In the IT industry, as in any other, there’s a big difference between management and labor. The first refers to the higher-ups who set strategy and gather resources to accomplish goals; the second refers to staffers who carry those strategies out.
Which one are you? Read on for a crash course in what it takes to become an IT manager at technology blog ideas. Prepare yourself! It’s not an easy journey! But if you can make it through these ABCs of management, you might just be ready for this fascinating new world.
1) Acquire ability:
You have got to know what you’re doing before you can manage anyone else or your time’s really wasted. IT has its own language and concepts, so it’s crucial to understand what the different IT strategies are, the difference between user-based and provider-based computing, and which new technologies promise payoffs. And don’t forget the acronyms: SLA, ROI, TCO; TLA, FLA; RFP, RFP*; P2P.
2) Acquire authority:
You probably think that simply because you have some technical skills and savvy, you can start managing people. Well guess again! It takes a lot of hard work to acquire authority and it’s not for wimps. You’ve got to learn how to communicate: what to say and what not to say, how to prepare and present a document, and what you can do to get people on your side. You have to be a good listener as well as a good speaker. It’s not easy being an IT manager!
3) Acquire confidence:
Once you’ve got authority over people especially if they’re in a position of power you have to be able to stand up for the team’s needs, and even raise a few red flags if necessary. You need to know the limits of authority, know when to use it, and how to gain respect.
4) Expand your career:
An IT manager’s job is never done. There are always more responsibilities and challenges to handle, so you have to continually improve your skills in order to advance in the organization.
5) Expand your horizons:
The best way to improve an IT organization is by broadening its scope from within. This means developing training programs that help other employees grow as well as contribute, and making sure that there are plenty of opportunities for advancement within your own company.
6) Develop your network:
You need to make friends with all the key people in your organization, not just those that are directly under you. The people who can help you advance will be those that don’t necessarily report to you; they can be department heads or even CEOs.
7) Get better at IT:
When you start out as an IT manager, it’s easy to think that management skills are a set of techniques: here’s how language should be presented, here’s how to respond when a meeting starts off badly and how to get people on your team.