Not suited to management?
Discussion
I work in Credit Risk and have followed the traditional route of analyst to senior analyst to manager. I've been a manager for just over a year now but I'm really not enjoying the role. Partly I am getting a bit bored with the area I work in - I've been in the same area of risk since graduating 7 years ago, albeit I've worked for 3 banks in that time.
I don't particularly enjoy management - I spend much less time doing the stuff I enjoy (building models, coding and data analysis) and spend most of my time doing stuff I don't enjoy (meetings, planning, managing my team). Having said that I do work hard and actually put across a positive attitude at work, both with my team and my manager.
Has anyone been in a similar position and what did you do? I am considering the following options but each has its pros and cons:
- sideways management move into another team in the Bank
- leave the bank and go contracting in the same area of risk
- leave the bank and move into a new area of risk
- do something totally different
On the latter, the part of the job I really enjoy is analytics (insight) and data visualisation. I really take pride in presenting my work and for me that's the part I enjoy - thinking about the best ways to convey results in graphical form. I know that data visualisation is growing (alongside 'big' data) and I'd be really interested in exploring opportunities in this area.
I don't particularly enjoy management - I spend much less time doing the stuff I enjoy (building models, coding and data analysis) and spend most of my time doing stuff I don't enjoy (meetings, planning, managing my team). Having said that I do work hard and actually put across a positive attitude at work, both with my team and my manager.
Has anyone been in a similar position and what did you do? I am considering the following options but each has its pros and cons:
- sideways management move into another team in the Bank
- leave the bank and go contracting in the same area of risk
- leave the bank and move into a new area of risk
- do something totally different
On the latter, the part of the job I really enjoy is analytics (insight) and data visualisation. I really take pride in presenting my work and for me that's the part I enjoy - thinking about the best ways to convey results in graphical form. I know that data visualisation is growing (alongside 'big' data) and I'd be really interested in exploring opportunities in this area.
Do you need to follow the career path to manager, aren't there any specialisms where people management isn't a pre-requisite? Does Credit Risk not have a lead analyst role in their career path that doesn't involve people? Not being harsh, but some people (like me for example) are better suited to task and project management than day to day people management. Personally I can think of nothing worse than running a team; it really doesn't play to my natural strengths.
I went from help desk to loans processing to loan servicing analyst, loans SME then Business Analyst, and am now a lead BA. At no point have I ever had to manage anyone other than on short term hires for projects, I still get to keep my hand in on the system I started out on and like you enjoy playing with data and coding.
Going back to your original question, I was at a point a few years back where I had the choice to stick where I was doing what I wanted, or to go for a promotion involving people management. I took the former, and in turn built my skills enough to get offered a promotion in change management which set me on my current career path and was without a doubt the far better option. My former colleagues who took the promotions that time around are all without fail in the same jobs, and I've already moved up again into my current role. I would definitely recommend tactical sideways moves because the chances for immediate upwards progression become more limited the further up you go, and it always puts you in a good stead to have a wide breadth of experience if you're applying for a promotion.
Re the point on contracting - it's always tempting, but we're certainly finding that we have too many contractors and the risk of them departing and the subsequent loss of knowledge is meaning that permanent roles are now being offered instead of fixed-term contracts.
Which bank are you with?
I went from help desk to loans processing to loan servicing analyst, loans SME then Business Analyst, and am now a lead BA. At no point have I ever had to manage anyone other than on short term hires for projects, I still get to keep my hand in on the system I started out on and like you enjoy playing with data and coding.
Going back to your original question, I was at a point a few years back where I had the choice to stick where I was doing what I wanted, or to go for a promotion involving people management. I took the former, and in turn built my skills enough to get offered a promotion in change management which set me on my current career path and was without a doubt the far better option. My former colleagues who took the promotions that time around are all without fail in the same jobs, and I've already moved up again into my current role. I would definitely recommend tactical sideways moves because the chances for immediate upwards progression become more limited the further up you go, and it always puts you in a good stead to have a wide breadth of experience if you're applying for a promotion.
Re the point on contracting - it's always tempting, but we're certainly finding that we have too many contractors and the risk of them departing and the subsequent loss of knowledge is meaning that permanent roles are now being offered instead of fixed-term contracts.
Which bank are you with?
This is always a tricky one. It sounds as though you have decided management is just not for you. It might be worth discussing with your direct manager about how you feel about the situation.
I am/ was a project engineer and have been engineering manager for about ten years now. Engineers do not naturally make good managers and I include myself in that. Over the years I have felt it was not for me, but with some useful training (having discussed with my manager) and a bit more experience I am finally beginning to enjoy the role. I almost treat the management of people like a complex engineering problem to get the best from my direct reports. I do still get involved with some day-to-day issues which appeals to my old engineering role - but I am more coaching the engineers which can be rewarding.
Not sure if this helps or not?
