Let’s face it, as I.S. Directors, CIO’s, or supervisors we all know our winners within our staff. Here are some things to let your employees know – and to help your process in creating better transitions.
You may or may not realize that you are doing this and it is a subconscious thing for most of us but you need to stop thinking that you are the only person in your I.T. department that will ever be the leader.
Part of the issue is trust. Developing trust for leadership is difficult when you cannot find the same commitment level in your department. Key steps in developing trust are to look for enthusiasm. If you notice that certain projects seem to generate enthusiasm and pride of ownership in your staff, take note. This is a staff strong point and can be used to generate morale.
Ask yourself “What am I looking for in a manager?” Prospective technicians need to grasp that the solution for many of the daily problems often involve a long term mentality. Does a help desk person take the initiative to think about positive changes that could impact service delivery? Or do they read from rote what you – the supervisor – have passed on to them? If they are material for management, they will bring up more efficient ways to accomplish these and other tasks.
I once heard it said that “I do not consider IT personnel as professionals”. This was an HR standpoint for one organization. Why? The simple answer would be because in many instances IT professionals have no advanced degree requirement.
While many of us take offense at this – be forewarned – there are I.T. professionals and there are I.T. personnel. The difference is not in advanced degrees, rather in the way they think and act. A professional will take you through the long term. A staff member will tackle the problem and be done with it with little thought of what comes after that. This is true regardless of the I.T. person’s college status. So the I.T. professional stands apart in the need for process improvement, long term strategies, planning, documenting, considering ROI and budget impact for decisions made, creative ways to accomplish the mission of the organization using the best fit of information systems to the problems at hand – and – more importantly, the problems that are coming.
These traits are the ones we look for when we need someone to head up a project. One tell-tale sign of readiness is the degree of self motivation. I will present an example:
Several staff members knew that a new project involving upgrading an email server was looming on the horizon. The staff members were aware of the old system and none of them had experience with email systems. All volunteered to work on this project to completion. However, when the time came closer, all but one of the technicians said they were too busy to really devote time to the conversion. One of the three had taken the training purchased and spent time learning about it despite being just as busy as the other technicians. The other two punched the clock and went home for the day, never thinking about the situation at all. When the time came, the technician who put the effort into learning the system got the nod for the project. This pattern repeated on several key initiatives and that tech shined in all. So, you have likely guessed who got the nod when it came time to groom a new I.S. Director.
We must choose to groom I.S. leadership and to create the mentality of learning, eagerness, long term strategizing, and professionalism.
Many organizations hire a new I.T. Director from outside the organization should the top spot become vacant. However, this hurts the business more than if a qualified individual is groomed from within to take the reins. That said, it is not always possible to find a motivated tech in your organization. At least not one with the right stuff. If you have a go-getter, you have to take the time and effort to groom them, place them, teach them, and coach them in order to get that person ready to be the leader.
Groom them:
You have many responsibilities in an I.S. leadership role. One issue that any tech will face is the transition from being in the trenches to planning the battle from the hills above. By bringing them into the planning process on large projects, you enable them to see and learn these processes and how your organization works during this process. The added benefit is their exposure to decision makers in the organization.
Technicians can be well dressed and still get their job done. When exposure to decision makers is likely, they must be aware of their appearances. Often, the smartest and most capable techs will be frowned upon by key decision makers because they do not appear to be professional – they are wearing blue jeans and a tee shirt instead of a collared shirt and dressier pants. These things are tougher for them because in one instance they are pulling cable through the dirtiest parts of the site and their nicer clothes take a beating. You can help them by suggesting they bring a change of clothes for those purposes. This helps them to look more professional when in key strategy meetings.
Make them a part of the conversation. You have a good idea what is going to be addressed at a meeting. Preparing them to be the “expert” in a selected area is a good practice for getting them noticed as a sharp person who knows their stuff. Encourage them to work through this with an idea of a presenter. This will start with smaller roles and as their confidence grows this can expand to more complex issues. Create a honest critique and give them pointers on how to better present topics.
Place them:
I have addressed the beginning of placing them in the grooming section. Placing them involves getting them in front of the managers in your organization. This means assigning them roles that work directly with the site closest to the upper level management. Fixing machines, working on their issues, training users in the usage of new software, and other tasks that fall into this category for upper level management is a starting point for your prospective replacement. This exposure brings a level of confidence from your key stakeholders in your candidate’s professionalism and if this professional is dressed well, well spoken, and courteous, the transition to his or her leadership is often painless.
Teach them:
We all have technical skills. That is a solid foundation for most I.T. directors and managers. However, we often think that everyone on our team thinks the same way we do. We are often surprised that our techs cannot see the forest for the trees. It is our job to teach them how to think in the long term and not to be as caught up with the surface problems. I liken it to a large river that looks placid when glancing at the surface but under that smooth cover there are currents that move through and carve a path for that river through the most efficient course. So it is with I.T. departments. We plan our projects and base them on the path we are on and the best route to where we want to end up. If we get our staff to align with this process, we are all in unison. Otherwise there is frustration and often repetitive failure.
Coach them:
Coaching and mentoring go hand in hand. We want our prospective leaders to be confident and competent. Rewarding the victories, re-thinking the failures, conditioning for the right outcomes are part of coaching. Making your people aware of your accessibility, willingness to guide, and ability to get them through tough projects is part of being a coach and a leader.
All that I have stated above does no good if you yourself have no concrete way to demonstrate these things. Try writing down a few ways that you plan for projects. Try, when you notice that someone is thinking long term, to write down how that looks in comparison to the day to day thinking. Document things that provide examples of the behavior you are looking for and then, you will have a road map for potential I.T. movers and shakers in your organization.
This helps your entire staff to realize what it is that you – as a leader – value in staff and it prepares them to meet and beat your expectations.
