Management is hard
I've been meaning to write a post about unseen manager work. But I don't have the energy to do that right now because it's been consumed by today's unseen manager work. 😅 Delivering critical performance reviews, informing people they're moving teams and reporting to yet another new manager, navigating requests from all manner of internal stakeholders I didn't know existed but suddenly want my help meeting their deadlines, being the face of a cascade of policy changes that seem designed to pay us less money and perhaps set us up for further layoffs.... The list goes on and on, especially in late Q4 and early Q1, which is when my company's annual ceremonies and change-ups unfurl.
I try to appreciate the opportunity to do this work, which is so often a sort of emotional labor, because, if I do it well — and occasionally I do — it can make a big impact on another person's experience on the job. And if they have a more positive feeling about work, perhaps they'll bring some of that positivity (or at least reduced negativity) back to their family at home, or to a friendship, or a blog post, or whatever. It's cool to think about those broader contributions I could be making toward people's lives. (I don't get overly carried away here, don't worry.)
But some days I'd love to be a software engineer again, cranking out code, or prompt-stomping LLMs, or overusing the word orthogonal, or whatever it is they do these days, and not having to concern myself with so many other people's problems.
If you have a half-decent manager at a sizable company, they're probably shoveling a lot of shit behind the scenes. Send them a positive vibe or two.
See also this oldie but goodie from Charity Majors: 17 Reasons NOT To Be A Manager. (Her point #2 about ease of getting eng jobs has gone out the window for the moment, but most of the others are still good.)
I like my job. I'm lucky to have it. And it's tiring right now.