Foundations of Personnel Management: Professional development

Exceptional employees are often "rewarded" for their good work by being promoted to management. At first glance, being a manager looks like an easy job—after all, it merely involves standing guard while others do the actual work, right? But for anyone who's been dropped into a manager position without proper training, it's not that easy.

Making the transition

A manager who rises through the ranks can face some unique obstacles to success. Former peers often resist your new "power" and can make the adjustment tough. In the article, "New manager has to deal with complaints from his former peers," we chronicle one IT pro's experience with leading former peers and present recommended steps to overcome this obstacle.

If you're a first-time manager, here are resources that will help you move into your new roles with ease:

• Who's the boss? Tips for managing friends and former peers
  If a promotion placed you above your current peers, would you be composed enough to maintain both your new title and your workplace friendships? Here are some tips for successfully making this tricky transition from peer to boss.
• Fifteen tips for the new manager from an experienced IT pro
  If you think you learned all you really need to know in kindergarten, you've never been an IT manager. Read these tips from a seasoned pro to avoid first-timer errors.
• New IT manager: How to hit the ground running
  The first 30 days in your new IT manager position sets the stage for things to come. Here are some strategies for gearing up, from assessing the present state of your staff to outlining your expectations.
• New managers: Learn to manage and lead your IT team
  Effective managers find the balance between managing and leading their IT staff members. Understanding the differences and the connections between the two roles will help you handle both responsibilities.

Keeping your skills sharp

Management is an ongoing learning experience. Personnel issues will change and new problems will crop up nearly every day. This section of the lesson pertains to keeping yourself in first-rate managerial shape, with tips on avoiding common management missteps and specific suggestions for management success.

• The management track requires special skills and experience
  Moving into management is tempting to many IT pros. But before jumping into a position you're not ready for, there are a few issues you need to examine. Review these five steps and decide if you're prepared to move successfully into management nirvana.
• Master these 10 processes to sharpen your project management skills
  Various project management methodologies organize and structure work processes differently, but the key areas in this list always require attention to ensure success.
• Enhance your listening skills and your management success
  Listening is something that most managers believe they do well, but in fact, you may not be the good listener you think you are. If you develop your listening ability, you can greatly improve your management skills, as well as your career success.
• Quiz: How well do you communicate?
  To truly answer whether you are doing a good job, you must assess not only your technical ability, but also your people skills, management acumen, and leadership savvy. Take this quiz and see how you fare.
• Management do's and don'ts, according to your staff
  Being a good manager requires many skills, not the least of which is listening to your staff. This list of management do's and don'ts was created by TechRepublic members.
• The top ten IT management mistakes and how to avoid them
  Are you making common IT management mistakes? An executive coach shares his insight from years of working with IT management.
• Tough management decisions demand integrity
  Serving as an IT leader demands integrity and often requires managers to act unselfishly. The price for this type of behavior can be high, but as the experts and TechRepublic members can attest, it is the right thing to do.
• Learn to identify and accept role conflict in project management
  Sometimes the role of project manager encompasses other roles to the detriment of the project. Here's how to identify role conflicts and get things back on track.
• Stop negative management talk before it damages your staff
  Far too many IT managers fall into the trap of using negative words or a mean-spirited tone to communicate with their staffs. This type of poor communication can negatively affect your entire staff and their productivity—not to mention your career.
• You might be a micromanager if...
  Do you feel like you have to have a hand in everything your team members do? If so, you may be sending the signal that you think the people you manage can't be trusted to do a good job on their own.

Test your management knowledge

See how much you've learned from your own experience and from the resources in this lesson by taking our three management quizzes.

• How much do you know about managing people?
• How much do you know about managing? Quiz #2
• How much do you know about managing? Quiz #3

For a comprehensive list of resources on professional development, see page two.

Downloads

• 10 things you should know about managing IT projects
  Taking a leadership role in an IT project can be daunting, especially to the novice. These pointers will help you bring organization, professionalism, and goal-oriented progress to the projects you manage.
• Eleven qualities of successful IT managers
  Developing these core competencies will help you achieve higher success levels and will position you for greater career responsibility.
• Confessions of an IT pro: My nine biggest professional blunders
  IT pro Becky Roberts has spent the past 16 years building a solid tech career, but that doesn't mean there haven't been a few bumps in the road. Here's a look at what she remembers as her most appalling professional mistakes, along with the painful but invaluable lessons learned.
• 10 things you can do to organize and lead effective meetings
  It's easy to disparage those tedious meetings that are run by someone else—but are your own meetings any more useful and productive? These pointers will help ensure that your colleagues don't cringe every time they receive a meeting notice with your name on it.
• Six reasons IT managers miss their budgets--and 11 tips to come in on target
  Learn why you may be having trouble hitting your budget, and see what items are essential to developing a realistic and achievable plan.
• Master these 10 processes to sharpen your project management skills
  Various project management methodologies organize and structure work processes differently, but the key areas in this list always require attention to ensure success.
• Required reading for help desk managers
  The books on our required reading list for help desk managers offer valuable information for new IT managers and seasoned leaders.

White papers

• Developing leadership skills
  This paper by Business, The Ultimate Resource, talks about the different facets of leadership and the most common mistakes to avoid in order to be a successful leader.
• Accommodating Soft Skills in Software Project Management
  This paper by the University of South Africa summarizes the soft skills that can possibly improve the success rate of software projects. These projects, if not managed properly, can lead to escalation of budget and time schedules beyond expectations.
• IBM Workplace Collaborative Learning: A Guide to Skills Management
  This IBM paper provides a high-level technical introduction to the Skills Management feature of IBM Workplace Collaborative Learning. It is intended to help explain the new technology, its functionality, and its use.
• Managerial Skills Acquisition and the Theory of Economic Development
  This paper by the University of British Columbia presents a model of the interactive process between on-the-job managerial skill acquisition and the adoption of modern technology.

Read the entire Personnel Management series

• Part one: Interviewing and hiring
• Part two: Employee performance management
• Part three: Personnel issues
• Part four: Professional development