It was tough to make the decision to quit a job where I had worked for almost seven years. It took me several months to come to this decision. I joined the Bank of Georgia as a 21-year-old boy, full of motivation but still an early professional in the field of digital marketing. I spent countless nights in the office to sharpen my skills and to contribute for Bank of Georgia.
In the last couple of months, I was managing a team of 25 people, and I learned several important lessons. These lessons have shaped my perspective on leadership and management.
- Respecting Independence:
The people I managed were not children who needed to be “raised,” nor were they people who owed me anything. The relationship between the company and its employees should always be based on a fair agreement: individuals contribute to the company, and in return, they receive reasonable compensation. That’s it—no additional strings attached. The idea of a workplace as a “family” is a myth and should not be promoted, as it often leads to unrealistic expectations.
- Vision Is Key:
For me, the most critical part of being a manager is having a clear vision. A manager who lacks expertise in the field and common sense cannot compensate for this with communication skills alone. Strong leadership requires direction and the ability to inspire confidence in the team. I often said to newly joining managers: Either you will lead the entire team by creating a vision and clearly communicating it, or your team will end up falling apart.
- Delegation and Oversight:
The organization needed me as a manager to drive change and development—but not to personally handle every task. It’s vital to develop the skills to delegate responsibilities effectively while also maintaining control and oversight of the team’s work.
- Filtering Information:
One of my key responsibilities was creating a buffer between upper management and my team. As a manager, I had to process and distill information from my director, passing on only the necessary and relevant parts to my team, and vice versa. A manager should not act as a messenger or “conductor,” trying to please everyone and exchanging raw information without adding value. Otherwise, it can lead to unnecessary stress for everyone involved.
I want to once again say thank you to everyone who helped me learn something during this period.
For anyone wondering what’s next, I’m joining TBC Bank as Head of Digital Growth. I’m really excited about the chance to put all my knowledge and experience to use there.
But for now, I’m on a six-month gardening leave. so I’m totally up for meeting new people and having some great conversations about anything interesting.