Employee Vs Management

Some one sent this pic in a ex-employees whatsapp group and this initiated a chain of discussion. I am penning down my thoughts on this which pretty much sums up my experience having seen many organizations operate, from Indian startups to US based MNCs. In fact this observation is not just limited to Software companies but is applicable to any other company including brick and mortar ones.

I any organization, irrespective of designations, experience and skillsets...there are 3 levels in which one can bucket employees

1. Workers/Foot-Soldiers
2. Management/Managers/Supervisors/Administrators/Enablers
3. Leaders/C level staff/Executive Staff

Thats all! irrespective of your designation or experience or skill set or any other factor, one will fall in one of these levels.

Level 1 (L1) is basically those who actually do the work on the ground. Ones who move the needle day after day. Ones who gets their proverbial hands dirty all the time and like that mode of working. They are the ones who are constantly contributing, turning the vision to reality and also up-skilling whenever there is a need and exploring new methods to do the job.

Level 2 (L2) are those who are Managers/Supervisors. These people typically do not perform the actual work but they get the job done. They act as obstacle removers/enablers/fire fighters and inspirational role models (not all the time though). These are the people who turn the vision (developed/conveyed by Leadership - Level 3) to reality. These are the people who actually tell what needs to be done on the ground to be able to achieve company goals. Operational details and decision making required for achieving company objectives are taken by these people based on experience/expertise.

Level 3 (L3) are those who are at the top of the pyramid. I call them Leaders. This set of people are gifted, typically coming from good academic background and are entrepreneurial in nature. These people come with a history of successes and failures and know how to operate a company, how to run business and more importantly see where are they heading towards. They breathe in and out business and interact with people who fund the company or shareholders. People in this level are make or break in nature and great set of folks here make great company! Their success is company's success. Differentiating factor in these folks are their risk appetite and their conviction to what they believe is the right thing to do.

Typically most of us start from L1 unless you are heir to a business family... in which case you might start with L3. However even those family owned businesses are pushing their gen next to have experience in L1 and L2 (esp 2) before hitting L3. Once you start in L1 it is only natural that you move to L2. Fastest moves are done by those who are smart and hard working.

Once you are in L2 and gain sufficient experience, one needs to make a call. Evaluate yourself if you want to go to L3 and you have what it takes to reach there. If yes, go for it and make a honest attempt. If no, stay put in L2 and thrive. There are enough challenges in L2. Many people are natural L2 players. They enjoy and do a great job there. They should not move to L1 which will be both demotivating and dis-service to their experience/expertise.

Folks in L1 should remain in L1 if they are not ready for L2. A good worker is killed and a bad manager is born if level jump happens prematurely. Also don't make a jump to L3 without being in L2 for sometime. I have often come across very naive people in L3 who have no clue how L2 operates and run things based on assumptions. L2 is an important phase to be experienced by all those who want to move up to L3.

With this, I request all of you to self-evaluate where you currently, where you want to go and align your career aspirations accordingly. It is perfectly fine to aspire for career progression but miracles don't happen typically there. One needs to put in required effort and diligence to reach where they want to be. Needless to mention that all 3 levels are important and a company will fail miserably if any one of those levels don't perform well.

Have healthy respect and empathy towards folks in all these levels as each one is different and has their own pulls and pressures. Manager bashing is easy to do than stepping up and becoming a good manager. Feeling jealous about jet set lifestyle of CEOs is easy than reaching there and taking those hard decisions. Remember they are there because of their capabilities and track record (in 95%+ cases). It is not without reason people in L2 are typically paid more than L1. Needless to mention that L3 commands highest pay in the company.

I have observed that people in L1 typically artifically glorify their level calling themselves are real contributors (as compared to L2 and L3 folks)...remember a company with bad L3 will not even pay salaries.

Any organization cannot just have just L3 and L2 employees. They definitely need L1 to get things done on the ground.

Company with just L1 and L2 employees will not survive for long due to lack of leadership, vision and competition pressures.

Company with just L1 employees will become a fighting ring with in weeks :-)

Bottom line: Everyone in any organization irrespective of roles and responsibilities are important. Lets learn to appreciate this. They have a role to play and you have yours!

Go Play!