We’re gonna put you in a position…

…to have as many as 4 people reporting to you. How does that sound?

After years of fighting the forces of chaos from the bottom-up, I was passed the management cup and, this time, took a sip of the punch. Once it hits your lips, it’s so good! While it is the default corporate promotion path, I think it’s worth recognizing that it’s not for everyone. Consider this:

I was the “de facto manager” at my ex-employer, Sun Microsystems during the dot.bomb implosion. Sun went from soaring like an Eagle to crashing like a Delta, finally arriving at the breakup-sex marketing phrase Why Not? Yes, if you look at that cute little 35x-peak there, the stock really did go from 3 to 80 back to 5 in 4 years.

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, so, my manager left (one of the few smart ones). But, there was a hiring freeze, so as a replacement we got an “interim manager” from the Bay Area. I was “elected” to be the “lead” in San Diego. Keep in mind that, during this time, Sun was having rolling layoffs every 6 months. Anyways, the remote manager didn’t last too long, and I got stuck with the shaft. I didn’t get paid any more, but I did get to do 2 jobs and layoff 3 people.

Yeah. That kinda blew.

But somehow I didn’t learn, and now I’m back in the driver’s seat as the “Manager of Production Technology” for PlayStation Online Games. So, WTF does that mean? Stayed tuned and I’ll let you know.

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You’re currently reading “We’re gonna put you in a position…,” an entry on Drunk Genius / Nate Wiger

Published:
09.22.08 / 9pm
Category:
Management