This question was on the mind of another graduate student who recently attended a panel on non-academic careers at a major physics conference. I found it telling that, in a room packed with hundreds of students, this was the second or third topic raised by an audience member. Before addressing how to become a manager, I think it’s wise to look at why you might want to take that path and what managers actually do.
Why do you want to become a manager? There are many reasons to do so. Here are a few of them I’ve seen, in no particular order: ambition, money, status, a feeling of importance, aptitude, a desire to help others, and because they were asked. Note that I am talking about the real reasons here, not the ones that people might articulate if you ask them. Roughly, they bin into two categories: self-oriented or group-oriented. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with ambition or seeking higher levels of status or pay. However, taking on a management role is just one of many ways to pursue those desires. If these self-oriented reasons are your main motivations for seeking a managerial job, you might be setting yourself up for trouble. In my career, I have seen at least three or four completely competent scientists and engineers eventually get themselves fired because they took management jobs for which they had no aptitude, and their pride would not allow them to return to an individual contributor role when the problems become obvious. Conversely, those who come to managerial roles with a talent for the job and an artisan-like desire to do it well, for the interests of both their organization and themselves, tend to flourish.
What a manager does for a living is different from the day-to-day activities of an individual contributor. The magnitude of the difference depends on the level of the managerial role. However, the core shift is the same: Managers are responsible – either directly or indirectly – for the performance and achievement of other people. That’s a very different situation from being responsible for only your own contributions, which is the scenario to which most people are accustomed. I have previously described the change in terms of reweighting the five roles that physicists (as well as most other highly educated professionals) play, from technical knowledge and creativity towards knowing and working with people. A manager is expected to develop her people, motivate them, and facilitate communication between the members of the organization. She also sets the goals for her group or division, organizes work so that her people can individually and collectively succeed, and measures results and outcomes. Finally, a manager is frequently responsible for bringing resources (both human and financial) into his group and directing their use. Getting people what they need to do their jobs is often satisfying but the responsible supervision of resources also frequently means telling people “no” and occasionally terminating their employment. As a rule, people like being the manager a lot more than they like doing the job, especially the hard parts. It’s very common for a technical professional to take on a promotion to a managerial role for the prestige and increased pay and then go right on acting like an individual contributor. Whether or not this is tolerated depends on the organization. However, it invariably leads to the manager and/or his subordinates being unhappy and disgruntled.
If you are comfortable with taking on the tasks that managers do and are satisfied that your “why” is aligned with future success, then the “how” of becoming a manager is relatively straightforward. First, study the organization of which you are a part. Is it large or small? Is it growing, static, or contracting? Who were the most recent people promoted into management? How formal was the process that led to their promotion? How long has your supervisor been in management? How did he or she get there, and what is your relationship like with him or her? The answers to these questions will determine the best way to approach the problem of moving into management. This approach may vary significantly depending on the situation in which you find yourself. A large, static, and traditional organization that emphasizes seniority may require a strategy heavily focused on simply waiting your turn, possibly for many years. At the opposite extreme, a small, growing, startup-style company will likely emphasize aptitude and offer near-term opportunities to step up. In any situation, however, there are some commonalities in terms of how you can pave the way to a management position:
- Lead by influence before (and after) you have authority – Often, I have run into people who think they deserve a promotion to management solely because of their technical skills and experience. They expect people to start following their lead after they receive new, official authority. Unfortunately, this view gets things almost completely backward. The most attractive candidates for promotion are the men or women whom people want to follow because they help the group succeed, regardless of formal position. Similarly, anyone who relies exclusively on external authority (or, for that matter, any other means of compulsion) to get people to follow them is unlikely to succeed in the long term.
- Do the job before you get the job – Nobody wants to take a chance on a new manager if they can help it. The stakes are high and the wrong choice can lead to myriad problems. People who have already shown some aptitude for a managerial job are always preferred picks. Taking on and leading projects is a classic way to “do the job before you get the job.” It is virtually guaranteed that your manager has things that he or she wants to accomplish but has no time for. Listen for these things and offer to take them off your boss’s plate. Start small and build to bigger things. Perhaps someone needs to poll your teammates, conduct research to evaluate which software tools your group should standardize on, and build a consensus throughout the group. The banality of opportunities like this belies their value.
- Take the initiative without usurping authority – It is always good to show initiative as a means of demonstrating your managerial talents before you secure a management position. However, you will need to calibrate your initiative so that it is perceived as helpfulness and not overreach. The line between the two can be subtle and is highly dependent on the personalities of your boss and the other members of your group. This is another factor that argues for starting small and carefully watching people’s reactions.
- Make your intent clear when appropriate – Clearly, most people aren’t fond of someone who goes around constantly talking about how they want to be the boss, should be the boss, could do a better job, etc. On the other hand, false modesty does you no favors. Say “yes” If your manager or another member of the leadership asks if you are interested in taking on a formal managerial role. Chances are, they will ask if you are doing the things I mentioned above, and they will start to “see” you in a leadership position. Also, make sure your desire to move up is recorded in your performance reviews.
Finally, you can consider exterior maneuvers if the path toward a management position in your employer’s organization looks bleak. Opportunities abound to take on volunteer leadership roles in your favorite professional organization, charity, or church. Often, these organizations are willing to take on the eager but inexperienced. Building up some management experience on the outside by organizing a non-profit event, for example, can be leveraged on the inside to show your managerial potential. If your employer remains uninterested in your ambitions, then outside management experience is a great resume builder for your first management-level job search.