Be a People Manager
It Is the Only Way to Succeed
Note: I’m taking some time off this week. But wanted to share a post from the past that provides value. Many of you have probably never seen this post, so it is a great reminder. I’ll be back next week!
Management is a profession. Full stop. However, it doesn't get the attention and respect that other professions do (outside of lawyers and politicians - even managers are more liked than those jobs).
There are a lot of reasons why. One of the first ones is how we refer to managers. If you ask a manager what they do, they will say "I'm an accounting manager" or "I'm an IT manager". The implication is that the department is more important than the fact that you lead people. When someone hears "I'm an IT manager" they think of the person as in a technical field. They don't think of them as a leader of people.
I propose that we change every manager's title to "People Manager". The importance is on the right part - people - and it still focuses on the leader. I'd even be OK with "People Manager of an IT team". But we all look for fewer words, so it would be shortened to People Manager soon enough.
It is a critical distinction. You manage people. You don't manage IT. You don't manage Accounting. you don't manage HR. You manage people.
In fact, when you get promoted to manager, you haven’t simply taken on a new role. You’ve entered an entirely new profession. Think of it this way: If you move from Normal, IL to Chicago, you may still be in Illinois, but Chicago is an entirely different world.
Until we start to accept that fact widely, management will struggle to be seen as a useful and honorable profession.