IT Leadership Growth Series

Let's say it like it is. Managing difficult employees isn’t any fun.  It wastes lots of time, takes lots of energy, and usually creates lots of paperwork. Now for the good news . . .

We all know that teaching others is a time-honored activity.  Parents teach their children about the world. Master craftsmen teach their apprentices the tools, tricks, and techniques of the trade.  Many athletes become coaches and many technologists often mentor new, less experienced, members of the profession.  As you may expect . . .

The finance department measures your department’s finances, and you will be judged on their measurements. The key to working effectively with finance people is to understand their world.  After all, your department’s financial health is a key component of good management.  Your finance person can help you with a number of tasks, including . . .

What things can I start doing now, as an IT Manager, to move toward me goal of eventually being a CIO? It may sound premature to start thinking like a CIO this early in your career, but it will help you begin to notice things you would otherwise miss.

I cannot over emphasis the importance of learning how to effectively work with vendors. By managing vendor-related projects well, you can help your departments meet its deadlines. Also, by negotiating well, you can save your organization lots of money.   Vendors can be categorized into two types . . . 

My team and I never seem to get great projects to work on. I feel like we’re always assigned boring tasks that no one else wants to do. What can I do to help our chances of working on the good stuff? I’m going to divide my answers into three distinct steps: . . .

There are many occasions when it makes sense to bring in a temporary employee on a contractual basis. The reason may be . . .

I have been contract project manager for about five years and have made some great business connections. My hope is to use these people as professional references, job referrals, and potentially to rehire me for additional contract work. How can I keep in touch with these people without being annoying or looking only self-serving? To begin . . . 

Do you have any tips on how to enhance the emails and other written communications I’m sending to my team, other people inside IT, and my non-IT counterparts and vendors?  The ones I’m writing now seem to leave people flat and uninspired. Let’s begin by discussing . . .

What is an internal IT thought leader and how can I use it to accelerate my professional growth? One of the best ways to move ahead professionally is to be viewed by those at your company and those generally within your industry as a thought leader. This, of course, is not an easy task but is very doable with the right plan, a willingness to learn, and a willingness to share your hard-earned exper...

When my team and I talk with our business counterparts about our software development projects, they seem not to care.  How should I deal with this issue?   As much as we love the technologies we use and how they work, most of our business users don’t.  Business users are, generally speaking, looking for solutions to their problems and not necessarily the behind-the-scenes technologies that make i...

There has been a big push by our new CIO for our IT organization to be more innovative. What things can I do in my department to enhance our innovative culture? Innovation doesn’t always require the use of new leading technologies, such as AI. Within IT, innovation most often comes from innovative ideas on how to use technologies and equipment you already own. Below are 10 questions you can ask yo...

Giving someone a promotion sounds like it should be easy. You call the person into your office, tell him he has been promoted and to continue doing great work, shake his hand and send him on his way. In one sense, it is that easy. However, there are a number of factors to consider . . .

My boss is a great person, but sometimes I can’t seem to get his attention and support for the things I think are most important for my department. Any suggestions on how influence my manager in this way? The first thing you must do to gain the support and ear of your manager is . . .

Managing up is one of the most important things that you must learn to do.  To a large extent, the levels of management above you control your success and future at the company.  If they like you, respect you, and think that you can help their careers, they will . . .

Since my company’s layoff last year, my IT department has had more work than we can handle. We’re working really hard but can’t seem to keep up with it. Any thoughts on ways we can increase my productivity? Thanks for your question. My belief is that there are millions of other people asking the same question. I think the best way for me to answer you is to tell you what I do. I’m a big believer i...

User-Computing, previously called “Shadow IT” until the term was reused by the cloud and cybersecurity community, refers to people outside of IT performing IT-related tasks, such as programming, SaaS application customizations, and other similar activities.   AI brings with it another whole new set of end-user tools that can be used by the non-IT community to automate processes, enhance productivi...

Rule number one is to be a team player. It will make it easier for you, easier for your boss and easier for your group.  Assuming that your peers are also managers, your boss is then a manager of managers. As a result . . .

Wow, what an industry we’re in, technical mega-trend after mega-trend. There’s gold in them there trends for the techies that can identify a unique niche, application type or business need, or job opportunity. These industry-changing trends can be of great career and financial benefit to you . . .

As the department manager, you should be the number one advocate for your group. It's your responsibility to make sure that your department gets:  The resources it needs to function properly The appropriate respect from other parts of the company Recognition for deserving people in your department for a job well done  Regarding promoting yourself . . .

People early in their career say “If I work hard, one day I’ll be a THIS.” THIS could be a CIO, Systems Architect, Senior Programmer, or any other professional goal you desire. Then, one day, years later, you look up from your day-to-day activities and realize one of the following . . . Wow, I am now a THIS and I love it! Wow, I am now a THIS and I hate it! I have tried my best to be a THIS and ca...

High user satisfaction requires more than just technical skill. It also requires the ability to understand user needs, efficient and effective communication, proper measurement of user sentiment, and the creation of a service-oriented environment.  This podcast discusses the non-technical skills and knowledge needed by Help Desk, Service Desk, and others working directly with those outside of IT,...

There is an old expression that says, “No good deed goes unpunished.” When trying to motivate a subordinate, hire a new employee, promote a staff member, or help out a customer or vendor, you can promise to try, but never promise that you can deliver, unless it is in your personal authority to do so. If you promise something and then can’t deliver . . .

I’m a software development manager who is continually being pushed by my business users to do more and do it faster, better, and cheaper. I can’t keep up with their demands and I think it’s putting my job in peril. Could I please have your advice on how to deal with this issue? My answer is . . .

In business, if it's not your birthday, surprises are usually a bad thing.  Also, a coworker of mine use to say that bad news doesn’t get better with time.  These two thoughts ring very true in the business arena.  When there is an issue within your department, the worst thing you can do is not tell your boss.  This may sound counter-intuitive, but it is the best possible course of action for the...