W hen I was a manager in a UX org, one of the most challenging parts of my job was trying to satisfy my team members’ ambitions. Sometimes it was be

The growth path no one can take away

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2024-11-20 15:30:09

W hen I was a manager in a UX org, one of the most challenging parts of my job was trying to satisfy my team members’ ambitions. Sometimes it was because there was an absolute misalignment between someone’s expectations and their abilities — but more often, the main blocker was simply the reality of our org.

Someone might be eager — and ready! — to lead a project, but that position was already filled. Someone was seeking a new kind of project, but their skills were needed in an area where they’d already excelled. Or someone was hoping to move into management, but there weren’t enough people to justify their role.

Advocacy isn’t magic — and despite some wins, I inevitably lost good people who moved on to something more aligned with their ambitions. Sometimes it hurt, especially when I felt like I was thisclose to delivering on their desires. But frankly, sometimes it was a relief — because the frustration and cynicism of some folks’ thwarted ambitions grew toxic, and started infecting other people on the team.

The early-pandemic hiring boom made my job a lot easier — because when you double your team size in a couple of months, there’s suddenly plenty of need for new managers. Retention bonuses and promotions were doled out like Halloween candy. New projects popped up left and right.