Ever heard the saying, “If you want to know if a tree can stand strong like an apple tree, see if it can bear the weight of the apples”? Abraham H. Maslow used this analogy to describe management, and it fits perfectly. Becoming a manager, especially in IT, is vastly different from being a technical expert. The key to becoming an effective IT manager lies in understanding how a manager’s mindset and behavior differ from those of a technical specialist.
Shifting Your Mindset
As an IT specialist, your work revolves around using your technical skills to tackle complex, often ambiguous, problems. You might:
- Evaluate whether your proposed solutions are suitable for specific technical issues.
- Skillfully implement your chosen solutions to address these problems effectively.
- Bring order to unclear, complicated, or uncertain situations.
You’ve spent years honing your skills and developing methods that align with your expertise. Each profession sees problems through its own lens — an accountant through finances, HR through human relations, and so on. As David Packard put it, “Law students are trained to settle disputes, and a lawyer views everything as a subject.”
To become an effective IT manager, you need to broaden your mindset. You must consider perspectives that you might have overlooked if you stayed purely in a technical role. Accepting and integrating the expertise of others is crucial. At the Australian School of Management, it’s believed that the reason many high-ranking specialists struggle when they transition into management is their narrow practical outlook. Effective decision-making requires considering a full range of expert viewpoints. So, to manage IT effectively, you must also draw from the knowledge of others.
One useful technique is to put yourself in your colleagues’ shoes. Ask yourself, what would other managers do when faced with a similar problem? Then, apply those insights to your situation. Pick an important issue, grab a piece of paper, and write down what you think your colleagues’ mental models might be for addressing that issue.
How to Spend Your Time
According to management expert Henry Mintzberg, managers often find themselves overwhelmed with work, rarely enjoying any leisure time. Senior managers, in particular, are so busy that they often take unfinished work home. Here are a few key points about how managers typically spend their time:
- Managers work relentlessly and have little downtime. Senior managers often bring work home due to their heavy workloads.
- Managers spend limited time on continuous activities because unexpected events frequently interrupt their work. This is even more pronounced for lower-level managers.
- Managers tend to focus on tangible, concrete issues rather than those that require deep thinking.
The Activities of a Manager
Management responsibilities can vary, but according to Gary Yukl, some of the typical activities of a manager include:
- Decision-making
- Information exchange
- Influencing others
- Building relationships
IT specialists are usually confined to making decisions within their technical domains. One challenge they often face is a lack of communication skills, which are crucial for effective management.
Identifying Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Take a moment to consider your strengths and weaknesses. If your personality aligns with that of a typical IT specialist, you might be stronger in decision-making (judgment) but weaker in communication. If your profile is the opposite of what’s typically expected in IT, you might be an extroverted and highly effective IT manager. Your task now is to seek support from others to improve in areas where you’re lacking, as merely wishing for these abilities won’t change your situation. You might even need support staff to assist you along the way.
Managing People
One of the first challenges of becoming a manager is learning how to manage people effectively. Your approach will be influenced by your preferred work style, previous training, personal beliefs, and mental model.
First, if you believe in “authoritative management,” it might be time to reconsider. Learning to treat people with consideration can make your job more rewarding both professionally and personally. Experts like Maslow, McGregor, Yukl, and others agree on this point, with Yukl summarizing it best: “A manager who deals with people considerately and amicably is more likely to earn their trust. When emotional bonds form between the manager and employees, it becomes easier to foster cooperation and support from the team. A manager must trust their employees to get things done.”
Second, be a guide for your team and help them grow, so you can discover their hidden potential. This approach also ensures that you have a well-trained, loyal team. A manager can mentor people in various aspects beyond their immediate job responsibilities.
Sometimes, issues arise where you need to ask your team members to self-assess and identify their weaknesses. Encourage them to understand the root causes of these weaknesses.
Third, recognize achievements. Don’t just sit in your office waiting for the good news to come to you. Visit different departments, monitor the work, and listen to what people have to say.
Lastly, a significant portion of your time will be spent resolving conflicts — whether between your organization and others, with vendors, or even external issues. Sometimes, you’ll have to address conflicts that you didn’t start or weren’t even aware of. Training in mediation, negotiation, and conflict resolution can be very beneficial.
Are You Ready for Management?
Before diving into your first checklist, consider where you stand in the management role spectrum. This isn’t just a trivial exercise. The nature of your managerial role will also depend on the size of the company and the extent of your authority. One of the traps for IT managers is playing the role of an executive manager when the organization expects them to act as a frontline manager.
Here’s a quick self-assessment checklist to help you evaluate your readiness for management:
- Have you identified your strengths?
- Do you know which competencies you need to develop?
- Are you considering seeking help from specialists to acquire those competencies?
- Have you implemented a system to ensure you always consider diverse perspectives?
- Do you know your preferred management style?
- Do you think you need to make adjustments to enhance this style?
- Who mentors you in your organization, and do you have a set schedule for mentoring others?
- Have you set up a method to recognize achievements and reward individuals?
- Do you participate in management or conflict resolution courses?
- Do you regularly review management guidelines to ensure continuous improvement?