Being promoted to a management position is one of the greatest highlights in a professional IT career. This is a highly-deserving job, and you should enjoy the joy of it. The financial reward is only the tip of the iceberg. To be able to do your job well, you must improve your skills. You must realize that your new role as an IT manager is not about you. It’s more about the team you’re coordinating and that requires different mindsets and talents. You must follow certain steps and objectives after achieving such a high ranking. These are the main points you need to pay attention to.
The First Month as an IT Manager
You can become an IT manager in one of two ways: either through promotion internally or by moving to a different job. You are likely to be familiar with most of your colleagues in the first scenario. In the second scenario, you’ll meet many of your colleagues, or even all of them for the first time. You must learn how to work together with your new team. If you are a new employee, it will not be difficult to set boundaries with your coworkers and their boss. If you’ve been promoted, however, you will need to be clear about your boundaries. You were once a team member, but now you are their boss. You would have had a close relationship with some team members and spent time laughing with them. You have to end this with your new role and encourage more open-door meetings. To review the reports of your team members, you should first have a one-on-1 meeting. This will help you establish the context for each participant’s expectations and create a vision for the team.
You must be approachable and friendly to all members of your team. This can lead to a loss of potential in your job and could create an impression that you are favoritism. Being an IT manager does not mean that you have to just give the orders. You must also be involved in the work process. While you may have your own ideas about how things work, it is important to remember that everything was done before the new role was given. Avoid making drastic changes in the first month of your new title. This is a good time to learn more about your unit’s stakeholders and understand the requirements. Then you can start to put together your framework and devise the best way to work with your team in order to achieve the best result.
Time to recognize your strengths and weaknesses
Communication within the team is a major weakness for any IT manager. This type of work requires a lot of execution. They would rather work on a configuration file, than schedule a meeting to discuss team needs. From the first day, recognize your weaknesses. Your weaknesses might not be in communication, but may be in technical aspects. A system administrator will need to supervise the network team. You can learn any skill that you are lacking, regardless of whether it is technical or soft. There are many certification and training programs that can help you acquire the skills you need to excel in your new job.
Hey! Locate a Mentor!
No one is an island. You can’t do it alone. Mentorship is essential. You will face many challenges as a new IT manager. It will be a great help to have someone who has been through your new title before and is willing to teach you.
