Intern to Manager : 10 things that stood out

Photo by Mathias Jensen on Unsplash

Whether you are an incoming intern, current intern, or early career — Have you ever wondered how an intern transforms into a manager at some of the world’s most valuable companies? I recently sat down with a mentor who navigated this journey, and the insights gained are too good not to share.

From my conversation, here are 10 things that stood out:

1. Don’t Let a Bad Stretch Define You: Your career is long; don’t let a tough period define it. Recognize that challenges are part of the journey. There are periods when you will struggle, and things might not go as smoothly as they have. Push through, and don’t beat yourself up for it. In the grand scheme of a 10/20+ year career, that 6-month bad stretch is negligible.
2. 1:1: Use your 1:1’s with your manager to create a social connection (talk shop), use that time to get unblocked (avoid using your 1:1’s as a status update all the time), and utilize the time to get a sense of where things are in the organization. With your skip manager(your manager’s manager): what are their interest? Get a sense of what is happening at that level and beyond. What are their problems — if you solve those problems, you are getting promoted(maybe not instantly, but at some point). Talk to them, figure out their problems, and solve them.
3. Career Conversations with Managers: Have career conversations with your manager at a regular interval that works for you (bi-monthly, every quarter, or every 6 months). Your manager should be your advocate; if they are not, if you have the option, it might be time to find a new manager that will advocate for you.
4. Leadership Evolution and Goal Setting: I was curious if he set a goal to one day lead teams or if he fell into leadership out of sheer good work. No surprise, it was a blend of goal-setting and continuous learning and working. Creating concrete short-term goals that act as a stepping stone to get to the next level.
5. Importance of a Mentor-Manager: If your manager isn’t a mentor to you, something might be amiss. But mentorship doesn’t stop there; seek guidance from experienced peers outside your immediate management circle. Have people outside your manager you can bounce ideas off — senior to you (doesn’t have to be crazy senior, but someone more experienced that you can bounce ideas off). Also, even if your manager is a great mentor, it might still be a great idea to have someone you trust outside your management chain to bounce ideas off.
6. Fearlessness, Tenacity, and Confidence: Fearlessness, tenacity, and confidence are crucial for pursuing and achieving goals. Confidence grows over time, build a “bag of wins” to draw from when needed. Write down your wins over time to help you build your confidence and show you how far you have come, that perspective is always helpful to move to the next level.
7. Identifying Good Managers: A good manager can accelerate your career, and a bad manager can derail your career. If you have an option to pick your manager, choose your manager wisely. Some ways to identify if a manager is right for you are to talk to their people (ask subtle questions that help them talk about their managers) and inquire about their management philosophy. If you don’t have a good manager, find a new one when the opportunity arises; considering the job market’s challenges today, that is probably not an option for most people. In a nutshell, you can identify good managers by understanding their philosophy and talking to their teams (not an exhaustive list).
8. Learning How to Learn: Believing in your ability to learn is half the battle. Identify your goals, understand the required skills to achieve them, and work towards mastering them. The path may differ for everyone due to diverse starting points, strengths, and weaknesses. Believing is key; if you think you can’t, you can’t. If you think you can, you can. For example, if you want to be a senior engineer, figure out where you are and what you need to be there, and learn how to work on those. This exercise will be different for everyone because we have different starting points, weaknesses, and strengths. Utilize your company’s hackathons/day of learning, read relevant articles, books, free certifications, etc. Constant learning is vital.
9. Breakdown of Work at the Manager level: Understanding management dynamics was a fun point for me to learn. When you step into management, personalities and team dynamics vary. Managers spend time in 1:1s, fostering social connections, discussing challenges, and understanding organizational nuances. For some engineering leads/managers, coding remains, but coaching and people management take precedence. Managers focus on reporting, team health, and product success metrics. There is a lot of empowering the team, coaching them, making sure they are where they need to be.
10. Adapting to Management Realities: This means recognizing the unique challenges of stepping into a managerial role. Until you’re in it, you don’t fully grasp the complexities. Managing involves navigating diverse personalities and understanding the crucial role of team dynamics. It’s a continuous process of self-awareness and learning, requiring agility and empathy. Acknowledging individual differences and fostering collaboration allows managers to navigate leadership challenges effectively, ensuring a positive and productive work environment.

Embarking on a leadership journey requires a blend of confidence, learning agility, and astute career choices. As you navigate, if you want to take on a leadership role, remember some of these lessons, and may your career trajectory be as promising as you hope!

If you enjoyed this article, check out this podcast episode going into more details about this topic .

Cheers!

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