Hallmark of a Good IT Manager

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You’ve just been promoted from a senior developer/ programmer to the next level: an IT Manager!
What is it really like to be an IT Manager? What do you need to do? What is expected of you?
Here are some thoughts: You need to

  1. be a leader & (tough) decision maker – not afraid of being in the spotlight
  2. have a mind of your own and be not afraid to put forth your perspective
  3. be able to deal with difficult and unpleasant situations
  4. be the answer and direct others 
  5. be able to juggle with the expectations of both the superiors as well as subordinates
  6. maintain a visible profile; not hidden behind curtains/ stage 
  7. be able to communicate (or even debate) effectively during meetings
  8. be on your toes especially during meetings – be always ready with a response
  9. be able to hire & fire as necessary
  10. be competent in the business domain
  11. be competent in IT management
  12. understand the processes & operations
  13. be able to introduce and enforce structures and procedures when required
  14. appreciate the vendor’s processes & operations in order to determine how they can be “fused” with yours
  15. understand how business functions map to the IT systems/ applications and where the gaps are
  16. understand how IT systems/ applications map to the infrastructure and where the gaps are
  17. browse incident reports to understand the pain-points
  18. appreciate the project value and know the stakeholders
  19. appreciate the IT value from the perspective of the stakeholders, sponsors, and users
  20. understand the IT funding mechanism
  21. garner users’ support and collaboration
  22. appreciate business conditions and directions
  23. identify risks and work out the plan to mitigate them
  24. know that you will no longer be well-liked because telling others to do work or getting work done effectively may require you to step on toes

All the best in your endeavour!

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