So You Are in Charge

Why Management? The big question I want to ask here is, ‘What made you want to become a manager or why do you want to become a manager?’ I can’t even estimate how many people I have interviewed for jobs in the nursing field. One question that I always asked was, ‘Tell me a little about WHY you got into the medical field.’ When you are caring for patients, the ‘why’ is very important. The same goes for management positions. Why you want a role in management is extremely important, not only to those that are hiring, but also to you. I have had scores of managers working for me over the years; some are still in their management roles; some are out if it, doing something else that they felt was a better fit for their lifestyle; and some didn’t last 18 months in their management role. The key, again, is the ‘why’. Let me make just a few statements here on this subject; your ‘why’. 1. If it’s just for the money, do yourself a big favor, find another way to make more money. Taking on a management role with money as your main motivation is probably the top reason why managers don’t last. EXAMPLE: A Nurse is making $25 an hour. She takes a promotion into management and gets paid $30 an hour. She is salaried now and generally works 50 hours a week. That computes to $25.60 an hour (No overtime for salaried people). Sixty cents an hour is not worth a jump into management. 2. If it’s just to get a title and an office and some business cards, (I am chuckling as I write this, but I am gonna be blunt) GET OVER IT. There is more to life than just attaining a title or status. I know so many nurses and technicians that have been doing what they have been doing for over 20 years, never venturing into management. They love what they do, they are good at what they do, and they are happy as can be, possessing great satisfaction and fulfillment in their jobs. By the way, most of them are true leaders on their teams, they just haven’t stepped into any management positions. 3. If it’s because you are great at what you do and everyone thinks you would be a good manager, please reevaluate. This happens so many times. Just because someone is great at what they do, does not mean that they will be good at management. Companies are notorious for taking a great worker, out of their role, place them into management, only for them to fail. Now, some people who are great at their jobs can indeed be great managers as well, but they better have some leadership traits and not just be good at their job. I spent 12 years in the USAF and loved it. In the military however, the longer you are in, usually the higher the rank you attain and the higher your rank, the higher level of management you are in. Basically, if you have been worked 20 years, you would probably be in charge of a large organization and you may not have one lick of leadership ability. They hold leadership training continuously throughout your career, but the truth is—you can teach someone all about leadership, but you still can’t make someone a good leader. 4. If it is because you want to make a difference, feel like you were made to be a leader, enjoy teaching, mentoring, managing, coaching and really care about people; well, that’s much better. Remember this point when you get to #2 below.