I have been working for my company for the past eight years. I have taken on different positions and have grown in my career.
Recently, I was promoted to manager and was looking forward to taking on the new challenge.
My manager who used to look down on me became my underling instead
My first day as a manager was a bit strange. It felt like I was the new kid in school, with everyone sizing me up and judging me. I was a bit intimidated but I knew that I could handle the job.
I was assigned a team of ten people and one of them was my former manager, John (not his real name). I was a bit surprised to see him there but he had also been promoted to a new position. It was a bit awkward to be in a position of authority over someone who once held power over me.
We had a bit of a strained relationship at first, as John had always been a bit condescending towards me. I was the youngest person on the team and he would often make comments about my age and inexperience.
Suddenly respected me, like his livelihood was dependent on my mood
However, after a few months on the job, our relationship changed. This was probably because he knew he had to bootlick me for any chance of staying in this job.
It was like his survival was totally dependent on me.
He started to respect my decisions and opinions and even sought my advice on certain matters.
It was a bit weird to suddenly be on equal footing with someone who had been my superior for so long. I think the fact that I was now in a position of power helped changed a lot of things.
Its surprising how things changed in just a matter of a few months after I was promoted