Many moons ago, I worked for a consulting company named Whittman-Hart. Best job of my life. I was still in Pittsburgh at the time, and they went on a hiring spree and managed to acquire most of the top talent in the city. Every day, I went to work excited and was surrounded by brilliant, creative, funny, and energetic people.
Unfortunately, in late 2000, the leadership of the company managed to successfully acquire a large design firm that had a dirty little secret. Well, it wasn’t little; it was $3B in debt. Needless to say, the company folded. and fast. By February 2001 I was out of a job, and 4 months later the company closed its doors.
Back on the market, and a little shell-shocked, I interviewed at several design and multimedia firms in town that were looking for a senior developer, or a development manager, and ended up taking a job at a small firm named Mind Over Media in downtown Pittsburgh. They hired me to beef up their software and Internet development offerings, since they had been, traditionally, a multimedia company focused on video, educational DVDs, etc.
There were red flags, but I didn’t really take notice of them until it was too late.
I was hired with the title of Lead Developer, but was given no job description, or even list of duties. I simply assumed that I was being hired as the senior developer and would help guide and educate the two other, young developers that already worked there.
After a week on the job, and several statements made in some company meetings, it suddenly struck me that I might have been hired to manage the two other developers. I walked into my manager’s office and asked that question, to which he answered, “yes.”
Ok.
Now, with no management experience, I was suddenly thrust into a position of leadership over two very young, very inexperienced, but very talented developers. I had to quarterly reviews, discuss career growth, and as I found out later, go to initial meetings with customers and sell the company.
Again, nothing I was prepared to do. I have always been very comfortable talking to non-technical folks, explaining the pros and cons of technology, helping them understand what I could do for them and the cost involved. However, having to sell the company’s services on the spot, in front of the customer, with no time to prepare was not my strong suit.
How many times have you heard this one? Well, I lived it. I was responsible for selling the technical capabilities of the company, exploring new sources of revenue, product development, R&D, as well as having to code our projects. However, when push came to shove, I had absolutely no authority to act on any decisions that I had made.
I had to push the idea up to the senior management team where it would eventually wither and die for a variety of reasons – some valid, some. not so much.
When it came to rewarding or disciplining my team members, I was completely subverted. I did not have a say in whether they received bonuses or raises, and when discipline was called for, they simply went over my head.
Ah, everyone’s favorite. Yes, there were politics even at a company as small as Mind Over Media, and I didn’t play the game. What happens to those who don’t play the game when everyone else does? They’re ostracized and ignored.
Whee.
I wanted to be recognized for my measurable contributions to the bottom line, and for my ability to keep my team happy. Well, the senior management team didn’t see things that way. To this day, their mental processes used to determine who got awarded what remains nebulous to me.
So when word came down from on high that they company was in severe financial straits, and that they had to let the entire development team go – a message that was delivered to all three of us one morning instead of alerting me, so that I could tell my team – I was not that surprised.
The experience had completely soured me to the idea of being in the management game, and I quickly vowed to never go through that again.
I packed up the few items on my desk, said goodbye to a few friends I had made, and headed on home. Given the experience I had with my last two employers, you might imagine that I was leery to jump back into the corporate world, and you would be right.
It took just a few days for me to decide to work as a sole proprietor and use the contacts, customers, and colleagues I had built up over the years to get business myself and be my own boss.
One Response for "Why I decided to not be a manager"
Good post Steve! Sadly, this happens all too much. You would think that both employers and employees would want to make sure everyone is on the same page before actually doing any hiring, but that doesn’t always happen.
During the interview process both sides are trying to sell themselves to each other and often times, the truly important aspects of the interview get thrown out the window. Responsibility, But No Authority happens all too often, and I can even say that it has happened to me as well. I guess the main point is to learn from it and hope that you cover all of your bases heading into your next position. Often times however, this too is easier said than done!
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