how to land first managerial role as an old IC (42 years old)

[Anonymous]

Your manager has concrete reasons for not wanting to promote you that has nothing to do with the reasons you’ve been told. Most people aren’t great at having difficult conversations, so it’s not surprising your manager hasn’t told you explicitly why they haven’t promoted you in the last five years of you saying you’re interested, and why you probably aren’t likely to become a manager in the organization. They can deeply value you as an individual contributor and also think you don’t have the skills to be a supervisor. Training or mentoring others isn’t the only skill needed to be a supervisor. And your interactions with the people below you aren’t the only ones that matter when it comes to supervision. I would assume that you aren’t that great with people.

If you really want to be a manager, you can certainly apply for managerial roles at other orgs. I wouldn’t tell them you’re leaving your job because you haven’t been promoted and you want to be a manager. It’s basically saying that the people/org who know me and my work don’t think I’d be a good manager and I can’t be promoted within my org. That line of conversation naturally lends itself to putting doubt in a hiring committees head that you aren’t suited for the role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi! I am 42 years old in big pharma. I have mentored many formally but my company is not giving me direct reports on the org chart. I am promoted and very well compensated (even compared to other peers who are having direct reports). I built out a project, and yet again, they are bringing in a younger person to manage the team and I will stay on as SME.

I have expressed my desire for a managerial role for almost 5 years now. I have changed managers in between that time and I am typically just laughed off.

I want to go into management to really build out a team and really grow the project. I think I will be more effective as a true line leader.

Is it a marketable proposition to approach other companies citing desire for supervisory experience as reason to leave?

Thanks!

42 is way to old. You were laughed off for a distinct reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your manager has concrete reasons for not wanting to promote you that has nothing to do with the reasons you’ve been told. Most people aren’t great at having difficult conversations, so it’s not surprising your manager hasn’t told you explicitly why they haven’t promoted you in the last five years of you saying you’re interested, and why you probably aren’t likely to become a manager in the organization. They can deeply value you as an individual contributor and also think you don’t have the skills to be a supervisor. Training or mentoring others isn’t the only skill needed to be a supervisor. And your interactions with the people below you aren’t the only ones that matter when it comes to supervision. I would assume that you aren’t that great with people.

If you really want to be a manager, you can certainly apply for managerial roles at other orgs. I wouldn’t tell them you’re leaving your job because you haven’t been promoted and you want to be a manager. It’s basically saying that the people/org who know me and my work don’t think I’d be a good manager and I can’t be promoted within my org. That line of conversation naturally lends itself to putting doubt in a hiring committees head that you aren’t suited for the role.

That may be true that the manager didn’t give the real reasons for not promoting because they don’t know how to or can’t give honest feedback. But this only says that the manager himself sucks and can’t manage. A person who has a desire to manage and been playing a mentoring role deserves a chance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - why do you want to be a manager? Is it desire for the title? more money? Love developing people? Want to do more administrative work and less "boots on the ground" work? What is driving you to want that path?
If its title, then getting a manager position is the only way to solve that. If its any of the other things, you should be able to work those tasks into your current role.
Have you been applying for manager roles within and outside your company?
Sometimes the best way to move into a new position is to move to another company.

It's not the title but the influence, the impact, the scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi! I am 42 years old in big pharma. I have mentored many formally but my company is not giving me direct reports on the org chart. I am promoted and very well compensated (even compared to other peers who are having direct reports). I built out a project, and yet again, they are bringing in a younger person to manage the team and I will stay on as SME.

I have expressed my desire for a managerial role for almost 5 years now. I have changed managers in between that time and I am typically just laughed off.

I want to go into management to really build out a team and really grow the project. I think I will be more effective as a true line leader.

Is it a marketable proposition to approach other companies citing desire for supervisory experience as reason to leave?

Thanks!

42 is way to old. You were laughed off for a distinct reason.

This is what Im trying to fight. i am promoted. i am looking more and more like a weirdo unicorn with a fancy title, fancy office and no team!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi! I am 42 years old in big pharma. I have mentored many formally but my company is not giving me direct reports on the org chart. I am promoted and very well compensated (even compared to other peers who are having direct reports). I built out a project, and yet again, they are bringing in a younger person to manage the team and I will stay on as SME.

I have expressed my desire for a managerial role for almost 5 years now. I have changed managers in between that time and I am typically just laughed off.

I want to go into management to really build out a team and really grow the project. I think I will be more effective as a true line leader.

Is it a marketable proposition to approach other companies citing desire for supervisory experience as reason to leave?

Thanks!

42 is way to old. You were laughed off for a distinct reason.

This is what Im trying to fight. i am promoted. i am looking more and more like a weirdo unicorn with a fancy title, fancy office and no team!

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

And

Don’t worry so much about what other people think. They’re mostly jerks, idiots, or both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi! I am 42 years old in big pharma. I have mentored many formally but my company is not giving me direct reports on the org chart. I am promoted and very well compensated (even compared to other peers who are having direct reports). I built out a project, and yet again, they are bringing in a younger person to manage the team and I will stay on as SME.

I have expressed my desire for a managerial role for almost 5 years now. I have changed managers in between that time and I am typically just laughed off.

I want to go into management to really build out a team and really grow the project. I think I will be more effective as a true line leader.

Is it a marketable proposition to approach other companies citing desire for supervisory experience as reason to leave?

Thanks!

42 is way to old. You were laughed off for a distinct reason.

This is what Im trying to fight. i am promoted. i am looking more and more like a weirdo unicorn with a fancy title, fancy office and no team!

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

And

Don’t worry so much about what other people think. They’re mostly jerks, idiots, or both.

It limits my options and I will hazard keeps me trapped in this company. An external company would expect direct suprvisory experience of many years for a lateral title