5 Questions to ponder before jumping into management roles 💊
5 Questions to ponder before jumping into management roles 💊
Moving from being an individual contributor to being a manager is really a career change, not a promotion. You will face new challenges, and you have to develop a different skillset and mindset that will require time and effort.
If you are considering moving into management roles, ask yourself these six questions first that will help you understand whether you’re ready for the role and if it’s the right fit for you and your career.
1️⃣ Can I let go of my To-Do List?
The tech lead role is not about coding; it’s all about people. You have to know you have to let the code go and focus on new functions. You are not an individual contributor anymore.
2️⃣ Am I good at listening?
Do you feel good listening to people’s problems? What about absorbing the context of words and the feelings behind them? Active listening involves paying full attention to what the other is saying and understanding their thoughts, ideas, and emotions.
3️⃣ Am I a great communicator?
You will spend most of your time in meetings and interacting with your teams, which means a huge portion of your job lays in the ability to communicate well.
It is all around! In your mentoring processes, 1:1s, delegation, meetings, when sharing a new project, or even resolving a conflict, among others.
4️⃣ Do you feel comfortable giving feedback?
One of the challenging missions of a manager is to develop the skill to give feedback, mainly because of the emotions and temperaments of people. Developing this skill can give you a head start in having an insightful conversation with your team members and evaluate how you can improve to drive the results you are working for.
5️⃣ Do I like to take the initiative? Or do I wait for others’ approval?
A manager must know how to recognize good business opportunities and be willing to take risks to lead the team and the company on a good path. You will have to take the initiative in many opportunities, even if it means making difficult decisions.
These are just some questions you should ponder before jumping into a management position in tech. However, to help you dig deeper and discover if this is what you want to do, or if someone on your team is ready to take this leap, get some additional resources in the section below. 👇
📚 Roles and Career Resources
Learn about the different roles and careers you can develop in tech leadership: Tech Lead, Engineering Manager, CTO.
🛠 Tech Leadership’s skills framework: A tool to grow in a balanced way.
Get an overview of the different roles and skills needed before jumping into a tech role. (Exercises included!)
🔗 Read the full article here • 4 min.