Is it time to rethink the hustle to the top?
Surviving the pressure cooker of the modern working world
Photo by Fab Lentz on Unsplash
I have been a boss to some degree for the past 15 years, although I’ve always felt that title didn’t quite belong to me. I was 26 when I started managing people and have for the most part been extremely lucky to manage some amazing people. Some have remained friends and some also went on to much bigger and better things. The thing I enjoyed most about being a people manager was supporting my team through the tough times and watching them grow and succeed. This is something I will miss, because I don’t think I want to be a boss anymore.
Over the years, particularly in agency land where the average age of employees is around 28, I’ve often wondered where does everyone go post 40? One day in my mid 30’s I found myself asking just that. I couldn’t see a place for myself if I didn’t want to keep climbing to the top so I asked HR what do people do next? Obviously met with a puzzled look, why would anyone want to give up free breakfast and Friday drinks once a month? But over the years I’d seen people leave to work for a client, start a yoga studio or even take up turkey farming. It occured to me I’d have to see what’s on the other side so off I went. Sure the average age client side was more like 40 than 28 but being a boss was the same if not worse. More stakeholders than before (if it was possible) and a front row seat to watch the glacial pace of decision making in action. But aside from that, why is getting to the top not so appealing anymore? For me, it’s the pressure, I’m not 28 anymore I’m 42 and this is 2022.
Previously, in a traditional career there was only one way to go and that was up. This arrangement suited both employers and employees equally. For employers this gave them leverage to bend the employee to their will. Using their ambition as a bargaining chip to extract more productivity, more hours, just more, more, more. All while dressing it up as ‘raising your profile’, ‘a great learning experience’ or ‘demonstrating your ability to operate at the next level’ always just needing to do that little bit extra to move to the next level. The employee in turn traded some of their free time for some level of security. But here’s where things have changed. The price has gotten much higher and employees are now expected to exchange more of their free time, their relationships and their mental health for job security and if you’re a boss the expectation is even higher.
When I first started out in the world of work email was fairly new and people hadn’t really grasped its potential. I still happily fed things through the fax machine with no idea who was at the other end flailing about trying to capture the pages as they drifted to the floor of the photocopy room. Your work phone was firmly attached to your desk, unable to accompany you anywhere, least of all your hospital bed to enable you to let your boss know when you had returned from surgery. No one had a laptop which meant when the working day was done, no matter how long, it was done! In 2022 you can be summoned, called and questioned at any time of the day or night. And in my experience of being a boss you are expected to jump to it! No matter the day or time. Things that once would have waited until the next working day now needed to be tended to in a matter of minutes. If you happened to be, I don’t know, living your life and missed an email all hell would break loose. You would awake to an inbox full of emails, multiple text messages asking if you have seen said emails and a flood of missed teams messages and calls. That’s what’s changed.
Technology has made being a boss a 24 hour 7 days a week and all consuming. If you let it that is. The ways of contact and the expectation have accelerated with technology. Boundaries blurred and the expectation on availability too much and the measure of productivity too wide with an increase in perceived availability. The trade off of some level of certainty about the trajectory of one's career shot to pieces. Nothing is certain, work hard and you will be rewarded with an office, more people to manage, more money, not anymore. People can be expendable as we’ve seen recently with the P&O HR disaster, nothing can sink a ship faster than bad PR. Once a business uses up productivity, or you're not willing to be available 24/7 your days may be numbered.
So what do you do if you don’t want to be a boss? Sorry I’ve got you all the way here and I don’t have an answer for you, well yet. I’m still figuring out what a career looks like when you’re not up for the competitiveness and the hustle anymore. If anyone has any ideas I’d love to hear from you. Just drop into the comments below.
Things I’ve been curious about this week..
I’ve been listening to Emma Gannon’s podcast CtlAltDelete and her interview with Julia Hobsbawm, author of the book The Nowhere Office which explores the future of working culture. She had me at her comment on 360 reviews as a waste of time. Amen!
I’ve been reading Your Story Matters by Nikesh Shukla. A brilliant writing guide that takes you from identifying themes to developing characters. All with realism, kindness and humour.