Devora Zack

There’s another reason promotion to manager—or to a more senior level of management—is tough. It’s because change of any kind is difficult. Even so-called positive change. Presumably we are supposed to be happy about “good” change. So we feel guilty, on top of everything else, for having a negative reaction to positive change.

Change, by definition, means a departure from the status quo. Positive change—a promotion, a partnership, a bigger sales territory, a new home—still signifies a loss, letting go of the familiar. What we know and are comfortable with is gone. A wise entrepreneur I know describes times of successful transition as “being positively challenged.”

So cut yourself some slack. Part of the reason you miss your “real” (aka previous) job is because it was what you knew. Now you’re playing by new rules, with new expectations and new demands. Easier on paper than in practice. It’s okay, though. Believe it or not, you’ll get the hang of it.

Remembering that you are, first and foremost, yourself is the first step toward being a successful (T!), happy (F!) manager.

The only way you can aspire to managerial
greatness is by channeling yourself.

As a senior executive in the tech industry wisely advised, “Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Managers come in all shapes and sizes, and the more you stay true to who you are, the harder people will work for you.”

Here’s the corollary to being yourself. Ready for this heady piece of reality?

You are not anyone else.

Your sole areas of direct responsibility are
your thoughts, your words, and your actions.

Managing is the high-wire act of balancing
useful guidance and getting out of the way.

Nearly always, when we attribute a belief or opinion
to someone else it means we have it ourselves.

On a more accessible level, identifying a unique purpose and contribution on the job can give you and those around you, the lift you need to thrive. The greater your responsibility (as you ascend the management ranks), the greater your potential for meaning.

There is a correlation between excelling and investing one’s work with meaning. Those who go above and beyond in their work also report the highest levels of workplace satisfaction. The more energy invested, the greater the exhilaration of putting skills to maximum use.

Becoming a general counsel, partner, C-suite resident, or achieving some other form of “success” means you have achieved technical success in your field. It does not necessarily correlate with being a talented, knowledgeable, or inspirational leader. Being a lifelong learner is a practical way to combat the perception that you are an imposter. Not to mention improving your management skills. There, I mentioned it.

People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.

There is no mystery about successful business…
Exclusive attention to the person who is speaking to you.
—Charles Eliot