Smart. Being a middle manager is the worst of both worlds.
It can be a good learning experience in leading others. It was for me. Good managers can lead by example.
Definitely comes with more stress though.
I only learned that they’re an underpaid workhorse and scapegoat for upper mgmt decisions. I was a Marine in Afghanistan but my ptsd/nightmares are from my middle management years.
Yeah, management can be very dehumanizing. I learned to do what I think is best and cover for my team. A good manager makes the teams’ work easier. Unfortunately you’re wedged between who you’re meant to support and who you actually serve, and that’s a difficult tightrope.
It can feel very thankless but I’m sure you made a positive impact in the lives of those you led.
I got let go from a job because I told them I have absolutely zero interest of ever moving to a management position (I managed people in the past, which they knew, and I can do it, but have no desire to do that much work ever again). Apparently the company doesn’t want people who just want to be good at their jobs, they want everyone to move up to project management and beyond so they can all compete for limited promotions… and like… I just don’t want that.
Ultimately, I realized that place was highly toxic in a ton of ways so it’s for the best, but it was devastating at the time…
Anyway, I’m totally on board with gen z saying fuck that. After all, there’s been heavy talk for years about how middle managers are pointless busywork… at least someone is listening.
Wow yeah that was extremely stupid on their part. I took a management position and one of the things I always say is “some people don’t want to be managers and that’s fine. You need those people too”
Yeah, I think they just wanted to promote an unhealthy competitive environment, to get everyone to do their best or something. But that’s a sort of pressure that does the opposite of motivate a lot of people.
