Thanks.

It was actually pretty smooth. I spoke to my manager and divided the bits I liked and didn't like. It turns out the bits I liked fell under the role of a Lead Designer; whilst all the other stuff I was less keen on fell under Manager.

I've read some of the comments here and the definition of manager certainly differs (I guess a lot depending on the size of the company). Managers at Citrix are here for the people, in this case the designers, to help them work better – they don't necessarily command who works on what, but they define frameworks to help individuals develop all types of skills (not just design) as well as ensuring all functions of the business run smoothly (design, development, product management, marketing).

The piece that played a huge part of my previous role was on strategic design decisions and working hands on in making them become a reality. The attention to this part of my role was severely compromised when becoming a manager, so cutting this stuff loose allowed me to be end up a bit where I started – focussing on the strategic stuff.

Luckily there was a guy in the team who held a natural fit for this Managerial role; he had all the skills required. So the transition hasn't been too rough for me or the team.