By: Dawn Miller
I committed to myself many times over that I would never hold the position I hold now. A couple years ago, I crossed over to "the dark side", entering a management position and leaving the technical world.
I enjoyed my role as an individual contributor and ability to lead from the bottom. The financials, supplier headaches, schedules and other seemingly tedious tasks had no real draw, nor did I understand their importance to the success of our business.
I do understand these now; my passion for them hasn't grown, but my willingness to learn new things and to elevate myself to better assist my teammates reach their individual potential and the team's potential has made these moves worthwhile. Seeing their success means more than some of the mundane work that comes with a management position. With each step, I swear its the last, yet the ladder hasn't seemed to stop yet. In chatting with my mentor about this feeling, he succinctly summarized how I feel - one day I woke up, looked in the mirror and thought "How did I become *that* guy?". I don't know where I'll end up, but I know I'll love the journey and will strive to continue to make my workplace better for my colleagues. *That* guy, I don't mind being that one.
I committed to myself many times over that I would never hold the position I hold now. A couple years ago, I crossed over to "the dark side", entering a management position and leaving the technical world.
I enjoyed my role as an individual contributor and ability to lead from the bottom. The financials, supplier headaches, schedules and other seemingly tedious tasks had no real draw, nor did I understand their importance to the success of our business.
I do understand these now; my passion for them hasn't grown, but my willingness to learn new things and to elevate myself to better assist my teammates reach their individual potential and the team's potential has made these moves worthwhile. Seeing their success means more than some of the mundane work that comes with a management position. With each step, I swear its the last, yet the ladder hasn't seemed to stop yet. In chatting with my mentor about this feeling, he succinctly summarized how I feel - one day I woke up, looked in the mirror and thought "How did I become *that* guy?". I don't know where I'll end up, but I know I'll love the journey and will strive to continue to make my workplace better for my colleagues. *That* guy, I don't mind being that one.
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