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Changing as you climb the ladder?

Transcending any stage of your life is a difficult process. Contrary to perceived notions, our public and personal lives are inexplicably related to each other. And since very often one determines the other, many people end up fighting personal battles with each new job. And in the IT industry where climbing the ladder is the name of the game, this is even more so. So how do you reconcile your changing status from a techie to manager to vice president?

Techie to manager
Coding can be very demanding and strenuous at times. But nothing beats the heat of excitement and immediate gratification that comes with finding a solution, which is why most software engineers love their jobs in spite of the unearthly hours. This is also the reason why many techies still crave to solve projects, even when they have graduated to managing them. However, many people find the transition from a techie to a manager easier than they expect. Probably, because, they still have one foot in each camp.

With a little self-discipline, you can initially spend 10-20 percent of your time to managing a small staff, and devote the rest of it to every facet of the problem-solving process that you love so much. With the growth of your staff, things can become trickier. But even if you're forced to spend 50 percent of your time on managerial responsibilities, you can still manage to spend a good deal of your time working on technical projects.

Manager to VP
But life can become really complicated when you're poised to take the much-awaited dream leap from a manager to a vice-president. Some dedicated software engineers even have serious qualms about the impending transition. How do you decide whether you're ready to spend 100 percent of your time managing 50 techies or you'd rather trade the big leap for the job satisfaction that you derived from your earlier designation? Many would consider such a dilemma as foolish. But people in the industry vouch that such a contradiction is real and something that can't be ignored, especially, if the transition takes place in a single organization. The decision you take is vital for your career growth. So, how do you reconcile your conflicting emotions with the job at hand?

Everybody must learn to let go and move on. You feel like a toddler taking your first step. But the next step may turn out to be more exciting and challenging than you envisioned. It's essential to realize that not everybody's cut out to behave like a VP overnight. But if you fail at first, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't succeed. It's an ongoing process and you acquire the right skills on the job over time. You'll do well to ask yourself whether you should relinquish your role as a hands-on technical guy to spend all your time as a manager. Instead of working on projects, you'll be managing them. You'll direct a staff you used to be part of and report directly to the CEO.

This is what happened to a techie who finally rose to become a VP. He learned to his dismay that relationships can change abruptly. The frequent after-work drinks that cemented his camaraderie with colleagues ended. A room became quiet when he walked into it. This only goes to prove that interpersonal dynamics are the first to change as your seniority increases.

Credibility Gap
Another challenge that you face is bridging a credibility gap between those you know and new recruits. Familiar people will trust you, even when you're making changes. But new hires may not respond in the same fashion. Its difficult to stay current and remain a great manager. It's quite Catch-22. Top managers need to understand how technology works. But, you can't be a full-time manager and keep coding and understanding all the details of programming languages simultaneously. A VP needs understand the issues and lead by example because you don't want people thinking you're a windbag and paper shuffler.

Learning to manage
Once you accept your role as a full-time manager, the next critical hurdle is learning how to be a manager. Don't make the mistake of trying to befriend and counsel employees with personal problems. Likewise, don't be a hard-nose either. That'll only serve to alienate employees. They'll follow your instructions, but that won't earn you their goodwill, or make course corrections or steer the ship in the right direction. To accomplish these goals, you need to think strategically, so that people can see the larger vision.

Our techie friend was successful in making the transition to a senior manager. That's because he realized that nobody can be right all the time. Moreover, he was able to deal with diverse personalities and work styles, apart from having an understanding of the entire business process. But as the ex-techie discovered, it pays to be patient, open-minded, and tolerant of people's imperfections.

The techie misses his old job. But now has fresh appreciation of managerial difficulties. This only goes to show that human nature is capable of adapting to any situation as long as you have a spirited attitude. If you remember this, then you're not likely to face any problems in adapting to changes as you climb the IT ladder.

Amrita Ghosh
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