Item — HN Reader

1. Most people who want to manage won't, period. That's just the math, ICs outnumber managers severalfold.

2. Many people will never become managers because they don't seem "managery." They don't dress right, they don't use the right buzzwords, they have a speech impediment, they speak too truthfully. There are all sorts of cultural factors too that people don't admit. For example, no manager would ever say this point 2 to you, because it's too honest and potentially upsetting.

3. A lot of people will only promote you to manager if they think you'll be able to make them look good, and that's the end of it.

The reason for 2. is mostly a fear that such a person might not be very effective at communicating, convincing and listening to others. There is certainly also an element of social charisma to it. I don’t think it is something that can’t be learned though; in fact I imagine most people that become managers perhaps take the time to do just that.... almost like a self fulfilling prophecy.

Nobody is born a manager.

+1 on point 2, no matter how terrible this sounds. Unfortunately this means decoding what your manager, and your organization, understand a manager to look like/talk like/act like.