My first Manager -- An Experience to Share

There is a first for everything. We all know the legends, great leaders, and great champions in the world. All of them had a mentor or manager when they started their career. How many of us know that there was a manager who has helped Elvis Presley. His name is Winfield Scott Moore III. He was responsible for managing the first part of Elvis Presley's career.

How may of us do remember our first managers? These are the people who help you to cut your teeth in your professional career. For some strange reasons we are more comfortable to learn from friends than managers. This is not bad. I myself learned more from friends than managers in my career.

When I look back at my career, I can recollect my experience with my first manager. He was a Tamiliatn, he was around 40+ of age at that time (now he is probably retired). When I remember him, one of his characteristics strikes out - a permanent frown. Smile was something very difficult to come by for him. In my first meeting, he said "Oh. You joined. OK, for the next three days spend time in the machine shop. Everything else OK?" I just mentioned, that there is no fan in the guest room. He arranged for it in less than twenty four hours. The personal officer came running to me asking why I mentioned about the fan to him. Actually the personal officer had put in his personal money to get the fans. Then I realized that my manager was a terror in the company!!!

So I spent my next three days walking around machine shop, observing various things (being a civil engineer, a machine shop was pretty much Greek and Latin to me!!) and not understanding pretty much anything. The only thing I understood was the scheduling and queuing concepts because of my industrial engineering background. After three days in machine shop, I went with another colleague to my manager to give my report card. I had actually written three pages regarding my observations. The first question he asked (of course in his frowning way) "What is the make of the milling machine installed?" Actually a milling machine was getting installed when I was doing my rounds. I was watching the foundation construction part more rather than the make of the machine was being installed. I was totally dumb stuck...as i was supposed to be... His instruction was “OK, go back and spend more time in the machine shop.” So I spent two more days in the machine shop, noted down every machine make, capacity, utilization levels, all and sundry information. I also prepared a long report and went back. He looked at the report in a frowning way and said “OK now go and spend time in assembly shop.”

That was my first week with him as my Manager. Things never got better anyway after that. He was aloof and frowning all the time and never tried to understand people (read it as me). But he was brilliant technically and was doing very well in the company. If my colleague was not there, I would have been completely lost in the company. I learned a lot from the colleague (he was five years senior to me) and he became my mentor. Every experience has its positive side teaching us something. This experience with my manager taught me about how to manage tough managers. Now I can manage even the most difficult managers with ease and a smile!!!