Should I join the Dark Side (i.e. management)? 5

[penguinroundup]

I have an opportunity to officially move into the "management" side of things and be, basically, the assistant director of IT at my company. I'm completely torn as to whether this would be a good move for me or not. I've always said I *never* want to go into management, I want to stay technical. But now that this opportunity has presented itself, I feel like I shouldn't pass it up.

How did you know that management was the right direction for you? How did/do you deal with losing your day-to-day touch with the technology? I'm the kind of person who has a hard time delegating tasks, I'd rather do it myself to make sure it gets done the right way - but I also realize that I don't know everything (although I act like I do sometimes ) and that there are others who have more knowlege/experience in things that I don't.

argh!! My boss is a wonderful guy and he'd be a great mentor to learn from..... if I go into management, how hard would it be to go 'back' to being a server/newtork tech if I don't like it? would I be so far behind that nobody would hire me? does that make any sense??

thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you might like to share.

 

[spamly]

You'll probably get a few pros and cons.

How stable is the company?
Is it growing/shrinking/innovating?
Where do you see your current technology in 5 years/10 years?

 

[SantaMufasa]

Maker,

Let's look more closely at what it is that you prefer to do professionally:

...I want to stay technical...I'm the kind of person who has a hard time delegating tasks, I'd rather do it myself to make sure it gets done the right way.

I infer that you enjoy solving problems by figuring out effective means and paths for resolving issues, then delegating the solution to hardware to resolve on an on-going basis.


Consider management as simply a parallel/alternate environment for solving issues that are equally (if not more) important than solving issues via hardware and software. Acknowledge that there is a certain syntax in properly conveying instructions to humans...That there are branches and conditional expressions in effective management...That you still have the opportunity to make both syntax and logic errors, which you can (typically) correct for the desired result.

Your recognition of delegation issues requires perhaps developing new skills just as you would if you have a new software-development tool to learn. If you are similar to me when learning a new development tool, then we can[ul][li]observe and emulate successful users of the tool,[/li][li]read and study the documentation, and[/li][li]start designing and testing our projections for use of the tool.[/li][/ul]

In learning "Management Skills", their are counterparts to the above successful processes (which I'm sure you can devine).

Insofar as your perceived "delegation" challenges, recognise that if you don't implement that "sub-routine" (by trying to "do it all" yourself), then it is similar to trying to use a hand shovel to dig a trench that is 6 feet deep, 6 feet wide, and 1/4-mile long, instead of using a Caterpiller Back Hoe...you would not be leveraging valuable tools that you have available.

Certainly, you can use a shovel immediately (it's simple and straightforward). But if you take the time to understand the physics and mechanics of the back hoe, you soon overcome the "time you lost" by learning how to use the "tool".

If you are a skilled technical person, then you certainly have the smarts to learn the tool of effective delegation. The main component to successful delegation, IMHO, is the "Golden Rule": Delegate to others as you would like to be delegated to, which probably includes concepts such as:[ul][li]Your having, and conveying to the delegate, a clear understanding of the problem/need/challenge.[/li][li]Identify (even brainstorm with the delegate) alternatives for resolution.[/li][li]Agree the "best" resolution given constraints and resources.[/li][li]Identify key success factors (resources and milestones) necessary for effective completion.[/li][li]Identify possible "pitfalls" and "gotchas" that may occur and how to avoid them (i.e., risk management)[/li][li]Clearly identify a reasonable schedule/estimate for completion. (Remember, a good estimate is not an "optimistic" estimate...I want estimates that are as likely to be early as they are to be late.)[/li][li]Offer help and assistance to increase chances for early success.[/li][li]Reward successful completion with appropriate validation.[/li][li]Debrief the assignment with a session that identifies "What did we learn...what went 'right'...what went wrong...How can we avoid such problems in the future." Never allow that session to turn into a recrimination/blame session. Cause the delegate to look forward to such sessions as a tool to refine opportunities for success in the future.[/li][/ul]

Remember, "Managers" are managers because someone "put" them in that position; "Leaders" are leaders because people choose to follow them. I have a couple of managers in my career who were true leaders because I admire and respect them...I would follow them anywhere and do anything they ask because they earned my respect and admiration.

Let us know if any of this is useful.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[aarenot]

I do not consider myself a great manager, but as a leader I have always been able to get multiple managers to follow, and do some of those things as part of my team. I have been in organized mentoring programs for a number of decades, as a mentor, leader, trainer, and mentoring those I mentor into mentoring.

I would focus on trying to learn some basic skills sets of a leader which define if you are a leader, or a manager. As a leader I can make a manager out of anyone if they want to be one(even those that lack inteligence, which is not required to be a manager). Leaders are not quite so easy to make.

Leaders are not so much defined by what they do, but almost solely by what others do. If you want to know if you are a leader there is one simple, basic, unforgiving test.

LOOK BEHIND YOU!

To then develope your leadership skills I know of no better resources than joining mentoring programs because they have the scoop. The best ones for real development are volunteer groups so no financial coersion is mixed in there to be a crutch for real leadership skill development. If you can lead volunteers, you can lead paid people with your eyes closed.

Written resources by John Maxwell

"Developing the leader within you"

"Developing the leaders around you"

He has more, but these are considered bibles by many mentors.

 

[QuestingElf]

I remember years ago reading in a book by Janet Ruhl that at age 22 you may absolutely love technology and detest management types, only to then at age 35 wonder why you didn't consider management.

One big advantage going into management has is portability. You may get tired of IT, or IT may get tired of you, aka offshore outsourcing. Changing careers can and will be involuntarily imposed upon many of us.

Just after the dotcom meltdown I went to an open-house to consider career changes at a university extension which used to offer a lot of technical courses in Silicon Valley. It was interesting to hear a number of people who were in technical fields, who saw the writing on the wall. One man was a manager with 15 years experience in IT, and saw that no matter what he did to keep up technically, it was not good enough for overly picky employers. So he then chose to go into financial planning. He now manages teams of financial planners. He said he could do so because managing people has similar skills no matter what field you're in, e.g., budgeting, scheduling, hiring/firing.

I then also spoke to another manager who inspired me by noting "computer chips, potato chips, they're all chips." Both he and I have changed industries several times. This is mostly because when you become a manager, you start talking in management terms. In fact, getting out of IT via management was one of the better things both of us did, though you can try to stay in there if it still turns you on.

If you do go into management, you will lose your technical edge. It's inevitable. Yet that's expected of you. Maybe someone took notice of you because you were technically superior. When you become a manager, that's your incentive to make others technically superior, especially so you look good.

Good luck!

 

[PHettinger]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "manager". Do you hire or fire people? If not, I don't consider that job management no matter what the title is. It's funny but you probably have more real responsibility running a hot dog stand than most IT shops. At least, that's been my experience.