From time to time, I get the opportunity to speak with folks who are considering changes in their career. And in some of these cases (I’d estimate ~20%), the relationship continues long enough for me to track how the change worked out.
Over the years, I’ve observed a consistent pattern that is especially pronounced amongst those making moves within the same company – most folks prioritize factors like scope and advancement opportunities over the manager they’ll report to
Sometimes, this means making an explicit trade-off – “I know x isn’t a great manager. But the scope looks promising.”
It is a trade-off that always makes the “I wish I’d done this differently” regret list later.
It doesn’t matter how amazing the job looks from the outside. Managers make or break the experience.
