Career Development - OK on Friday

What to do when you are promoted to the leader of your team?

Q&A: “I was promoted to manager. How should I build relationships and solve problems with the team, considering we just recently were on the same level?”

“Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.” (Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie)

My usual approach to this is that “manager” is first and foremost a role. This role, like other roles, incorporates responsibilities and certain attributes. It also has its pros and cons. Not everyone wants to be a manager. Not everyone can or should be a manager. The level in the hierarchy, unlike the role, is practically not as important in communication and problem solving. It just provides you with some tools, which is a different topic. However, when you are promoted to a manager role, you will need to adjust your communication and approach, but not quite in the way you might think.

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2 things that will make you a better listener

Become a better listener by active listening during one-on-one meeting

Today I came across an article on how to become a better listener. The author says that in any conversation, in addition to being able to hear what the opponent is saying, we also need to convey interest and involvement. The article covers some tips on how to convey that interest, including repeating what the person said, nodding, etc. And while all of these things can be in the conversation, just trying to do it on purpose feels fake to me.

But nodding really works, you might say. Yes, if it’s real or looks real, otherwise it might convey something else, like an attempt at manipulation or that you’re pretending to be an active listener but thinking of something else. It doesn’t help the conversation.

I have a better idea, which is also much simpler, because you don’t have to remember all the “tactics” of an active listener, but instead just be. It works for me most of the time.

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Q&A: I want to be a PM, should I?

Question: “I want to be a PM, should I?” or other variations of this question, like “Should an engineer move to the role of a project manager?”, “I’m in my late 30-s and I want a career change, is it too late to become a PM?”

Q&A is a section where I answer frequently asked questions about project management, work relationships, business development, career management, team management, and other topics. In most cases, these are questions that I usually receive on a daily basis.

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If you are asking this question, it means at least the following:

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