The biggest predictor of your long term career success when you are starting out is not your degree, not the company you join, nor the role you get.
It is the manager you work with in the first 5-7 formative years of your career.
Some tell- tale signs to look for in managers who can do wonders for you:
1. Competence: is the manager competent at the work you do? Can they roll up their sleeves and get down into the trenches with you when required? If all they do is 'manage' people who do the actual work, you won't learn much from them except some petty politics which won't take you far.
2. Compassion: is the manager really interested in growing you, or all they care about is getting the work done through you? Watch out for the quality of feedback you receive. Is the feedback balanced, proactive, and something you can related to? Feedback that is consistently good or consistently bad, generic, or reactive (especially when something goes wrong) is not a good sign.
3. Ownership: does the manager take responsibility for your work, irrespective of its quality/outcome? Some managers selectively own the credit for your good work but put the blame on you (often in public) the moment something goes wrong. Avoid such managers like a plague. A manager who can't own your work will never own you or your career.
If you are lucky enough to find a manager who checks the box on all the three above, stick to them for as long as you can.
And you know the best part?
These managers will not let you stick with them for long. They will push you to your next orbit - possibly to another team or role - the moment they realise you are saturating under them.
Good managers always own you but are never possessive about you.
#career #success #manager #growth