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.
Management NetNote newsletter.
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