Journal Journal: Management by example? 2
An old adage states that "the best way to lead is to lead by example". In technology related fields though, this is a tricky act ... as one could readily tell after reading comments in November 25's Can a Manager Be a Techie and Survive? story.
From my perspective, the reason it's so challenging to manage a technology team is that everyone on the team expects something different from a manager. This plethora of expectations seems far more diverse than for non-technical teams (or at least compared to Management Consulting, my prior career).
For example, I've found that:
From my perspective, the reason it's so challenging to manage a technology team is that everyone on the team expects something different from a manager. This plethora of expectations seems far more diverse than for non-technical teams (or at least compared to Management Consulting, my prior career).
For example, I've found that:
- 1/3 of tech employees want a manager who is an expert in their field so they can utilize them for assistance
- 1/3 of tech employees want a manager who is completely non-technical so that they can focus on solving the problem however they choose
- The other 1/3 of tech employees don't want a manager at all. To them, a manager is always part of the problem and thus should be marginalized if at all possible
Do you agree with this, and what tactics do you (or your manager(s)) utilize to effectively handle these expectations?