Everyones a bad boss at first. Just accept it.

Everyones a bad boss at first. Just accept it.Everyones a bad boss at first. Just accept it.This essay originally appeared on Signal v. Noise.A fellow I admire just asked me why its so easy to be abadmanager. Goddamn, thats a fantastic question. I made some bonehead moves myself yesterday, so Im in the perfect position to answer this one.Were bad at most things by default. The only way to overcome the deficit is with the right kind of practice.We can practice badly and get over small humps, but if really want to break through from bad to goodor to greatwe have to put in deliberate, focused practice. And plenty of reps.With some things this is straightforward. Want to get better at a sport? There are clearly documented methods and approaches to practice. Want to get better at playing guitar, the drums, or the sax? Same thing.But with those, even if you practice poorly, a certain number of reps will get you somewhere. And the reps are easyyou can sit down and practice the drums for hou rs, if you have the time.But have you tried tomanagefor hours? How do you evenpracticemanagement?Professional athletes keep getting better at the saatkorn thing. They start playing a sport at a younger age, and gain expertise and experience in that same sport as they practice over the years. Professional basketball players play the same game at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30they just play better.Most bosses are beginnersBut professional managers dont start as managers. Theyre generally promoted to management. Theyve actually spend most of their lives, and careers,doing something else. So by the time theyve made manager, theyre beginners again. 3000 days into their career, theyre actually on day one. So, when they start, theyre probably not going to be very good. No different from the first day you pick up a guitar.Sure, youve listened to music for decades. But your first day on guitar sucks. Just like you may have watched people be managedand you were likely managed yourself. That doesnt pre pare you to pick up the management instrument and strum a beautiful melody.Observation is no substitute for doing.There are more reasons too, of course. People are wildcards. Humans are emotionalthat includes you And it takes a while to really get to know someone in a way where you can predict their outcomes. Throw something at them, and theyll react that way. Hand the same thing to them, and theyll react another. Pick something up together, and theres yet another reaction.So people are complex, outcomes are often unpredictable. Over time, with experience, you get better at feeling out outcomes. Your if this then thatprediction ratio improves. But the only way to really get that experience is to flub a bunch of shit for a while. Just like how you keep missing the A to G chord change. You have to keep playing, working on your timing, improving your hand strength.Practicing being a boss onstageManagerial trials and reps are much harder to come by. And when you practice being a manager , youre already on stage. Your flubs have consequences. Fucking up could cost you or someone else their job. It could cost a business money, customers, reputation. But when you practice guitar you can sit in your basement, alone. No one cares, and theres nothing at risk, if your pinky cant stretch three frets quite yet.I dont knowThere are a lot of reasons its so easy to be a bad manager.Another reason is that you feel like you have to contribute when theres really not a lot youshouldbe doing most of the time. Many managers over-involve themselves. Not even micromanage, but are simply around the work being done too often. They get in the way. Its an easy mistake to make when youre trying to prove yourself. Especially early on when youre job title doesnt really line up with your experience. Youre totenstill just practicing.And then theres assumptions. Managersand this absolutely includes memake too many assumptions about what people know or dont know. Managers are often privy to info rmation above them that hasnt yet filtered down below them. But theyll often assume theres a symmetry Of course they should know that Actually, its more likely they wont know that. When you assumed theyd know, you stopped the flow.Great managers help fill the gaps so no one has to jump over a chasm to come to a conclusion. It takes a while to get good at even seeing the gaps. Then it takes even more time to get good at filling them.Good managers can predict what will happenI had no idea theyd react that way are the words of an inexperienced manager. Good managers are rarely surprised at how people react. And the only way to eliminate surprise is to have seen it all before. And a honed sense of empathy. That takes living it. Books, classes, and simulations wont get managers there.Heres another assumption Someone on your team will internalize the news the same way you would. Probably not. Everyone hears the same words differently. Words are always filtered through previous experiences , and everyones experiences are different. Good managers recognize this, but its a common mistake from new/bad ones.The hardest thing about business isnt the business part, its the people part. Business is ultimately digital. People are analog. And as teams shift, grow, or downsize, and teams from different departments collide, all sorts of energy can be released. And its not always good. Until youve seen this happen a bunch of times, and until youve had the chance to corral the energy and send it in the right direction, youre probably going to make a mess of it.Now some people simply suck as managers, no matter how much they try to get better at it. Management probably isnt the right job for them. Its surely not for everyone, but the corporate world puts that target in everyones career path. Its unfortunate that management is the primary way to progression in ones career. Its often a regression.Thats what comes to mind. Raw.Was this helpful at all? Am I even close?