First Pass in Management

It’s crazy how it has already been three months since I started in my current role as a Vice President, Cybersecurity/Information Technology Manager II. The transition from a Cybersecurity Senior Specialist to management was a strive, but doable. I finally learned that there are certain things you can’t say or do while being a manager. Here are some of my honest opinion during my first pass while being in management.

maintaining boundaries

I realized I had to maintain boundaries for the sake of perception. Some company cultures are different, but I’m still new here. I’ve always felt strongly about conflict of interest. I don’t want to appear “too close” to someone and be accused of favoritism. I want to be a fair manager. If there’s something I learned from others’ experiences, perception is everything. You don’t want to be perceived as someone unapproachable for any reason.

emotional intelligence

Something I picked up during this job is emotional intelligence. When it comes to conflict resolution, I know I could be persistent. As a leader, I need to recognize people’s feelings when it comes to issues. People can let their emotions speak and handling irregular behaviors can end in success or failure. I had to deal with a situation recently that involved the utilization of emotional intelligence. I recognized the other user’s feelings but still use logical rationale to objectively come to a conclusion. This feels like a huge feat because this shows I have the capability to diffuse situations.

the balance before micro management

I’ve worked for micromanagers before and they’re great for keeping you on your toes with work. I’m not that person. I want to be able to give assignments to others and let them run with it, trusting they’ll complete the task appropriately. If they have questions, I’m always open to helping out. This becomes a problem when you don’t see any obvious progress and have to put your foot down a little. Instead of accusing team members of slacking, it’s better to check up on them for any roadblocks they may be facing. Sometimes, people are shy about speaking up.

I’m happy I’m a hands-on working manager. I’m not interested in being in meetings all day and still enjoy creating deliverables. I’ve always fancied the idea of being a senior advisor or technical lead. Being in management is a soft skill learning opportunity during my sprint here.

Started from the bottom, now we’re here.