Today marks 477 days since Victor (my previous boss) came to announce that he was moving to another department within the company. Even though I was happy for him, the thought of him leaving made me feel nervous. The possibility of me taking over the leadership of the team crossed my mind, but I also didn’t feel ready to take upon such big responsibility (a whole post coming about why we doubt ourselves later!).
His transition out (if we can call it that way) was quick and within a couple of weeks, I was in a call with Victor’s boss getting asked to temporarily lead the team. I got invited (you can’t say no to such invite) to participate in the selection process for his back fill, which took months. Four months performing two roles were enough to start wishing for them to choose anyone, but me for the role.
However, it seems like the universe thought I was in the need of a professional challenge that’d shake me up and so, exactly one year ago I received the news that I had been chosen to take upon the leadership of a young-and-inexperienced nine people team. Let me tell you, few times I’ve been more terrified than that day.
I wasn’t a new manager, but this was the first time I had people under my charge. A team member resigned weeks later, leaving two open positions within the team. The team was going through a major restructure and just as Murphy’s Law dictates, everything that could go wrong, was going wrong. I won’t drag this post by telling you about every single challenge the new role brought with it. Let’s just say I thought about resigning every single day; but we survived.
What I’m here for, is to share with you sixteen-months worth of learning from what I consider ‘the more challenging year of my career’ so far:
- Career Growth: The new role meant a two-level-up promotion for me. However, due to company’s policies and the time between my last promotion, an immediate promotion wasn’t possible. I’ve learned that as Harold S. Geneen perfectly describes: ‘In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later’. Yes, I was underpaid from a payroll point of view, but I as a twenty-seven-years-old I was being exposed to situations that enable the development of certain capabilities that most people expect to attain in their late-thirties.
- Being a Leader: Managers’ natural tendency is to hire people that think, perceive and approach challenges like them. As valid as this approach is, I’ve learned that that putting together a team from a professional-self-awareness point might be a better approach. One in which you bring people that complement your areas of opportunity so as to maximize the team’s performance. I’ve also learned that despite how busy you are, the time you put into quality coaching and training is literally an upfront investment. Trust me, the return comes with time.
- Network Power: One of the biggest career misconceptions is to think that what got you here, will get you there. Before becoming a manager, excelling as an individual will probably grant you a promotion, but that doesn’t remain true after certain roles. I’ve learned that being a (successful) manager is being a team player and that remarkable work can be achieved when working as a team, within and across functions. I’ve also learn that being a manager doesn’t mean having all the answers and that remaining humble and asking for help will get you further.
- Project Management: Companies, and as a result teams, put a lot of time and effort into planning and developing strategies. No matter how we get there (brainstorming sessions, workshops, discussions or presentations), I’ve learned that strategy is in fact key. However, at some point you gotta drop the pencil and start taking action because at the end of the day, flawless execution is everything.
PS. It’s been truly a privilege to lead such an energetic team and I’m glad they’ve been willing to suffer, learn, growth and enjoy with me in this journey!
Unapologetic Thoughts 