It's inevitable to some extent that managers no longer have the time to deal with the details when the focus shifts to the bigger picture. But does being part of the management team and looking at the place of IT within the business mean that they no longer understand what their staff deal with every day?
There has been much comment about how IT managers and CIOs can be better managers--how they can work on the "soft skills", manage teams, and deal with budgetary concerns. But how do Australia's tech leaders ensure that they still understand the way the technology they're managing works?
If you're not having to deal with a particular issue yourself, your perspective on it changes. After a period of time in a management position, can IT managers really identify with the problems facing the helpdesk when they're dealing with difficult users, the systems administrator trying to figure out a configuration problem, or the developer who is facing some coding dilemma?
Likewise, workloads are always a huge bugbear with staff, and IT divisions aren't immune to this gripe. In recent polls, respondents have commented that project overload was one of the most dire management concerns facing them at the moment. In most IT departments, the bulk of the nuts-and-bolts work on these projects is not done by the CIO.
As a manager, how do you explain to staff that you still understand where they're coming from when they're pulling all-nighters and the boss just seems to be going to management meetings?
Most CIOs I speak with describe their technical background as an important part of their ability to do a good job--the ability to see past the hype of what the business managers want IT to provide, to the reality of what can be done.
How do you stay in touch with technology? Do you think IT managers need to come from a technical background? Talkback below or e-mail us your tips at edit@zdnet.com.au
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