3 ways to find fulfillment as a manager

A problem that most managers face:

👉 they have less fulfillment than they did being an individual contributor.

I’ve been a manager for already 10+ years and suffered a lot from this. I still do, but now I've figured out some ways to cope with it. Here's the story.

Why is it a problem in the first place?

It’s fulfilling to do something by yourself, with your own hands. You quickly see the results of your work.

It's much harder when you are a manager. You don’t see the results quickly. The feedback loop is way longer. Sometimes there's even a fear that you are already too lazy and will never ever be able to do some work with your own hands.

What is more fun — to draw a design in Figma or conduct a 1:1 with a designer? Write an article or set a KPI for a copywriter? Draw a CJM or plan a development budget?

Of course, there’s a rare category of people who enjoy management work as it is and get energy from it. If you’re like that — move on, and do not even think about writing anything in the comments, so as not to demotivate us. For everyone else — let’s hug and realize we’re not alone. And keep reading.

So, what to do with all this?

My solution is to look for something that both is fulfilling and has high leverage. Here are the 3 things you can do:

1. Make educational kits, playbooks, and guides for your team

Make a mini-course for all employees in your team. This is something you will do by yourself (=fulfilling), and it will have high leverage. You do it once, you reap the benefits for a long time.

For example, I once made an onboarding template for new employees at Asana, and it’s still one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done.

2. Start a blog

First of all, writing is a super pleasant thing itself. When you write, you’re in a flow state. It’s a kind of meditation. Much better than doing status calls in Zoom or whatever.

Second, writing is potentially a high leverage action. I know that most of my employees read my blog. If I want to get a point across, I sit down and write a post. For example, if this post of mine helps at least one manager on my team to get more fulfillment from their job, that would be the best reward for me.

3. Give feedback.

It used to be very difficult to get feedback from me. I tried to set myself reminders and weekly tasks but still didn’t do it. Now it’s still far from perfect, but it’s gotten a lot better.

First of all, feedback is a high leverage action. Feedback has a strong long-term impact on the employee and their development.

Second, giving feedback, if done correctly and well, is a very fulfilling activity. Yes, it’s not as fast or as easy as doing something with your hands. But it’s super cool when you help employees to unlock their potential and grow.

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What about your ways to avoid burnout as a manager?