3 Things I learned from my Career Crisis - IC to Manager

I didn't lose my job but it felt like a career crisis.

You know the type. You feel stuck and don't know which path to choose. There's hype in the industry and you're questioning whether you should follow everyone else or follow the voice inside. You're afraid of making a decision that you can't reverse.

For me, it was the IC-to-Manager transition (IC = individual contributor).

As of today, I've done the IC-to-Manager transition 3 times.

I got it right only once.

The Shadow Manager

The first time I became a manager, I was simply trying it out.

I didn't expect much from the experience.

The second time I was a Shadow Manager.

A Shadow Manager is someone who has the manager title but operates like an individual contributor.

I was an Analytics Manager in title, but a Shadow Manager in reality.

I didn't operate like a leader. I hoarded my own projects, didn't set standards for the team, and put my personal success above the team's success. It felt good to have the Manager title and the benefits that come with it, but I didn't change my behavior after the promotion.

As a result, my team got decentralized and I returned to being an IC.

From Manager back to IC

I didn't know what I wanted and wasn't willing to become a good manager, so I became an IC again as a Data Analyst.

I got a pay bump but didn't find the fulfillment.

I was caught up in the Data Science and Machine Learning hype and thought that the Data Scientist title would solve my problems. I was convinced that I needed to work on interesting projects that forced me to advance my technical skills.

The more I chased what the industry wanted, the more frustrated I became.

By 2022, my team and company were growing and I wasn't striving for a Manager promotion.

I was just trying to help the team succeed.

Then my manager asked me a question:

"Do you want to lead and manage the Analytics team?"

IC-to-Manager again, with new clarity

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a manager again.

I was jaded by my previous experience and enjoyed the technical work, but something was becoming clear to me.

At many points in my career (and life), I naturally gravitated to leadership positions. Even when I didn't actively pursue them, I ended up being a go-to person, a mentor, a coach...a leader. It happened naturally, without much effort.

What did it mean that leadership came naturally to me?

I decided to become the manager of this new team, but this time, with different objectives.

Principles to become a humble manager

I decided to take the management path seriously and adopt these principles:

1. Treat leadership as a defined skill set
2. Lead at every opportunity
3. Put the team's success first
4. Leverage my innate strengths

Years into the new management/leadership path, I now have Career Contentment.

The Point of Contentment

I've reached a point of contentment in my career (for now).

I have:

• A path aligned with my strengths
• A skill set that gives me optionality
• Autonomy to build more job security

I'm not striving for the next thing because I'm utilizing my innate strengths that have value in the job market. I'm focused on becoming the best manager I can without worrying about the next promotion.

This is all great for me, but how does it help you?

How to find your path

You will only find your path by asking good questions.

Answer these honestly:

• What are your innate strengths? How can you make sure your path is aligned with those strengths?
• Do you want to maximize for money or for optionality or something else?
• How much salary is enough, really?
• The path that you're currently on, does it enlarge you or diminish you?

Big questions require big answers.

But it's the best way to find your path.