By This blog is one of those ‘if I had known then what I know now’ type reflections that people my age write. The hope is that someone will benefit from the wisdom of my years of experience. There are certainly more than three things I didn’t know…but I figured these three are a good starting point. At minimum, I hope there’s a good chuckle in reading these nuggets of nonsense.
Management is not the same as Leadership
Managers are people who can deliver quantitative results, interpret numbers, and administer HR for a team (chase team to enter billable hours, approve sick days and expense reports, manage performance plans). Leaders inspire. They have a vision and can properly relay that vision to others. They rally the team to deliver against sometimes impossible odds.
While a smaller startup business needs leaders because the focus of the business is different (You’re trying to break into a market and compete against larger more established companies.), as an organization grows management becomes more important.
I’ve been a leader and a manager (and sometimes both at the same time). It’s great when the two combine – but it is a bit of a unicorn in the corporate world.
I REALLY enjoyed leading the teams I led…I enjoyed helping people grow personally and professionally. I didn’t mind the administrative side of management. I had an MBA and could interpret data like any of the best managers out there…but I also knew that numbers could be manipulated. I enjoyed my work with clients and solving problems. These two are signs of someone who prefers individual contribution to management. It’s also a sign of entrepreneurship…so ultimately I landed in the correct spot – because I can manage myself and I can lead the teams that I consult on.
The lesson learned – recognize early on what you want and drive forward for that. And if you find a place that allows you to lead and manage, then enjoy that unicorn!
Loyalty is not rewarded
This is a TOUGH lesson to learn – especially since many companies tout that they love their employees and employees are the most important….blah blah blah. The reality is that in this era of business, loyalty is not rewarded. There isn’t an expectation (or desire) for you to stay at a company for your entire career. Harsher reality – many business models are built for success only if there is high turnover.
So while you may want a company to reward you for staying loyal, your better goal should be to know your value and check the market from time to time to see if someone will value you more than where you are at.
I’m not suggesting job hopping every two years…but certainly at the 5 year mark it may be time to step out the door for some fresh air.
Success isn’t the same for everyone
Do not compare your definition of success to others. And while you’re at it, don’t compare yourself to others in general. The only time comparison would be warranted is IF you see someone promoted into a role you wanted…then you can compare to see what skills they bring that differ from yours. Most of the time comparisons just lead to beating yourself up.
Back to the original bullet – my definition of success may be an easy job that I can walk away from at 4:59 and not think about again until 8:59 am the next day. I may have no desire to climb the corporate ladder. Or my definition may be to be at the c-suite. Both definitions are okay as well as the myriad of definitions in between. Success can mean family, volunteer work, sales…
Those are your 3 nuggets for today. Happy Monday!
Mary