Posts filed under 'Career'
Over the holiday weekend, I finished reading The Truth about Middle Managers by Mr. Paul Osterman. I will share some of the ideas presented in the book, in direct quote or paraphrasing. I also included some of my own thoughts.
Overall, I was glad that someone wrote a book on this topic. I had often wondered just how relevant the middle management work is to today’s “flat” organizations. To my surprise, the middle management profession is still very much alive; however, the old advancement rules no longer apply. Companies are also less accommodating when it comes to nurturing and managing one’s career. In any case, feel free to derive your own conclusion on the middle management work. If you happen to pick up the book later, enjoy the reading. I did.
By the Numbers
- The number of managers in the economy is steadily increasing, not decreasing.
- The numbers do not tell how life inside organizations has changed for managers.
The Changing Role
- In today’s team and matrix environment, two major job activities emerge:
- Managing internal processes of the team. Trying to place the best people on the team. Setting priorities, etc.
- Acting as an ambassador to other teams. Managing boundary between teams, both an opportunity and challenge. Opportunity because of the visibility presented in the work. Challenge due to the significant and subtle relationship skills are required to be successful boundary work.
- Stress is up because the environment we manage is much more complex, which leads to increased hours and uncertainty that managers face regarding their own fate.
- Autonomy vs. Breadth: Because firms have reduced organization layers and with diffusion of IT, managers face more monitoring and control, which means less autonomy. For the same reasons, jobs are broader and more complex, which means more breadth.
Personal thoughts: These points match up with my experience pretty well – a lot of coordination and path-paving work we do on the daily basis.
Changing Rules for Success
- Opportunities and rules for advancement have changed. Under the best circumstances, managerial assessment is a difficult business for two reasons.
- Managerial work is relatively invisible and hard to capture in clean measures.
- When performance metrics are used, they are unreliable.
Personal thoughts: I was hoping the book can shed some insights, unfortunately, not much help here. How to advance within the organization via the middle management route also depends a lot on the individual’s values and philosophies. It also depends on how one defines success and planning out the goals for achieving it.
Shifting Commitments
- Managers maybe under increased pressure and may feel greater stress, they have strong commitment to the work itself. Middle managers are committed to their tasks, to their immediate jobs, and to their close colleagues.
- Many managers have lost their commitment to the firm as an enterprise and they are suspicious of the motivations and actions of top management.
Personal thoughts: These points also match up my sentiment pretty well. Everyone’s mileage will differ obviously. At the end of day, it would still appear that the people I work for and with have a sizeable influence on how I feel about my work. I continue to like what I do and will do my best especially for the people I care about. That is my own definition of commitment and loyalty.
July 7th, 2009
The 2008 podcast awards were announced, and several of my favorite shows were showcased on the list. My favorite one, Manager Tools, won both the individual category and the overall awards. Congratulations to Mark, Mike, and the folks at Manager Tools. Just as importantly, the Todd and the folks at Podcast Connect rock for bringing and building awareness for a number of worth-a-while podcasts out there.
Podcast Awards Link
December 8th, 2008
Liz Ryan writes articles for her column “The Savvy Networker” on Yahoo! Hotjobs as well as “The Workplace” column on Business Week Online. I recently got around and read all of her articles on Yahoo! Her articles are easy to read and packed with useful insights and advices on the proper etiquettes of business networking. I highly recommend them. Here are some take-aways for me:
- Build relationship and trust through human connections
- Focus on quality of the connections, quantity is secondary
- Be yourself but avoid being WRAM (World Revolves Around Me)
In addition to the Hotjobs articles, you can find more of her work at www.asklizryan.com. If you use LinkedIn like many of us do, check out some of her advices on practicing online networking effectively.
The bottom line is… the more people who know you well enough and can vouch for you with credibility, the better position you will be in for any kind of career movement. Most of us, yours truly included, are lazy when it comes to networking and would rather do nothing than connecting with old acquaints. All is not lost, you now have excellent tools like LinkedIn and Plaxo to help you to reconnect and stay in touch.
November 2nd, 2008
I pull a list like this together from time to time in order to remind me of the resources I have used and others might find helpful. With web 2.0 technologies, there are a number of excellent options out there. To take advantage of them, you will need the following in addition to a computer with a browser:
- iTunes: Apple has made listening and sharing audio properties ubiquitous, and there are some great podcasts out there. To take advantage of the free podcasts out there, you just need iTunes. You do not need an iPod unless you plan to take the podcasts with you on the road.
