Over the years I have managed several teams all over the world. Dealt with different cultures, customs, timezones, and languages. Anytime I was dropped into a new role to replace someone that was there before, I was seen as an outsider, a newcomer, someone placed into a spot that no one really wanted.
When I was thinking about what to name this blog I thought of my history teacher in high school when we talked about the civil war. When the north (upper management) placed people from the north to run the southern states governments (Middle Managers). This people were nicknamed Carpetbaggers. Because of the luggage they brought with them on their assignments. Wikipedia has a great article about the history and today's use of the term. Wikipedia: Carpetbagger.
When I think about how most middle managers are accepted into their new roles the term carpetbagger seems to fit really well. Everyone is looking for you to fail, suspicious of your motives, and do not trust the decisions you make. This can be a hard, but rewarding job. I am hoping that my ideas can spark a conversation about how to effectively step into these new roles and be effective as soon as possible.
This should be an interesting journey as I go back in time and look at all of the opportunities I have had to manage from the outside of a group and become a middle manager carpetbagger.
No comments:
Post a Comment