TL:DR An opportunity to manage people in my current job is coming up. I don't know if I will be good at managing people but I think it's a good opportunity to test this to see if going for promotion is a good move.
I've been in my current role over 3 years. I like it, am good at it and am (I think!) well respected.
2 people on a higher grade are retiring at the end of the year and work will interally promote at my grade into them. Promotions don't come up very often.
The catch is, that all the next grade are management posts and I don't know that I have the people skills. I also don't know that I want to manage people.
Work have advertised external jobs in the grade below mine. They want someone at my grade to manage them.
My wife doesn't think I should apply for this because:
- There isn't any extra money. Work are selling it as a promotion but it isn't.
- I would still be doing my job plus managing them which is a lot.
- She doesn't know that I would be good at it (I acknowledge that managing people is a specialised skill and I may not have it).
- If I am rubbish at it, it will undermine my hard earned respect and will knock my confidence.
- if I'm rubbish at it, it will hamper future promotion opportunities. Even if a non-mamagement role comes up (very, very unlikely), I will still have a "failed" job behind me.
- I am really happy and doing well in my current job and she's worried it'll spoil it.
I think I should apply because:
- it's as "safe" as something like this will be. It's a new role and I don't think anyone who can apply has any recent management experience so we're all starting from the same place. Work know we're all starting from zero.
- there will be lots of support. The company are good at this.
- if I'm rubbish, I will be able to step back from the management aspect (assuming someone else is available) and go back to what I'm doing now. I won't have left my current job. It won't look good though and gossip!
- it will help me to know whether to apply for the promotion when it comes up.
- I want to progress. If I do this and it fails, it will be a lot less damaging than being promoted and failing.
My current manager is blowing smoke up my arse about it. I'm having coffee with an old manager about it next week and I know she'll be honest.
YANBU - give it a go. It's as safe as it ever will be to try this and you might surprise yourself (and your wife!).
YABU - you have a good thing going. Why spoil it? You're not in a rush to progress and something will probably come up at some point so just wait. Plus, think of the new recruits who'll be stuck with you.