Manager Not Alone, I created this blog to share what I’ve learned and what I’ve experienced. When you win, you don’t learn as much as when you lose or make mistakes. The articles I share emphasize these errors and difficulties. And so, I hadn’t yet addressed an essential point: Why become a manager?
You must ask yourself this question. And there is no correct answer; there is your truth.
The first question is why?
Mine is simple: when I arrived at Bombardier Aeronautics, a world of possibilities opened up, and I wanted to become an engineering director. Why? It was my shock therapy to address my imposter syndrome. Eventually, I became that engineering director, with very successful professional achievements and mistakes, but you already know that if you read my blog.
The most beautiful part of it was my discovery of the incredible diversity of the mechanics of human relationships. I have always loved solving problems. If it’s simple and easy, don’t call me! I have this need to do what hasn’t been done before, to discover. And when you are a manager, your employees have personal life trajectories, businesses have their own schedules, and you know that everything won’t go as planned. As a manager, you must adapt your requests and your approaches to this constantly evolving microcosm. This is a complex and continuously evolving problem that needs to be solved.
You will have to learn to listen, to understand, to rephrase, to not do it by yourself, to get it done by someone else.
This journey will make you grow as a human being.
And you will have magical moments. In the projects I contributed to or led, the most extraordinary moments were when I physically felt everyone’s commitment towards a goal. When you walk into the office you feel like a pulsation, as if the team suddenly becomes a living being in its own right. In those moments, collective intelligence is a living reality. I have had the extraordinary chance to experience it several times in my career.
These moments cannot be maintained for long periods, or at least I haven’t found the recipe yet. But those moments are truly magical. When your team goes through these moments, their bonds are strong.
One day, you will change of position,
And as a manager, you manage a team today, and one day, you won’t be there anymore, maybe even in another company. When you see through social media the progress of some of your employees or an initiative you would have started, then you will know that your role as a manager has paid off.
As a manager, we are entrusted for a limited time with a group of people that we must put in a position of success not only for the current projects but also for the future, and therefore help this team to strengthen itself, to be autonomous, to have a good reputation. And the measure of your success should continue to be seen several years later.
If you like discussing, listening, and sharing, if you like solving problems, then you will enjoy being a manager. And if you want to become one for a very personal reason, become a manager, but remember that no championship has been won by a captain alone; it has always been won by a team! And that the winning team is the one that is united.
So enjoy the journey that being a manager is; be the manager your team deserves.
Question : And you, why did you become a manager? What animates you the most in this role?