Around the time this was written I was being pushed into management by my company’s leadership. Like I do with most things I read voraciously about technical leadership positions - that’s how I found this blog post.
I was selected for a small, year-long leadership development program. I was told turning it down would be “career limiting.”
I went through it with an open mind and found it interesting and insightful but still wasn’t sure management was for me.
Sure enough not long after the leadership program ended, my direct manager took another role. Senior leadership made it very clear that I was expected to go for this role.
Even though I loved my team, I didn’t want it. In the middle of the round I did “just good enough.” To come in second place - that was by design.
Then I find out they wanted me back in again vs an external hire in another round with an even more senior engineering leadership panel. It was becoming painfully obvious they wanted me in this position.
So I did what was asked, put together a team plan, 30/60/90 - did a really good job on it. Then I went through the interview. In the interview they told me I killed it and it was my turn to ask questions- so I asked some very pointed questions about transitioning to management, mundane tasks, and more. They did not like my line of questioning.
I was told afterward that my line of questioning is what gave the role to the outside candidate - and here I am today in a better, more senior engineering role.
Around the time this was written I was being pushed into management by my company’s leadership. Like I do with most things I read voraciously about technical leadership positions - that’s how I found this blog post.
I was selected for a small, year-long leadership development program. I was told turning it down would be “career limiting.”
I went through it with an open mind and found it interesting and insightful but still wasn’t sure management was for me.
Sure enough not long after the leadership program ended, my direct manager took another role. Senior leadership made it very clear that I was expected to go for this role.
Even though I loved my team, I didn’t want it. In the middle of the round I did “just good enough.” To come in second place - that was by design.
Then I find out they wanted me back in again vs an external hire in another round with an even more senior engineering leadership panel. It was becoming painfully obvious they wanted me in this position.
So I did what was asked, put together a team plan, 30/60/90 - did a really good job on it. Then I went through the interview. In the interview they told me I killed it and it was my turn to ask questions- so I asked some very pointed questions about transitioning to management, mundane tasks, and more. They did not like my line of questioning.
I was told afterward that my line of questioning is what gave the role to the outside candidate - and here I am today in a better, more senior engineering role.