People leave managers, not companies

Your role as manager is not to optimize people not to leave you though

People leave managers, not companies, is a common saying and usually accurate. As a manager, though, your role is not to optimize reports, not to leave you.

In my first week at Google, I told my manager that my goal was to become a Product Manager. Fast forward a year later, and I was performing well and getting good reviews.

Then, the PM that I was working with moved to another role and, with that came the opportunity to take their role. Knowing this is what I wanted, my manager did everything humanely possible to get me that role, even if that meant leaving them.

That left me forever grateful to that manager. I highly recommended them to anyone who has asked since then and helped them whenever I can in the new role.

That's my aspiration as a manager. Not that you never leave me, but that while we are working together, you are running faster to your goals and objectives. If that goal is to accomplish with someone else, I will do what I can to put you there.

#peoplemanagement #hiring