Chief IT Cheerleader
As an IT department manager, you should be the number one advocate for your group. This is an important IT management strategy. It’s your responsibility to make sure that your department gets:
- The resources it needs to function properly
- The appropriate respect from other parts of the company
- Recognition for deserving people for a job well done
This last item can be somewhat more challenging for IT executives than for leaders in other areas of the business since, as technologists and systems staff, other stakeholders in the company may not have an true understanding of what IT really does and, perhaps more importantly, the serious challenges IT staff can often face. Your people just keep things running and that is simply expected. More about this later.
When it comes to promotions for you, know that if your IT team is perceived as efficient, organized, important to the company, then you, as the leader of that team will benefit greatly, both personally and professionally.
One of the best ways for members of the company to know how well your IT department is doing is that you tell anyone who will listen! I don’t mean being obnoxious about it, but you must say it in small, appropriate doses. For example, when asked casual elevator-questions by senior people in the company, such as “How is it going?” resist the urge to say “Great, how about you?” Instead, speak from your pre-determined list of recent IT department successes and the personal achievements of individuals on your technical team. Such as: “Things are going really well. The IT team completed the financial project ahead of schedule and still under budget. And George did a terrific job coaching the testing team—his first real supervisory assignment. He’s got a future in IT management.” Make sure you have four or five of these factual nuggets at the ready at all times. These quick informational exchanges can give your IT department a big boost at unexpected times.
For example, the senior executive that you told about George’s success may remember the conversation when the executive team discusses retention and succession planning in this more challenging hiring market and can say “well IT seems to be aimed at developing a bench. Let’s find out more about what they are doing.”
This last part, chief cheerleader for individuals on your team, is particularly important. Advocating and highlighting the personal achievements of IT staff reporting to you builds loyalty within the team toward you and it gives the individuals in your IT group the recognition they deserve. For example, when your boss asks “How is it going?” you can say “Great, in fact Joe just negotiated a great service agreement with one of our IT vendors.” As in the previous example, this type of answer to your boss, or other executives, tells him/her three things:
- First, and the most obvious, is that Joe is doing a great job
- Second, is that you are the kind of IT manager who is willing to give deserved credit to the individual members of your team
- Third, good things are happening within IT and you are smart enough to recognize it
As chief cheerleader, you should also be showing interest, excitement and enthusiasm in broader role IT plays within the company, the work your group is doing and how your group is performing in achieving high level goals. This enthusiasm will raise the energy level of the people around you, including your IT team, your peers, and, to a certain extent, your boss.
It is particularly important that, when opportunities arise, you are sensitive that your comments are positioned in business terms rather than in IT terms. Resist the use of technical jargon but speak in the context of internal business goals within the company, marketplace goals and competitive goals. This is important in helping others understand the importance of IT to the overall success of the company. “I’m proud of my team for bringing the financial project in ahead of schedule . . . this system can really make a big difference in our AR days outstanding.”
There is one last place where you are also allowed to be chief cheerleader as long as you don’t overdo it—for yourself! It is good, and important, to be selfless and pass credit on to the members of your IT team. It is also permissible to be your own chief cheerleader– in a humble kind of way. You don’t want to say how great you are, because people will just roll their eyes at you. Instead, you can learn to talk about your successes and accomplishments in a factual and matter of fact way. Without boasting, you can get your point across and develop the reputation of being a straight shooter who feels good about your personal accomplishments and those of your IT team.
Eric Bloom
President and founder of Manager Mechanics, LLC
Eric is also a nationally syndicated columnist, entrepreneur, speaker, award winning author and trainer in IT management skills. By pioneering IT leadership education in traditional classroom settings, as well as online platforms and advanced virtual worlds, Eric’s team provides strategic education to firms who value superior IT leadership, a strong teamwork ethic, IT innovation for competitive advantage, and planned succession to consciously control recruiting and retention.
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