I've always hated feeling confined and controlled. I'm like a wild horse—I want to do what I want and do it my way.
That's why entering the corporate world felt so awkward. Work isn't like school, where creativity is enough. You have to cater to others' tastes. Bosses offer guidance and constant reminders, which put enormous pressure on me and made it impossible to do things my way—and frankly, that was painful. On top of that, my work involves writing and publishing, so I have to hold back from fully expressing my ideas. I need to edit, reframe angles, and sometimes coordinate with advertisers. All this "compromising" made me watch the senior staff who didn't need to be managed and question myself: "Am I just not good enough?"
Driven by this fixation, I desperately pursued my boss's approval—only to backfire. Of course, this doesn't mean we don't need to improve. Pursuing growth is good. But how do we "break free from the boss's chain" and leverage our strengths in freedom? The real key is this: "Only people who need management actually need to be managed." What does this tongue-twister really mean?
Simply put: when your abilities and ideas don't yet meet the organization's standards, they "need managing"—so your boss "needs to manage" you.
Does that make sense?
Really, this all comes down to your manager's trust in you.
(Related reading: The Korean drama "Misaeng" Realistically Shows That Work Is About Building 'Trust')
Regardless of how capable you are, when you join a company or transfer teams, your boss doesn't yet know you well enough to fully trust you with the department's important work. Without a clear standard to judge by, they choose to gradually hand things over, adjusting your work attitude, methods, and sequence along the way—building the right efficiency and patterns. This period might take months, not days.
So for a while, you might feel stuck doing "repetitive tasks" with no real chance to shine. You might even think your boss doesn't notice you. But here's the thing: whether it's work or life, "doing simple things repeatedly makes you an expert; doing repetitive tasks with care makes you a champion." Do you see the difference?
From your manager's perspective, having you repeatedly practice simple tasks, internalizing them until you react unconsciously and develop judgment of your own—knowing how to handle crises and drastically reducing errors—signals that you're trustworthy. Then they'll gradually layer more complex work your way, fostering your growth through osmosis.
And if you put in a little more effort, making small improvements to these "small tasks" every day:
For example: Reducing completion time → Boosting efficiency
Lowering error rates → Improving stability and maintaining quality
Adding your own ideas → Creating uniqueness
Through subtle changes, you quietly build your own work style and communication methods. Once your manager and colleagues understand your personality and see that you listen to feedback and are willing to learn, trust gradually develops. They'll assign you more important work and let you make your own decisions.
The junior period is a process, not an endpoint. Without going through the trials, how can you be refined?
As you grow stronger and capable of flying solo, your boss will let go. By then, you'll have already "broken the chain" and can fly free.
