Has anyone asked to return to their role as an individual contributor?
I’ve been in a manager role for 3 years after serving almost 8 years as an individual contributor at various levels. I expressed interest in people leadership, but I believe I was promoted mostly based on my ability to do the work well. I receive positive feedback around my people skills. I enjoy pairing the right people with the right work and coaching/developing. I go to bat for my team when it comes to helping them manage work/life balance, identifying growth opportunities, and setting boundaries. Their feedback indicates that they are happy with me as their manager. That said, I really struggle with strategy conversations. It all feels so… abstract(?) to me and like we talk in circles, but I am more than happy to put together a plan to execute once the strategy is in place. I’m struggling to understand what this means for my future career. Has anyone discovered that this wasn’t for them and asked to return to a previous role?