My boss has been out of the office for almost two weeks. We all need her to lend a hand on our projects, and a lot has gone on in her absence. Oddly enough, I felt compelled to schedule a team meeting for us all upon her return tomorrow. Normally, our team meetings are attended by her management. In the past, they have been there to make sure that certain people's paranoia and self interest do not override the best interests of the organization. However, we have a lot of technically oriented ground to cover. So, after clearing it with my teammates that it was worth the risk in order to have the most productive technical discussion possible, I decided not to invite them.
Several hours after that was settled, one of those same managers appeared in our office and wanted input into a presentation he had to give to the Director's office in a couple of days. Initially, I was uncomfortable that he had approached the team without our team lead being involved. However, I quickly saw it for the opportunity that it was. Our team lead has been with the organization for a long time. She is very plugged in to how the organization and its management works. A lot of the time, she tells management what she thinks they want to hear, or what she thinks they'd be willing to entertain. My teammates and I suffer no such qualms. We spelled out exactly what we thought our priorities ought to be and why.
All modesty aside, I did most of the talking. My teammate who was in the room at the time totally backed me up, as did another later in the day when she was approached individually.
In an unrelated conversation, someone on another team complimented me on my organization skills and how well I managed other people's expectations (not over committing, or saying 'yes' just to look good, like so many in our organization do in the face of management requests). And, for not the first time in my career, and not even the first time in my current role, this person suggested that I would do a better job at team lead than our current lead.
While I was flattered, I have no managerial aspirations. I like solving actual technical problems. I hate going home at the end of the day without feeling like I accomplished something. Going to meetings, writing emails, and juggling budgets is not tangible enough for me. So, thanks, but no thanks.
On the other hand, it did feel really good to feel like I might have actually made an impact on our organization's thinking about my team's work today. I just won't let it go to my head. (And I hope that my historically unstable team lead doesn't see my influence today as me trying to undermine her while she was out of the office, since the repercussions of her paranoia can get pretty ugly.)
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2 comments:
I know you don't want to go into management, but you would be good in that lead role. You should see if there is a way of doing that while still staying technical. They do have tech leads, you know. And then you would accomplish thinks, but also have some say in the way they are done, thus eliminating one of your bigger frustrations.
SOME organizations do see the efficacy of technical leads, however I see little evidence of that in my organization. My team's work is so high profile that every body and their brother wants one of us, usually our lead, to be on their project (and go to their meetings). And, it really is appropriate for us to be represented on most major projects, and for that 'representation' to have the authority to speak for our team.
So, I hear what you are saying. Maybe in my next career move out of this organization I can leverage my organizational abilities and desire for influence with my technical abilities to find the perfect balance between management and technical specialist.
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