Myths and Reality about being a manager

Myth #1:  Manager makes more money than individual contributors

♦ Reality: Most of you think that, right? But it actually depends. And also do not forget the real hours they have to work. With different kinds of jobs such as sales, artists, athletes, etc, an outstanding individual contributor at least could earn equal to a manager. Management now is only seen as a job which needs some specific skills and not necessary have to be the best one.

Myth #2: Manager is an employee who has the best performance.

♦ Reality: As an illustration, the best athletes don’t make the best coaches. If you promote a staff because of his good results, maybe you’re making a bad decision. Leading a group of people needs much more than specialized knowledge. You will meet a lot of obstacles and challenges which cannot overcome without management skills and ability to make decision under the high pressure.

Myth #3: Manager doesn’t do anything and have a lot of free time.

♦ Reality: You might see them walking around and talking with some people and straightly think they are the idler. The true is they have to work more than anyone, just in different tasks and different ways. They do not directly make a specific  product or service, but they need to manage people who do it, their performance and motivation. If you are a new manager or have intention of being a manager with this thought in your mind, you better off discarding it or you’ll be fired soon.

Myth #4: Manager knows how to do all the jobs they are managing.

♦ Reality: How possible a person can know it all? It could be true for some jobs such as line manager. In the vast majority of cases, however, there's little correlation and it decreases further the higher you go up the management chain.

Myth #5: It is tough to get manager position, but easy to do.

♦ Reality: The reality is actually opposite. If people see your potential, they may promote you for the manager position. But at least to stay in that chair or moreover - move on the next stage – requires confronting more tough challenges than you have ever imagined.

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These misunderstanding of people about being a manager will lead to the negative results for the relationship between employer and employee. It also defaults as the formula for a manager, which doesn’t exist at all. If you wish to be a great manager, stop looking for that formula and you first become a clever one.