tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post995548530024948860..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: Management is Always Having to Care about Other People's IssuesCloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-207032846727077302013-02-02T08:53:45.926-08:002013-02-02T08:53:45.926-08:00Wow, your exemples of managing, made me think abou...Wow, your exemples of managing, made me think about what I do with my family (father, step mother, step mother kid's, brothers)... Wow! I should totally ask for a salary for this! ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-56278275890829732822013-01-31T09:52:07.210-08:002013-01-31T09:52:07.210-08:00DANCE OFF. I vote yes.
It really is *so* much abo...DANCE OFF. I vote yes. <br />It really is *so* much about people and their problems and considering how not a people person I am, it was surprising that it was actually a very satisfying job. Despite not having what I would consider tangible results like with a regular project: a product or a presentation or organized data, etc., I could still come away feeling like a good day of work was done. <br />All your examples make me laugh because: yep. If it's not an expertise holy war, it's a clash of incompatible philosophies, or a newly birthed set of expectations based on the imagined coordination of the moon, oregano and a scooter in a row. <br />A doesn't think he is progressing fast enough; B should be moving upward but you have to fight w/upper mgmt to approve such things; C wants more opportunity in this or that area but someone is holding her back by acting in such and such a manner and you have to be three steps in front of all of them. It was one part psychologist, two parts juggling and one last part prognosticating. <br />Though after a period of time, a team really came together where many of the shenanigans died out and it mainly came down to project how-tos and career growth and direction questions. Which I can deal with a lot better.<br />Rarely felt like I was ever done though, and sometimes I don't think I am, still. Revanchehttp://www.agaishanlife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-85798157262094683642013-01-24T21:12:01.525-08:002013-01-24T21:12:01.525-08:00I am a prof in charge of a sizeable research group...I am a prof in charge of a sizeable research group (1 postdoc, 9 grad students). Managing them is a large portion of the work I do (in addition to teaching, writing grants and papers, and service). It definitely takes a lot of energy and you have to be sensitive to individual issues as well as the issues of people's mutual interactions. I can choose my own team, which is a plus, as I can select for compatibility to a certain degree (i.e. I don't want anyone who looks like they will be too difficult and disrupt the progress of others). Knock on wood, I am currently pretty happy with the group composition, they seem happy and getting along well, and they are all very very smart (I seem to be good at selecting smart people sight unseen, as that's how I have to bring in most international students). <br /><br />But managing people isn't easy and it isn't what I envisioned I would do so much as a professor. I thought I would have more time to do the real technical work, and not just beg federal funding agencies for money to do work and then supervise others doing it. :-(GMPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17872461021953583473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-46428110308042862662013-01-24T17:46:43.094-08:002013-01-24T17:46:43.094-08:00I managed people before my son was born and, for c...I managed people before my son was born and, for complicated reasons slightly related to my cutting my hours back after he was born (but mostly not), have mostly not after. A troubling question to ask myself in some ways but I wonder whether I'd find it harder now that I'm a mom to a (young) kid whose issues (mostly just desire for my attention) seem to soak up much of my "people" energy -- something that I personally have always had in limited supply. <br />I sure don't miss that aspect of the job, even though I did in some ways enjoy solving the puzzles involved in building a team that worked well together.Alexicographernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-15629065307779133412013-01-23T22:49:55.556-08:002013-01-23T22:49:55.556-08:00There are pluses to being a manager, too, and usua...There are pluses to being a manager, too, and usually I think those outweigh the negatives. But sometimes, I just get tired of being the one who has to handle everyone else's issues!Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-79665689067534757342013-01-23T22:49:03.483-08:002013-01-23T22:49:03.483-08:00Oh yeah, she goes into way too much detail with a ...Oh yeah, she goes into way too much detail with a bunch of asides and I just lose the plot. Luckily she doesn't seem to mind when I ask her to try again....Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-18860649982076217962013-01-23T17:23:47.700-08:002013-01-23T17:23:47.700-08:00This is good insight for me- my current job does n...This is good insight for me- my current job does not entail managing people but it is something I always think I would like to do. Maybe I should just be thankful I don't manage people!<br /><br />Love the lunch date- we need to do more of that!NoTrustFundhttp://wheresmytrustfund.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-16093970327315801072013-01-23T12:36:33.570-08:002013-01-23T12:36:33.570-08:00I've found that I really do like managing peop...I've found that I really do like managing people, but my word can it be exhausting. I got my managing feet wet with one direct report, who is any manager's dream. I then added people at a fairly steady clip and man does the dynamic change when you have multiple folks involved.<br /><br />I've joked before that everyone thinks being "the boss" is easy street--you just tell people what to do!--but the reality is so much more difficult than that. Gingerhttp://rambleramble.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-77931002631495370452013-01-23T07:39:07.897-08:002013-01-23T07:39:07.897-08:00I'm so glad you admitted to not being able to ...I'm so glad you admitted to not being able to follow Pumpkin's story 50% of the time. I was feeling bad about that, but maybe that's just par.badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-81749681403072969552013-01-23T07:18:26.648-08:002013-01-23T07:18:26.648-08:00Tell 'em to DDR it out. The one who gets to t...Tell 'em to DDR it out. The one who gets to the highest level/score wins. Jenny F. Scientist, PhDhttp://naturalscientist.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-74364654776479749672013-01-22T21:50:38.846-08:002013-01-22T21:50:38.846-08:00OMG, developer dance-off? I'd pay good money ...OMG, developer dance-off? I'd pay good money to see THAT.<br /><br />I think this is why I hated being someone's manager. I just can't deal with this kind of stuff. or the endless personal info I'm privy to about why the person couldn't get his job done. In recent times, I've only managed contractors and mostly they were not doing their job well and it sucked. But at least I didn't have to do all the CYA that's required when it's a full time employee.<br /><br />And lunch with the hubby? Awesome. We used to do that when we worked at the same place. I miss it. Though I guess now we have lunch together, but at home, and it's because one or both kids are napping at that time.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15212690454989568626noreply@blogger.com