I Can’t Wait to Be a Manager

I’ve been waiting to write this post for a while, and even though I should probably be writing about Russia, Moscow, or something along those lines, while I have down time I thought I would put this down. When I say manager, I mean the consulting version of a manager. They could manage 10 people, no people, 1 dollar, 10 million dollars, managers in consulting are simple people that are the next level up from Senior Consultants. This is either the 3rd or 4th level depending on the firm. All firms seem to have similar roles that perform at similar levels. Managers are considered to be the plug-and-play type of resource. They can hit the ground running. Typically they are used in sales (this is when people are begin to be evaluated on sales and managers are supposed to have a high enough level of knowledge to assist here), to head up small teams(3-10 people generally that are part of a sub project team), to head up important work streams (integration mangers track that the teams are cooperating and building a product with modules that work together), or to come in hit a problem hard – fix it – and leave.

The thing about managers is though, they think the title is the only activity they can do. Manage. They attend meetings, work on project plans, and deal with the client, but only really good managers actually do anything. Most of the time they are brought in to late in the process or are too weak of managers to effect change anyway. No all managers are this way. Most poor managers came from industry and just don’t understand how the firm works, or never got the opportunity to really learn the subject matter they are supposed to be experts in. They are good with the client and that is it. So far in my short 2 year career I have already scene 5 such managers out the 8 that I have worked with, and every single one of them came from outside the firm. It seems they have the inability to actually sit down and do anything productive, instead they find away to get invited into every single meeting, even those that have nothing to do with what they are supposed to be working with.

What really drives me nutz is how little regard they seem to have for getting the job done. One manager I had came onto the project 2 or 3 weeks after I did as the integration manager. In the next 6 months we had maybe 2 integration meetings. And in his dealings with the client he confused, misinformed, and quite frankly scared the client that nothing was going to work. On the same project they brought a manager in to help in the work stream I had be on. The work was 80% completed and I was in charge of another 15% really we only needed them for 5% because I was lacking in knowledge. They rolled me off the project when I completed my work and the manager stayed for another 4 months. After he rolled off no one could figure out what he had actually done! In fact they had to rework most of the design because he had poorly ‘managed’ the client. On the next project again I was dealt a crazy manager. This manager contradicted himself every time he gave me direction, took credit for any work I did, and dismissed my ideas and then later came up with the same idea 2 days later. In fact I did 70% and got almost none of the credit, the client actually asked the project manager what I had been doing.

The best though were the two managers on my current project. One from Miami, who could barely speak English, and another from Texas who really wasn’t there. In both cases I and another analyst hoped the managers would stand up to the client and consult. Tell them the proper way to handle certain situations. Both talked a huge game and both folded meeting after meeting after meeting. One was so spineless they rolled him off before his role was even completed. One of the funny things in is that I had to step in and make the suggestions and formulate the plans for him. Luckily this time I got credit for it. The other manager also got rolled off early. Not because he didn’t contribute, of course he didn’t, but mostly because he never put a full week in at the client. Week after week after week he didn’t show up Monday, or flew home Tuesday for 2 days, and every week he left for the early flight before lunch even on Thurdays! It was incredible. No one could really believe it. I think he got a local role and is doing better there, but what happens next time he needs to travel?

So basically I can’t wait to be a manager because then I no longer need to actually work, no longer need to produce, no longer need to have any knowledge, and no longer even halve to show up to the client. On top of all that I would get paid twice as much and get 3 times the credit! Or maybe I be one of the 3 decent managers. Interestingly enough they had been through all the levels at the firm and were not experienced hires. But hey why not get paid for not producing sounds perfect to me.