Today I took my own advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since I was in my early twenties, I\u2019ve been in charge of someone at work. Over time, the staff grew and became more complex, requiring a management structure. Five people reporting to a manager can vary depending on who\u2019s in and what they do. Twenty-five direct reports are too many, so in-between managers create a management structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Promoting someone from \u201cpeer\u201d to management is fun and fraught. I told new \u201csupervisors\u201d that things don\u2019t appear different, but they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone knows you make more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will have to support, coach and ultimately judge your former peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You now have different responsibilities (and pressures) than they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s more like some people will be jealous. They may try to undermine you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passive-aggressive. Malicious obeyance. Some will do what you said, not what you need, even if they can tell the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The point is that things are different, and you might as well embrace it. Go back to your office\/cubicle\/space and rearrange the furniture. The context, the physical space, will communicate that things are different and that you not only embrace it but also make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Works every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In less than two weeks a contract that my company has had for more than 20 years will end. I am moving my life in a different direction. It doesn\u2019t include big contracts. I like to think of the remaining work as \u201cbeer money.\u201d Otherwise what was my work time will be filled with writing about whatever I want, studying what I want, and reading whatever I want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, I rearranged the furniture in my home office\u2014furniture installed more than 20 years ago. It was pretty good advice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today I took my own advice. Since I was in my early twenties, I\u2019ve been in charge of someone at work. Over time, the staff grew and became more complex, requiring a management structure. Five people reporting to a manager can vary depending on who\u2019s in and what they do. Twenty-five direct reports are too […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n