I genuinely do not like being a manager.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to learn how to manage your managers. Sounds like you are doing good job managing down.

This. First line managing is HARD because you're being squished from both directions. You're doing great with your people, though. Being kind and understanding and valuing work accomplished and not hours of a green dot in Teams is being a good manager. But it sucks taking the bullets from above for the team. I agree that your next professional step is learning to manage up.

But one silver lining is that there is a cultural shift in the way people manage now. Slow as it might be to start, I think (hope) that in the future, more upper management will be like OP.

Op here. I don’t see what I’m doing as being kind and understanding, I just do not give a shit. We hire well trained and well educated mid-career professionals. I don’t care about how ‘the juice is squeezed’. Squeeze that mfr and if you need resources lmk and we can make it better.

OP I’m a manager too and I operate the same way. As long as the employees have the skills to get the job done and are good communicators, I don’t give a shit how you do it as long as it’s ethical to the company. When it comes to employees taking time off, I’m not one to make anyone have to show doctors notes or notes for their kids. I don’t give a crap. We all have things going on in their personal lives.

The thing I hate the most is upper management during review time when they make you have to find someone on your team who gets lower end of year reviews to meet a 10% department wide quota. HATE THAT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to learn how to manage your managers. Sounds like you are doing good job managing down.

This. First line managing is HARD because you're being squished from both directions. You're doing great with your people, though. Being kind and understanding and valuing work accomplished and not hours of a green dot in Teams is being a good manager. But it sucks taking the bullets from above for the team. I agree that your next professional step is learning to manage up.

But one silver lining is that there is a cultural shift in the way people manage now. Slow as it might be to start, I think (hope) that in the future, more upper management will be like OP.

Op here. I don’t see what I’m doing as being kind and understanding, I just do not give a shit. We hire well trained and well educated mid-career professionals. I don’t care about how ‘the juice is squeezed’. Squeeze that mfr and if you need resources lmk and we can make it better.

Actually, I think that's what makes a manager be able to successfully manage. I took a step back b/c a gave a shit too much about everything that was upsetting my employees and it eventually impacted my on health.

This is the tricky part. Care too much and you get bogged down. This is why I rarely discuss anything personal with people unless they raise it first. Some do, some don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a fed supervisor and it's not so bad. I don't care at all about my employees but I show empathy etc when needed and all I do is make sure the machine runs smoothly with little interruption. I have colleagues putting on weight and developing health issues by nitpicking employee work or going after middling performance causing them to fend off numerous grievances and EEO complaints. The way to get rid of your problem people is to foist them off on the overeager supervisors or send them off to dumping ground agencies like DHS. In sum, take care of yourself and then take care of your employees.

Being fed management is not real Management so your experience is not needed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a fed supervisor and it's not so bad. I don't care at all about my employees but I show empathy etc when needed and all I do is make sure the machine runs smoothly with little interruption. I have colleagues putting on weight and developing health issues by nitpicking employee work or going after middling performance causing them to fend off numerous grievances and EEO complaints. The way to get rid of your problem people is to foist them off on the overeager supervisors or send them off to dumping ground agencies like DHS. In sum, take care of yourself and then take care of your employees.

Someone be nasty. Glad I don't work with this mofo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha, I’m the opposite. I have a highly technical degree and thought I would hate being a manager but I loved it. But then I took a temporary IC role to build up skills in a certain area and I hate it. I’ve lost my edge/sharpness. I can’t wait to be a manager again because I like people and processes more than technical stuff now.

+1 exact same experiences here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to learn how to manage your managers. Sounds like you are doing good job managing down.

This. First line managing is HARD because you're being squished from both directions. You're doing great with your people, though. Being kind and understanding and valuing work accomplished and not hours of a green dot in Teams is being a good manager. But it sucks taking the bullets from above for the team. I agree that your next professional step is learning to manage up.

But one silver lining is that there is a cultural shift in the way people manage now. Slow as it might be to start, I think (hope) that in the future, more upper management will be like OP.

Op here. I don’t see what I’m doing as being kind and understanding, I just do not give a shit. We hire well trained and well educated mid-career professionals. I don’t care about how ‘the juice is squeezed’. Squeeze that mfr and if you need resources lmk and we can make it better.

OP you don't have to stay in a manager role if you don't like it BUT you sound like a great manager to me! This sounds perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a fed supervisor and it's not so bad. I don't care at all about my employees but I show empathy etc when needed and all I do is make sure the machine runs smoothly with little interruption. I have colleagues putting on weight and developing health issues by nitpicking employee work or going after middling performance causing them to fend off numerous grievances and EEO complaints. The way to get rid of your problem people is to foist them off on the overeager supervisors or send them off to dumping ground agencies like DHS. In sum, take care of yourself and then take care of your employees.

Being fed management is not real Management so your experience is not needed

NP. I'd state the opposite. Being a private sector manager is easy. Performance problems? Fire them! As a federal manager, you wouldn't believe the documentation that I have to do to place people on PIPs. And then I get EEOS filed against me when I'm going after performance. Tons and tons of rules regarding work hours, forced 30 minute lunch breaks and other things. Being a federal middle manager is the most thankless job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a fed supervisor and it's not so bad. I don't care at all about my employees but I show empathy etc when needed and all I do is make sure the machine runs smoothly with little interruption. I have colleagues putting on weight and developing health issues by nitpicking employee work or going after middling performance causing them to fend off numerous grievances and EEO complaints. The way to get rid of your problem people is to foist them off on the overeager supervisors or send them off to dumping ground agencies like DHS. In sum, take care of yourself and then take care of your employees.

Being fed management is not real Management so your experience is not needed

NP. I'd state the opposite. Being a private sector manager is easy. Performance problems? Fire them! As a federal manager, you wouldn't believe the documentation that I have to do to place people on PIPs. And then I get EEOS filed against me when I'm going after performance. Tons and tons of rules regarding work hours, forced 30 minute lunch breaks and other things. Being a federal middle manager is the most thankless job.

So quit. For sure, they will have a party after you are gone.