- RSS Reader: There are a number of great resources out there that come in the form of blog. RSS readers are pretty prevalent these days, and you can use the one that comes with IE, Firefox, or via Google. Personally, I prefer thick client and use NewsGator; however, I have used Google Reader and think it is great.
Here are the resources I have found helpful and review them regularly, at least once a week.
- Career Opportunities (http://welchwrite.com/career/): Great podcasts with transcripts posted via RSS. Doug Welch has shared a number of career insights, and I have enjoyed listening to him every week.
- Manager Tools (http://www.manager-tools.com/): Unmatched podcasts on all aspects of career management. The podcast series, for the most part, targets towards managers or supervisors but they have a number of podcasts that are still useful even if you don’t supervise anyone. The podcasts are all about practicing the techniques of being a top notch professional, in any field. Registration is free and highly recommended since you will also get the extra monthly member-only podcasts.
- The Executive Update (http://blog.netshare.com/): A number of insightful blogs from Kathy Simmons of NETSHARE, Inc. The services of NETSHARE cost money but the blogs are free. The target audience is mainly the “executives,” and that is applicable to all of us. Each one of us is the CEO and chief executive of “Me, Inc.”
- Leading News (http://www.leadingnews.org/): This site has a solid monthly newsletter and TeleForum with Marshall Goldsmith frequently as a guest speaker in the TeleForum. Marshall Goldsmith also has his own blog (http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/blog), and I enjoy reading it every time there is a new posting. At the minimum, subscribe the newsletter and find time to attend the TeleForum everyone once a while.
- Job Boards (Yahoo! HotJobs and Monster): For decent career related articles and writing, I think HotJobs and Monster have a very good collection. Sign up for their career related newsletter and check worth-a-while article regularly.
Feel free to chat with me if you have any questions. All aforementioned people have donated their time and shared very valuable insights via the technologies. To me, they are all top notch professionals and a class act by any measure.
July 20th, 2008
The Manager Tools posted an excellent episode on what to do first for someone who is taking over a team. The situation is just as applicable for someone new to the managerial job as for veteran managers. Speaking from my own personal experience, I have witnessed a number of new leaders who came in with both guns blazing and alienating the members in the team over time. Sure, some of them achieved the short-term results they were asked to deliver, but their contributions were quickly forgotten or dismissed soon after they left the team. Perhaps that is fine for some people, but I prefer the approach presented by Manager Tools and John Lucht. One of the very first topics presented in John Lucht’s book, Insights for the Journey, discusses the exactly same “Fit-in” philosophy.
Manager Tools’ podcast: The First Rule for New Managers
John Lucht’s Insights for the Journey
March 24th, 2008
Don Tennant, the Editor in Chief for Computerworld, is a favorite technology journalist of mine. Don frequently writes about topics in technology profession, IT careers, and IT management ethics and trends. You may not always agree with him, but I have found most of his articles to be interesting and enlightening, especially on the topic of globalization.
You can find Don’s blog over here.
February 11th, 2008
Anne Fisher posted an article on recession-proof one’s job. The advices presented in the article are great for anyone to follow, in recession or not.
Ask Annie Article
February 3rd, 2008
Not to stereotype the technology folks, networking is probably one of the hardest things where we the IT professionals have to consistently push ourselves to do. I am no exception, but it does not need to be a chore. Liz Ryan of Yahoo! HotJobs has a great write-up on debunking the myths. Check it out.
Liz Ryan’s article on Yahoo! HotJobs
January 28th, 2008
I started listening to Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast since episode #1 in 2006. The podcasts are very informative, and I have always found useful information to act on from each episode. The most recent episode #77 was no exception. This episode featured Marshall Goldsmith, one of the most respected management thinkers in my book. In this episode, Marshall discussed why and how to influence upward. Listen to the podcast and judge for yourself.
So why sell your ideas? Because no one is obligated to buy, not usually anyway.
Link to HBR’s IdeaCast
Link to Dr. Goldsmith’s blog (so glad I found this)
January 21st, 2008
I like this book for several reasons. First, the prints are visually pleasing, for me at least, with large fonts and ample space. Second, Mr. Lucht’s writing style yields content that is easy to absorb. Third, and the most important of them all, John’s advices make sense and work, day after day.
Some people might read the book and go “So what, those are just common sense stuff.” Well, sure but try to do those things in the book consistently day in and day out. I guess practicing management is about doing the right things and being effective on a consistent basis. A great read for anyone who is in the management line of work or aspiring to get into one. I read the book from time to time and continue to get new “insights” every time.
Link to the book on Amazon
January 17th, 2008
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