Why 21 Y/O should not be a Manager

‘I cannot work under someone. I am a born leader.’

Many 21-year-olds mistake ‘Management’ with their leadership abilities. While you can be strong, confident, and persuasive but it’s completely different from running a system efficiently.

We can’t entirely blame them for their assumption, though. Having the power to command people in exchange for getting a big fat paycheck deposited in your account every month does have its allure. That feeling multiplies manifold when you are young and ambitious, just entering the corporate world with hopes and dreams of becoming a millionaire by the age of 25. Not to burst any bubbles, but it’s quite a farfetched idea and moreover, it’s not practical.

Bing a manager comes with a lot of strings attached. Most managers complain about not having a stable social life or having the time and energy to spend the fat paycheck they receive. Mind you, this is the scenario of established managers who are in their late 30’s – early 40’s.

Here are 5 solid reasons why we strongly think that 21 Y/O should not take up a managerial position.

• You cannot lead a team until you have spent time being a part of it
  1. It takes months, and sometimes, even years before you know your job inside out.
  2. It takes hundreds of mistakes and double the troubleshooting before you know what can go wrong and how to fix it.
  3. It takes the guidance of a mentor to point out what you’re doing right, where you’re going wrong, and to guide you in the right direction.
  4. Starting off as a manager at the age of 21 deprives you of these experiences, which brings us to the question: Are you really mature enough to take the job?

 

• You are not ready to take critical decisions. Yet.
  1. You are just out of college, where the only person you were expected to manage and make decisions for, was YOU.
  2. Taking decisions on behalf of your team (and organization), especially when the stakes are high, is something that requires years of practice and experience. Naturally, the risk involved is higher and you simply lack the kind of experience to make a sound judgment.
  3. You become accountable for everything and everyone associated with you, and that accountability extends beyond work hours.
  4. People look up to you to take the right call. Are you ready to take on that responsibility? To be a role model?

 

• It’s extremely difficult to command control over your colleagues
  1. Most members of your team are going to be elder to you. You are going to have a really tough time ‘making’ them do what you want. It’s difficult being respectful and stern at the same time.
  2. Even if you do manage to command control over them, the feeling of ‘inferiority’ and ‘not taking commands from a kid’ is natural. This just translates into friction, eventually creating friction within the team. Would you be okay taking orders from someone younger to you?

 

• You always feel under-confident and stressed out
  1. Not only are you expected to make decisions, but you are also expected to be answerable as to why you did what you did.
  2. More importantly, if things go wrong, it is your responsibility to correct them and ensure minimum damage.
  3. If you are inexperienced, you will constantly have the feeling of being under-confident.
  4. Do you really want to spend your 20s feeling under-confident about your actions?

 

• You lose out on the growth years of your life
  1. You are just 21. It’s your time to fall, make mistakes & learn from them. It’s your time to explore, adapt and integrate. It’s your time to learn, rather than preach.

 

It’s essential to naturally evolve yourself into the kind of person you aspire to be, millionaire or not. You can’t force yourself into making mature decisions if you simply lack the experience to do so. Like its said, experience is the best teacher you’ll ever come across!

We, at iThrive Counselling, wish you the best for your future endeavours, and urge all aspirational 21 Y/O’s to slow down, breathe, screw up, bounce back and most importantly take one step at a time.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

If you or someone you know is stressed out, feel free to talk to us at  +91 98202 57739 / +91 982057 6682 or you can also write to us at support@ithrive.com

 

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