Managing 101

In my role at work, I am given the opportunity to "manage" people. I manage our relationship with ad agencies, I manage an internal team, I manage up and I have someone directly reporting under me. Everyday brings different challenges so I try to balance the way I handle different people.

But, today was a little different. For the first time in my career, my direct report cried to me. It was during our status meeting. To clarify, I didn't make her cry. After going through the list of items in our agenda, she asked me if we can discuss her work situation (she reports to me and another person). She started becoming teary-eyed out of frustration because her other boss makes her send out UPS boxes. She's obviously very smart and driven. She didn't say it out loud, but I think she hated the fact that she has to do something as mundane and uneventful as packing and shipping.

I would hate it too. I didn't want to bring out the "when I was your age" card, but I've been through that crap in the past as well. I counted stupid sweepstakes entrees to the thousands, I had to Fedex/UPS hundreds of documents to clients, packed goody bags and do other things that do not require a brain. I thought at that time, how dare them undermine my knowledge and education by making me do these stupid things?

Obviously, there is something to learn about these experiences. It taught me humility and patience.

When you're young, you look at the world in rose-tinted glasses. When you're young and in-love with and in New York, you look at life with rose-tinted glasses while laying in a bed of roses. (Not exactly "cool" and "New York" when you're doing mailroom stuff.)

I listened intently and let her finish as her frustration turned into tears. I told her we all go through what she's going through, including me. We need to work through some stupid stuff to get to the meatier stuff. I told her she can look at this from a different angle. What can you learn and take out of this experience? Then, I gave her some water to calm herself down, paused... and then, I asked her how her boyfriend is doing - and she started smiling.

Our meeting ended on a good light. She's 21 and life outside of the four walls of school is just starting to hit.  But, I do hope that I taught her a little something today, while bringing her back to wear her rose-tinted glasses. I hope I become the kind of boss I myself would like to work with. Life goes on.