Something they don't tell you in the business classes at college.

[Tobin S.]

Or at least they haven't told me yet.

If you are a manager you sometimes have to make decisions that make you unpopular with people. That's not news to me, but I never stopped to think how that would affect me personally if I were a manager. I've never been a manager and I've never been asked to look at things from their point of view until now.

My boss has been in poor health for a while now and he's missed a lot of work. The guy who works with him in the office has been asked to step in and help run the show. He's had to make some of these calls now that have made some people mad at him. I can tell it's weighing on the guy. His demeanor and attitude have changed. I can tell he does not like the job.

[bluedigger]

1. It's lonely at the top.

It's always a challenge to balance the demands of upper level management with the needs of your subordinates. First level supervisors have to do the dirty work.

[WinkyDink]

2. I went to h.s. with a kid who became a CEO. He moved jobs to another country. I couldn't do that.

That's why he's a multi-millionaire, and I'm really, really not.

[Callmecrazy]

3. I'm going through a similar situation at work...

I am being "groomed" to become the electrical superintendent for the project I am working on and have had to make some unpopular decisions regarding work assignments. These are people that I have worked side by side with for the past 15 months and we would always be joking around and cutting up while doing our work. I can't do that with them now and I'm getting a lot of the cold shoulder from some people and even had to fire one of my friends for insubordination.
My boss noticed that it was bothering me and said, "Heavy is the head that wears the crown, man." Yeah, it is.
But on the flip side, other coworkers know that I have earned the position and have the skills required to do the job and support me 100%. I can be a boss without being bossy and showing your people the respect they deserve goes a long way, but some people you just can't reach. They feel betrayed. To them I say tough shit. I want to move up in the company and if they can't keep up, too bad.

[Tobin S.]

4. Go for it

I hope you do well.

[DebJ]

5. If you are able to do what is fair, and communicate that to others as well,

and you are consistent in your fairness, that goes a long way. That's what made it
work for me. I was well-appreciated and respected as a manager.

But you won't have friends there below you; it just doesn't work like that. Having friends
'sideways' or peer level doesn't work well either, because of competition for future promotions
or other competitive feelings. Double that if you are a woman with all male peers.

I was a manager from age 23 to age 48 in jobs that required 70 hours a week on average.
I had to take those jobs to keep my children fed... I had two; I was a single/divorced parent whose
father ignored them. Working those hours plus handling the children meant no time to
cultivate friends outside of work. (Especially with my son's bipolar disorder...no one wants
to be around you anyway). So my entire life was spent alone, until my children grew up.