Chapter 2. Transition: From Individual Contributor to a Manager

"I don't know who I am anymore", said Venkat to himself, with a puzzled look on his face.

Venkat had been a star performer for the last three years. This was his second job, and he admits that he struggled initially to adjust to the processes and systems of a large multi national. However, he started with the basics and worked hard at his assignments, spent twice as much time as anybody else around, and read all that was to be read (even stuff that seemed unrelated). After his first deliverable, Venkat felt somewhat confident, and he has never looked back since. He enjoyed the work, and volunteered for all meetings and status report preparation that his manager asked for. He enjoyed the special status he received from his peers, and volunteered to help them out on technical issues. He earned the top rating in performance reviews three years in a row.

Venkat got promoted to a manager recently, and he got a great project to work on as well, which was technically challenging but with tight deadlines. He had a small team of three developers, and he knew at least two of them well, while the third person was new to the job.

After so many years of success, now he was finally in charge. However, Venkat didn't feel the same high. He was a little lost, unsure of what to do and just didn't like the feeling of low confidence.

Even though nothing was critically wrong with the deliverable, Venkat wasn't his usual self.

Venkat's story isn't fiction; it's an often repeated reality in most organizations. A solid individual contributor doesn't seem so solid in a manager responsibility.

In this chapter, let's examine some of the aspects of making that transition.