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it's critical to be clear whether u r striving towards Center or towards Top Center is socially based. the center of attention. the nexus of a network Top is reality based, that which cannot be ignored even if it faces overwhelming social consensus of the opposite

the difference is critical. e.g. say a hypothetical female engineer wants to prove herself and becomes engineering manager thinking she'll use her social understanding and psychology powers to Fix All The Problems

she thinks she is heading towards Center where she'll have increasing impact and voice but she is actually heading towards Top where she is a target the same way an alpha wolf is always a target

every decision may be followed but it will be endlessly scrutinized and criticized. the quality of the decisions must FORCEFULLY be BETTER without any question based on real numbers that can't be socially manipulated otherwise the leadership is questioned. "y is SHE in charge?"

she has actually ended up at Top, a de jure position of influence rather than Center, the de facto position of influence that she may actually want wonder why managers rarely go out to casual lunches w/ direct reports? it's not that no one tries. it's simply awkward

Top is by necessity a lonely position because it requires the distance necessary for the decisions it needs to make. one cannot see the forest from the trees if one refuses to step away from the leaves

there is MASSIVE difference in efficacy of command between reports to whom u were previously equal and watched u rise and those who came in with u as their hiring manager from the get go

eventually, to maintain order, the manager has to end up with a team that is completely new that has only known you as manager a far cry from the original goal of trying to fix all the social dysfunctions of the previous team they aren't even around anymore