Working with IT managers on a regular basis allows me to see some fantastic management styles and some very poor ones. Below are ten major mistakes that I see IT managers making on a regular basis. Some of these errors have even been serious enough to cost the managers their jobs.
Number 1. Focusing on technology and not the business
The typical IT manager comes from a technical background in either infrastructure or development. Because of these technical roots, they tend to focus their efforts within the bounds of this expertise when they should be looking for ways to support, enable, and improve the business. In order to be successful, it is imperative that IT managers become a business leader and turn their focus and expertise to business issues and problems first.
Number 2. Thinking "out of sight is out of mind"
In IT, no news is not necessarily good news. IT managers tend to trudge along without ever looking at their progress. One of the most powerful tasks an IT manager can do is an assessment. There are several ways to do this. You can do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, or you could do a full blown formal IT Assessment. You can also use a scorecard system to track where you are as a department. See: http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-1035_11-5670861.html for a scorecard developed specifically for this purpose.
Number 3. Thinking that your team has got it covered
In the TV show "The Apprentice," a lot of the teams ended up in the boardroom because the leader delegated a job, but didn't follow up to make sure it had been done correctly. Following up is not micromanagement. It's your job as a leader to ensure that the task is done.
Number 4. Not chasing up your expectations
This mistake has its roots in mistake number 3, but can be carried into other aspects of IT. For instance, you could possibly expect great performance out of your servers, but may not have a system to make sure they're running at peak capacity. This ultimately leads to poor planning, budgeting, staffing, etc. If you want to avoid this common pitfall, make a comprehensive list of your expectations for your entire department. This could include critical projects, network and server performance, client satisfaction, etc. Double-check the list to make sure you are inspecting all expectations on a regular basis. Keep a checklist or develop a daily disciplines worksheet to follow everything up that needs daily inspection.
