Manager First-Technician Next
Business have been promoting the best technician for year as a reward for their expertise. It is assumed that the good technician will impart their knowledge to their subordinates and all will achieve a higher level of technical production. Nothing could be further from the truth. I do not like to generalize, but most good technicians, by nature, are not good motivators, managers of time and perceptive to the needs of their subordinates. By virtue of their achievement in the hands-on world, they have often not been schooled in the skills necessary to be a good manager.
As a Project Manager, I have always recruited the best technical person I can find to my team and that person becomes my "right-hand" when it comes to advice on technical matters. (The same holds true for other elements of the team, by the way.)
Good managers know how to work through their team and maximize production. There is more to a team than just the technical side and no one can be expert in all of it.
