who has special needs. He strives for work-life balance.
There’s Alejandro, the first-generation college student who is moving up the corporate ladder. He works extra time to make a name for himself.
There’s Betsy, who doesn’t need the money but sees her job as an extension of her identity. She can’t imagine not working.
There’s Sheila, thriving at work because she has created a cozy work environment. One of her core values is comfort.
They’re all so different! Are you up to the task?
When you were offered the manager position, you almost turned it down. You had no formal training in management and had not been to business school. You don’t read leadership books or listen to manager podcasts. You’re afraid to speak in public. How can you be a manager?
But you remembered Grandpa. He used to say, “Opportunity is a shy neighbor; she only knocks for a little while.”
You decided this was Opportunity Knocking, so you reluctantly said yes. Now, you’re a reluctant new manager with no professional training. The corporate people are talking about quotas to reach, deadlines to meet, and competition for talent. Not only that, they also want managers to reduce turnover, cut costs, and increase profits. What?
Can’t you just get back to your job? Oh yeah, this is your job now. Somebody, help!
Before, you would have asked Grandpa, but he’s not around. Your boss said he is always available, but you’re embarrassed admitting you have no idea how to manage people. You want a more anonymous sage.
How about AI? AI won’t tell your secrets.
You ask the AI engine, “How do you motivate employees?”
AI responds, “Motivating employees is a complex task that requires a multifaceted approach; here are strategies that can help.”
AI lists several approaches:
AI then concludes: “These approaches have advantages and disadvantages based on your employees. But with focus and hard work, anyone can become a great manager.”
What? “There are advantages and disadvantages to these approaches.” What does that mean? Which ones should you use? Which to avoid?
And further: “Anyone can become a great manager.” Anyone can? Really?
Now you really miss your grandpa. What would Grandpa do?
“Life is a series of events,” he used to say, “Some you enjoy, some you throw away, and some you learn from. The trick is deciding which is which.”
You take his advice by thinking back to the start of your career. It isn’t much of a start, more of a whimper. Some careers definitively begin where higher education ends, so there is a clear line of succession from one to the next, from an accounting major to an accounting job. However, yours does not.
In college, you have an inkling of ministry, so you major in Religion and Theology. But the first religious job out of college is a bust, and you figure you aren’t cut out for that type of work. You work a few temporary jobs until you are placed in customer service at a technology company. This seems like more of a fit.
You enjoy the technology environment, which feels innovative, exciting, and useful. You answer customer questions when they call or email. Your manager, Kathryn, makes work fun and makes managing look easy. She takes a personal approach by getting to know each employee individually, providing what you need, and showing that she cares. She is the first manager who impresses you.
But living on the West Coast is expensive for young families. Your wife’s job pays more than yours, and when she becomes pregnant with your first child, you both want her to stay home to raise your child. This puts pressure on you to pay the bills alone. All you have is this useless Religion degree, work experience from a cadre of odd jobs, and a baby on the way. How will you provide for your family?
“Praying is a brave and desperate act of surrender,” Grandpa used to say.
You don’t feel brave, but you certainly feel desperate, so you begin praying about moving from the West Coast to a more affordable setting.
Not long after, your hometown pastor asks if you’d consider moving back to the East Coast to work with the church. It isn’t a job offer, but the invitation sounds promising. Maybe a Religion degree is worth something after all. You and your wife agree, and you pack up and drive East.
As you get settled, you have conversations with the pastor. It seems you have different ideas about working at the church:
You want a job that pays you to work
He wants you to raise the money to work
You want to have a single job—doing the work
He wants you to have two jobs—not only doing the work but also raising the money to do the work
It’s like paying a cover charge to get into a restaurant, where in addition to the cover charge, you also must pay for your food and drinks. This isn’t what you envisioned.
Why didn’t you discuss the details before you uprooted your lives, said goodbye to your friends, and threw your pregnant wife into a new town? Why didn’t you explore the facts before moving your sunshine-happy wife from a sunny town to one with more cloudy days than Seattle? Why didn’t you ask more questions?
Acting too quickly has always been a weakness, and now it has bitten you.
You remember what Grandpa used to say: “The problem in having a weakness isn’t having a weakness; it’s not knowing what to do with it.”
So you do with your weakness the only thing you can think of—you pray.
Not long after, the phone rings.
To be continued…