snacks profile picture
snacks profile picture

snacks

AE

Opinionated
Contributor
Fire Starter
+1

IC vs Manager?

Post inspired by @Annonny


I have negative desire (yes, less than zero) to be a manager/people leader. I am of the opinion that not everyone should be a manager, nor should management be a route just because someone's been at a company for xyz years.


Being responsible for someone's livelihood, success, growth, etc is not a responsibility I'm itching to have. I also don't think I have the patience necessary for a role of this kind of caliber.


Anyone else felt/feel similar? Have you gone from IC to Manager and loved it? Hated it? How's everyone feeling about being on either side of leadership?

Would you want to grow into a Manager role?

Attached poll
*Voting in this poll no longer yields commission.
🏰 War Stories
🧢 Sales Management
21

30 comments

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Pachacuti
Politicker
6
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Do you want to manage Deals or People... that's the question. I know I have enough to manage just with Deals, but I also get a lot of personal satisfaction helping others succeed. I also know that I don't want to be cold calling into my old age (I won't tell you my current age).
But being an IC -vs- a Manager is a good question to discuss.
jefe
Arsonist
0
🍁
Exactly this.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
4
Sales Rep
No thanks, I don’t want to deal with other peoples shit for a living
oldcloser
Arsonist
4
💀
At some point, getting salespeople to buy in became more gratifying than getting prospects to buy shit. Wouldn't give it up for nothin.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
You were made to lead.
oldcloser
Arsonist
3
💀
Think I was made with led… in my head
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I've managed before, and enjoyed it.
But am not interested in doing it now. I find it more fulfilling to manage a territory and my own sales cycles.
oldcloser
Arsonist
1
💀
That’s gotta be part of why you’re as good as you are. Sellers with prior management experience are always the best. Doesn’t ever work the other way.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
That's a very nice thing to say, but I think your observation may be accurate overall.
Diablo
Politicker
2
Sr. AE
Happy being an IC for now. A few years down the line I would like to step up in that direction
CuriousFox
WR Officer
2
🦊
‼🐈‼
peachykeen
Politicker
2
sae e-commerce
I have absolutely battled with this sentiment. I wondered if it looked bad to have never managed despite being in sales for so long, never "developing" as some may see it. I have not been in a managerial role yet, although I was the main sales executive for a branch for a little while so I worked very closely with everyone in that branch so we'd grow/hit KPI's. I think I would enjoy a business development manager role if it involved coaching and training and perhaps less of the stressful admin. I am a people person and feel fulfilled when I can help others achieve success. But I also enjoy the autonomy of managing my own book/territory/clients.
snacks
Opinionated
1
AE
Thank you for this answer!! I think that sums up most of my thoughts pretty well. I still am content as a IC but wondering if further down the line I will (or should for the sake of career growth) change my stance.

I also think it's fair what some other folks have said about managing your own work vs other people's. There's certainly more chaotic variables with the latter.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
1
☕️
If you know you don’t want to, then done. Presto. Happy life.
snacks
Opinionated
1
AE
Just curious if other people have been in a similar situation and/or if they changed their mind! I see some folks saying happy as a IC for now, but knowing they'd like to dip the toe into management.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
3
☕️
Management isn’t a “dip your toe” situation. You need to have a passion for and a desire to develop humans. If you are ready to commit 100% of your energy into attempting to control the most volatile product in the world, then you can fall into that sinkhole on your mark.
braintank
Politicker
1
Enterprise Account Executive
I tried it for a year and hated it. Not for me.
snacks
Opinionated
0
AE
👀👂
braintank
Politicker
0
Enterprise Account Executive
For all the same reasons you cited.
wolfofmiami
Opinionated
1
🐺
Down the line I think I’d wanna go into management rather than making 100 cold calls a day
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
3
☕️
There are a dozen other paths to get away from the most fundamental part of the job. Example: marketing.
oldcloser
Arsonist
2
💀
Path of worst resistance. Where my phone at?!
0
Sales rep
totally depends on the situation for me
GDO
Politicker
0
BDM
I managed and trained a bit. I would love to be a Manager sometime
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
0
Bravado's Resident Asshole
I have been in a management role before and I'm not the biggest fan of it. Too much BS to deal with, but you never know.. it could come back later down the road.
TheColdestColdCall
Executive
0
Enterprise Account Executive
My general disposition at this point is that I don't want to be responsible for anyone because I find most people don't do things the way I would do them, or with the efficacy I expect. On the other hand, I like helping others succeed and I'm generally the first person to jump into the fray to do so, or volunteer for some extra thing. So maybe in the future? but for now, I'll worry about my commish and that's it.
Beans
Big Shot
0
Enterprise Account Executive
It's the path I prefer.
kindagoodae
Executive
0
Account Executive
Putting people in positions to be successful is my jam. I’m working to get to a management job at some point.
pirate
Big Shot
0
🦜☠️ Account Executive
I do not have the patience to deal with other people
-1
its depends

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