SUMMARY POINTS
There isn’t a week that goes by where you don’t think about what your life would be like if you were a few rungs higher on the corporate ladder. During those weeks when you’re overwhelmed as fuck with all the work that is getting piled on your plate, you dream about having a team of your own to delegate tasks to.
Right now, it’s just you. When the shit rolls downhill, it’s stops on your desk. It doesn’t go any further. So, you’ve gotta deal with it.
During these moments, you daydream at your desk about how much better your work life would be if you were in a senior-level position with a dedicated group of direct reports at your beck and call.
You would be working alongside all the other senior managers and executives in dedicated offices working on more strategic efforts and less on the day-to-day grunt work. With a higher salary and direct reports to dish off work to, it seems like an ideal place to be.
But, is it really?
Right now, it’s just you. When the shit rolls downhill, it’s stops on your desk. It doesn’t go any further. So, you’ve gotta deal with it.
During these moments, you daydream at your desk about how much better your work life would be if you were in a senior-level position with a dedicated group of direct reports at your beck and call.
You would be working alongside all the other senior managers and executives in dedicated offices working on more strategic efforts and less on the day-to-day grunt work. With a higher salary and direct reports to dish off work to, it seems like an ideal place to be.
But, is it really?
Moving Up Can Be Both Good & Bad
It’s human nature to want something you can’t or don’t have. And this is why many people feel stuck at work and always have the view that “the grass is always greener on the other side”. Or more specifically in this case, work life always looks better the higher up in the organization you go.
However, like all things in life, this has pros and cons. It’s not always unicorns and rainbows. There are upsides and downsides to virtually everything. This includes the upper-level positions that you may be shooting for.
However, like all things in life, this has pros and cons. It’s not always unicorns and rainbows. There are upsides and downsides to virtually everything. This includes the upper-level positions that you may be shooting for.
Pro: Mo’ Money, Baby!
There’s no denying that earning more money is always a good thing - even if it means doing lunchtime side hustles. When you’re just getting by with what you earn now, having a few hundred dollars more each month can make a huge difference. Whether it’s buying yet another “needed” thing for your kids, going out to dinner more frequently or being able to stash away some dough for retirement, having some extra cash will help you do all of that.
Con: More Bullshit Office Politics
When you make the transition to a higher position, namely into the middle of the organization, you’ll have to deal with more bullshit office politics. It’s unavoidable. This is when you have to build up your skills in playing office politics the smart AF way. Otherwise, it’ll be impossible to stay motivated when all of the bullshit politics is crushing you.
Pro: You Can Delegate Work Down
When it’s just you and you don’t have any direct reports, all the grunt work starts and ends with you. When shit rolls downhill, it ends with you. However, when you have direct reports, you’re no longer down in the weeds and you can delegate tasks and assignments down to your support team. It reduces the amount of tactical tasks that you have to do and it allows you to shift your perspective to a broader scope.
Con: You Gotta Manage People
You’d think that having a few people report directly to you is a good thing. And, it is and can be a huge benefit. However, the flip side to this coin is that you gotta manage them too. And unfortunately, some people still act like kids and don’t know how to be an adult at work. You end up having to get on their ass all the time to get shit done, clean up any work messes, show up on time, do their homework, etc. And if they complain to HR about any issues, you’ve gotta deal with that too.
Pro: Bigger Projects With More Impact
As you move up in the organization, you’ll run bigger projects that have more significance and impact on the company. It’s no longer just shallow bullshit work like processing digital paperwork and forms. It’s managing the programs that drive core revenues for the company. You’ll have the ability to make real meaningful changes.
Con: Increased Workload Stress
As you move up in the organization, your workload will inevitably increase. And despite having support staff, you’ll still get slammed with work because you’ll be spread out more thinly across more projects. You’ll be banging your head against the wall on more projects than before. And the pressure comes from all sides - from up top, from below and from the sides.
Pro: More Responsibility & Executive Exposure
Those who have the most face time with executives have the most impact and opportunities to get recognized for achievements. Unlike being at the bottom where it’s hard to get the recognition you fucking deserve, when you have more face time with executives, you get the kudos more often when you’re reporting positive results on those big programs and projects.
Con: Increased Scrutiny & Less Personal Time
In higher positions, you have greater responsibilities on larger and more important projects. These will often have greater scrutiny and visibility from the top brass. With all the added pressure, you have to make sure that everything’s good and this means you have to dedicate longer and more hours by sacrificing more personal time. This is why being in middle management sucks sometimes.
Move Up When It Makes Sense
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to go higher in the organization. Everyone should strive to be the best that they can be. But, if it’s solely for the money, you gotta be careful. While more money can make life easier, it often comes saddled with more issues.
It’s the old adage of “more money, more bullshit.” And with more bullshit to deal with, the harder it will be to manage work stress effectively.
However, if your skills and capabilities are taking you higher, then don’t hold yourself back. Get in the zone and ride that wave as high as you can and get to that perfect higher position where you can achieve that ideal balance of productive joy. This is where your abilities are being tested but not overstressed and you’re maximizing your income. This is the perfect spot.
What you have to do is really think about where you are now and where you want to be given all of the factors. You gotta do an honest self-assessment with some career management even when you’re busy AF. Maybe, you’re at an ideal point now or maybe you’re not. Your circumstances are unique to you. Only you can determine if it makes sense to make a change.
The great thing is that no matter your decision or direction, it’ll all work out in the end. It almost always does.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]
It’s the old adage of “more money, more bullshit.” And with more bullshit to deal with, the harder it will be to manage work stress effectively.
However, if your skills and capabilities are taking you higher, then don’t hold yourself back. Get in the zone and ride that wave as high as you can and get to that perfect higher position where you can achieve that ideal balance of productive joy. This is where your abilities are being tested but not overstressed and you’re maximizing your income. This is the perfect spot.
What you have to do is really think about where you are now and where you want to be given all of the factors. You gotta do an honest self-assessment with some career management even when you’re busy AF. Maybe, you’re at an ideal point now or maybe you’re not. Your circumstances are unique to you. Only you can determine if it makes sense to make a change.
The great thing is that no matter your decision or direction, it’ll all work out in the end. It almost always does.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]