Mike
I am/ was a project engineer and have been engineering manager for about ten years now. Engineers do not naturally make good managers and I include myself in that. Over the years I have felt it was not for me, but with some useful training (having discussed with my manager) and a bit more experience I am finally beginning to enjoy the role. I almost treat the management of people like a complex engineering problem to get the best from my direct reports. I do still get involved with some day-to-day issues which appeals to my old engineering role - but I am more coaching the engineers which can be rewarding.
Not sure if this helps or not?
Mike
Being privileged to lead others comes with responsibilities. To discharge those responsibilities effectively, you must be totally committed to your staff; anything less will produce inefficiencies. You have to both like people and responsibility; if that's not the case, then it would be wise to move on. Good luck!
Thanks for the comments guys.
AlasdairMc - I work for one of the big UK high street banks but I'd rather not say who. As regards senior technical roles, yes they do exist in the Risk division but there aren't many that are purely technical - most will have line management responsibility. I take your point about sideways moves, and I am considering that, but this is purely to get experience in another area (for my sanity) rather than having future promotion in mind.
mike9009 - I have improved since starting the role, and don't doubt that I'll only improve, particularly with some training. Perhaps with more experience I will start enjoying management more, but I suspect that its just not for me. Prior to employment I did a research PhD, which was very much working on my own rather than collaborating, and I prefer this way of working if I'm honest.
rog007 - despite my lack of (inner) enthusiasm I do actually expend a lot of effort at work in running a successful and engaged team. But I agree that should my efforts be below par then it is unfair on my team.
Lots of careful thought needed for my next steps.
AlasdairMc - I work for one of the big UK high street banks but I'd rather not say who. As regards senior technical roles, yes they do exist in the Risk division but there aren't many that are purely technical - most will have line management responsibility. I take your point about sideways moves, and I am considering that, but this is purely to get experience in another area (for my sanity) rather than having future promotion in mind.
mike9009 - I have improved since starting the role, and don't doubt that I'll only improve, particularly with some training. Perhaps with more experience I will start enjoying management more, but I suspect that its just not for me. Prior to employment I did a research PhD, which was very much working on my own rather than collaborating, and I prefer this way of working if I'm honest.
rog007 - despite my lack of (inner) enthusiasm I do actually expend a lot of effort at work in running a successful and engaged team. But I agree that should my efforts be below par then it is unfair on my team.
Lots of careful thought needed for my next steps.
It is difficult in a lot of roles. As a software company we are perhaps unusual in that we encourage our good techies to stay in technical roles, we pay them to stay doing it and not to think they have to be managers, not least because they are generally poor at that anyway. So we often have people earning more than the people they report to, which a lot of people struggle to get their heads round.
But I guess that is unusual, too often progressing is about moving from what you are good at and enjoy to something you aren't so good and and hate.
But I guess that is unusual, too often progressing is about moving from what you are good at and enjoy to something you aren't so good and and hate.
nammynake said:
I work in Credit Risk and have followed the traditional route of analyst to senior analyst to manager. I've been a manager for just over a year now but I'm really not enjoying the role. Partly I am getting a bit bored with the area I work in - I've been in the same area of risk since graduating 7 years ago, albeit I've worked for 3 banks in that time.
I don't particularly enjoy management - I spend much less time doing the stuff I enjoy (building models, coding and data analysis) and spend most of my time doing stuff I don't enjoy (meetings, planning, managing my team). Having said that I do work hard and actually put across a positive attitude at work, both with my team and my manager.
Has anyone been in a similar position and what did you do? I am considering the following options but each has its pros and cons:
- sideways management move into another team in the Bank
- leave the bank and go contracting in the same area of risk
- leave the bank and move into a new area of risk
- do something totally different
On the latter, the part of the job I really enjoy is analytics (insight) and data visualisation. I really take pride in presenting my work and for me that's the part I enjoy - thinking about the best ways to convey results in graphical form. I know that data visualisation is growing (alongside 'big' data) and I'd be really interested in exploring opportunities in this area.
If you like building financial/cost models and have a good working knowledge of Excel I might have just the thing for you. Contract work, you'll need to be security cleared or have no potential barriers to getting clearance.I don't particularly enjoy management - I spend much less time doing the stuff I enjoy (building models, coding and data analysis) and spend most of my time doing stuff I don't enjoy (meetings, planning, managing my team). Having said that I do work hard and actually put across a positive attitude at work, both with my team and my manager.
Has anyone been in a similar position and what did you do? I am considering the following options but each has its pros and cons:
- sideways management move into another team in the Bank
- leave the bank and go contracting in the same area of risk
- leave the bank and move into a new area of risk
- do something totally different
On the latter, the part of the job I really enjoy is analytics (insight) and data visualisation. I really take pride in presenting my work and for me that's the part I enjoy - thinking about the best ways to convey results in graphical form. I know that data visualisation is growing (alongside 'big' data) and I'd be really interested in exploring opportunities in this area.
Get in touch by email/PM if you're interested.
texasjohn said:
If you like building financial/cost models and have a good working knowledge of Excel I might have just the thing for you. Contract work, you'll need to be security cleared or have no potential barriers to getting clearance.
Get in touch by email/PM if you're interested.
PM sent. Thanks.Get in touch by email/PM if you're interested.
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