Rules Of Management

RULE 68 - Be flexible and ready to move on

“Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.”

Anonymous

There will come a time when it’s time to move on. Other jobs are waiting to be done. Other teams are waiting to be led. You may have to pack up camp and hit the trail. ‘Hell is in hello, heaven is goodbye forever, it’s time for me to go’, sort of stuff. * Keep your eyes open for opportunities. Remember your long-term plan – and I bet it didn’t include stuff like, ‘Stay here until I retire and/or turn to dust’ – and keep looking to distant horizons.

Being a good manager, a fantastic manager, often means you get sought out, head-hunted, poached. Be ready to be enticed away. Doesn’t mean you have to go, but be open to offers – how flattering.

Stay on your toes and be ready to move sideways; be prepared to looks at unusual opportunities. Be ready perhaps to go it alone if that’s in your long-term plan.

“Be prepared to looks at unusual opportunities.”

Should you feel guilty at abandoning your team? No. You have a career and that involves moving on. Your team may benefit from a breath of fresh air coming in after you to blow the cobwebs away. I’ve left managerial jobs where the staff seemed genuinely surprised that I would dare to leave, to spread my wings and go ‘elsewhere’, as if it was a dark and dangerous country that would gobble me up. Of course, once I had left I gained a reputation as a ‘deserter’ for leaving, but better that then ‘good riddance’.

posted by Right Ranger @ 8:58 PM