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The Smart Techie was renamed Siliconindia India Edition starting Feb 2012 to continue the nearly two decade track record of excellence of our US edition.

I choose therefore I am

Joga Ryali
Friday, December 15, 2006
Joga Ryali
In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves… And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility,”-Eleanor Roosevelt.

Though everybody knows it, not many understand the impact of the choices we make in our personal or professional lives. Having the opportunity is not good enough. Choosing to act on the opportunity is what makes the difference.

The same applies for an experienced techie. Often in his career, he will be standing at a forked road where there is no right or wrong choice. It all depends on his strengths and interests to choose to act on every available opportunity. Like choosing to be a manager or remain as an individual contributor.

Individual contributor versus Manager
Some are good as individual contributors whereas others make better managers. What matters is not the capability, but passion towards contributing to the organization. Both require different strengths and each have their own frustrations.

The manager’s job is much harder than an individual contributor because his success is not entirely in his/her control. One needs to leverage the team (s)he is working with and has to manage all kinds of people with their career goals, idiosyncrasies and weaknesses. For example, not all successful teams have successful players. But with the entry of a new manager, who aligns and motivates the team by giving them a focus, each team-member suddenly starts to perform well. That’s the job of the manager: Bringing out the best from each engineer and creating the best team.

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