Someone asked me today “What do you aspire to be?” At an instant, I wanted to say director. Instead, I said strategist. Ambitious, I dream big since left university life. Took part time jobs, landed on unsought jobs and challenging hours, I was sick and tired of running around under others’ order. Often I wonder, how it’s like being a boss?
In the past, one would have thought being a boss provides privilege to give order out of respect earned. It’s like a king who rules a kingdom, except it is not a kingdom. Unlike the past, management practices today have evolved as organisations grow.
“Managerial problems and practices are rooted in time. They do not last throughout the life of an organization.” – Greiner (1998)
Management is a complex topic, let alone leadership. Management and leadership go hand in hand, despite some findings mentioned they can work one way or the other. I’ve been in various managerial positions for over 16 years, and still couldn’t see how a manager would succeed without leadership qualities. This is especially relevant to Phase 2 and 3 of Five Phases of Growth ; direction and delegation would only work when stakeholders respect and collaborate commands from managers.
In the past, I would be fired if I pissed off my boss. As an employee, I would watch out for my behaviour, attitude, and my deliverables’ quality. The fear of being side-lined from career growth made me want to excel even more. Gosh, who gave such power to my direct manager that he pretty much decides my career destiny? There was no nurturing interpersonal skills from his end, just the vibe of “be on time and get your shit done” every single day. That power vibe fuelled my ambition.
Today, being a manager with direct reports requires a whole lot of interpersonal skills to work on. Winning commitments from employees is not an ABC job. Human motivation is a pain in the as(*). You would be wrong to think that money is the heart to everything. You can escalate monetary reward every single year, big or small. Give it 3 months of cheers and still ain’t enough.
Standard of living has changed. People used to beg for a job (any job). Today, people demand and pick their job even without first looking at themselves in the mirror. Simply because, they can afford to survive without one. I often question, why should I motivate an employee to wake up in the morning and work? Sounds like a parenting job to me, except he or she is not my child. Actually, it’s even worse than parenting because my daughter pretty much wakes up at 6.30am everyday to get on with her day (without being told).
Motivating a child is easy. Motivating an adult is like trying to bend an old bamboo. Being a manager, managing a project is easy. It consumes mental energy when it comes to managing a human. It’s like getting into the mind of another person and analysing what he or she wants. Eventually, there is only so much you can do for employees who at least have an interest to save themselves or trying to grow. Unfortunately, there is no elixir to laziness.
“You are responsible to yourself, to love yourself, to care for yourself, and to help yourself.”
― Akiroq Brost
Organisations can offer perks and flexibility to its employees. With management evolution and revolution, self-principles are here to stay. Sometimes, the only solution to disillusioned employees is themselves. I took years of managerial experiences to arrive at this point. Bosses today ain’t like the past. There is a lot to deal with: manage up and down on top of managing themselves.
Come to think of it. I do want to be a director someday. Then I think this could be just a mean to an end. Tomorrow I may want something else. At the end, my ambition is to do what I enjoy doing, a strategist. Someone who develops and presents strategic direction to organisation. It would be a bonus if it comes with a CEO title. Perhaps, being my own boss.
