What I learned about Management and Leadership This Week – March 28th

I am coaching a senior manager in a municipal environment.  He has been with the organization for many years and in his current position for 14 years.  He is talented – he knows everything about his industry.  His peers from other organizations call him for advice and direction; the Human Resources department relies on him for in-depth, background knowledge during contract negotiations; his direct reports always get the answer they need when they bring a problem.

He just resigned his position and he is going back to front-line delivery of service, either directly or through some form of teaching.  I was dumbfounded when I heard and I asked him why.

In a nutshell, this is what he said:

“Michael, I hate managing.  I hate having the phone beside my bed every night.  I hate having to do budgets, performance evaluations, and reports to Council.  I got into managing when I was in my 20’s and continued to move up the ladder.  Every step I took got me farther and farther from what I enjoy the most, which is front-line service delivery.  I’ve got 10 years left before retirement and I am not going to spend that time doing something I hate.”

I learned that management isn’t for everyone, no matter how talented the person may be.  There has to be a fit and a desire or it won’t work.  More than that, I learned that hating what you do isn’t something that you can cover over with an excellent salary, benefits and pension package.  In the end, its better to walk away.