What If You Don’t Want to Be a Manager?
There certainly are benefits to moving into management: compensation, authority, prestige, and the opportunity to have a major impact. Yet, management isn’t for everyone. In one study by a global staffing company, more than half the employees surveyed said they didn’t want to move into management roles. This is hardly surprising, given that management means responsibility for staff, nonstop decision making, and a mammoth workload.
And let’s not forget office politics, which suggests the seeking of an advantage at the expense of others and with potential negative impact. Of course, there’s also what the Mind Tools website calls good office politics, which includes networking and other activities that can help you fairly promote yourself and your cause. Whether for good or not-so-good, office politics is something technical personnel often prefer to avoid.
Still, many technical professionals wonder whether they’ll reach a dead end in terms of compensation and organizational clout if they don’t move into management. According to Eric Bloom of Manager Mechanics, very few individual contributors achieve salary and organizational parity with their management-oriented counterparts. He points out, however, that if you are an exceptional techie and your company appreciates you, it’s possible to have equal or greater compensation than a first-line supervisor or manager.
If you’re offered a management position and you’re certain it’s not for you, think about how you can gracefully turn down the position. The key is to be honest with the person who makes the offer. Explain how it doesn’t fit in with the career path you see for yourself. Point out (if it’s true) how much you enjoy your current position. Propose a different opportunity that may be more to your liking. You might also state that you don’t believe you’re the best person for the job. Of course, it’s the rare first-time manager who is truly ready for the position; on-the-job experience is the way most of us learned to manage.
In turning down a management position, choose your words carefully so you don’t lose your current job in the process. Take some time to consider the offer so you don’t react too hastily. If you remain convinced that it’s the wrong job for you, consider using the script suggested in this Forbes article: “The truth is that I would love to take the position, but the facts are that _________________.” If you suspect an offer might be forthcoming, think about what these facts are before you receive the offer.
Eric Bloom suggests several tactics that may help if you want to excel in your career but you prefer to remain a techie. Become a thought leader in your technical area. Become the company’s lead experience in the technical direction in which the company is moving. Become known as an industry leader in an industry-specific technology. Become a spokesperson for your company at industry conferences. Any of these tactics may help you maximize your compensation while avoiding the transition into management.
