With the wake of the tech bubble over, kids are looking at technology as a “cool” career move and with companies moving more and more to information technology as a way of saving money and “one-upping” the competition the job market in computer science and information technology is growing.

In fact recent unemployment trends in the US have been on the rise with the weak economic conditions. However, information technology jobs have fallen at only 60% of the national decline. That’s great news for techies!

Yet, with all this possible growth and excitement around the information technology sectors, and possibility of higher job security, women are generally not seeking out degrees in computer sciences nor are they applying for information technology roles at corporations. In fact, in a recent study by the Association for Computer Machinery only 32% of high school girls considered computer science or information technology to be a “good” career choice compared to 74% of high school boys surveyed. Only 9% of girls, but 28% of boys listed computer science or information technology as “very good” in the same poll. Interesting indeed!

As a man, I look at our field as highly challenging, highly motivating, and a very stable career choice. What’s not to like actually? Other than on-call and 24/7-365 support, which many careers in information technology are free from, I truly don’t understand why more women are not pursing careers in IT!

I think we need to work hard as computer science and information technology professionals to encourage young women to pursue IT careers. It’s simply time for this perception to change. Not just for the sake of the many young women who would likely enjoy IT as a career if encouraged, but also for the industry as a whole. Just think how the industry could change and grow if more women showed interest and joined our field. Women tend to be creative in ways that men are not. More women in IT could spark inspiration in companies who’s products are targeted at well, women.

I’m not sure what the answer is, but I’m sure it is time for this to change!

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The roles of an IT Manger can vary from company to company. In some companies the IT Manager is responsible for strategic direction and planning, while at other companies the IT Manager may fulfill a purely technical leadership role. Be sure you fully understand this role at your company or during the interview when changing jobs. Also, be aware that as companies grow and change, the roles of the managers will grow and change with it.

This large variation in responsibilities and the constant change in IT organizations and responsibilities can be a great thing for your career. This allows you to start out in a role more suited to your abilities and grow into larger ones. It also means that as the company grows, so must you. Information Technology (sometimes referred to as Information Systems) is a career that requires continued learning and adaptability. New technologies, systems, and processes are created almost weekly.

The bad news is that the role of an IT Manager with all of these key skills and the ever changing landscape is quite often a thankless job. One Director of Fortune 500 retailer was once quoted telling her boss “If everything is working the way it was planned and architected, no one knows I exist. However, when it breaks, everyone knows my name.” That is to say that even the best IT Managers get the wind knocked out from under their sails on occasion.

Keep in mind that to many people an IT Manager can mean many different things. Each department within the organization will have a slightly different perspective of what they believe your job and your focus to be. This also applies to your boss, and his/her superiors.

The Definition of a Manger
The AMA president defined the role of a manager as “Getting things done through other people.” Answers.com defines management as “Authoritive control over a person or group of people.” As you might notice, these definitions are at somewhat different ends of the spectrum. The first represents collaboration while the second the represents control. While both are accurate descriptions, it will be your job as a manager to use the right definition or combination thereof at the right time(s).

The truth is most likely that you, as a manager, will fall more heavily into one of these definitions that the other. You should take some time to evaluate yourself and your style. Then, be cognizant of the style you are most likely to swing to. This will save you some time down the road as you learn to manage others and conflicts arise.

The catch is that most likely, as you grow in your career and job you are likely to change your style to suit the company and/or culture you are in. So which style will you be? It’s hard to tell.

There are many tales of managers who change companies and are shocked to find out that their style of management is completely incompatible with their new company’s culture. One example might be a manager who directs her employees to execute a step by step plan for the rollout of a new application. However, the company culture is very collaboritive and the team she is now leading expects to be part of the decisions, planning and direction of the project.

One of the most common struggles we hear about with new managers is resentment from fellow team members. Sometimes peers (that are now your employees) will resent the fact that you were promoted and they were not. Others might simply feel that you are not qualified for the job. These issues are very common to new managers, especially if one or more of your peers (now employee) have ever managed before and you have not.

This can be a slow process to get past, and in some cases may require outside help from your superiors and/or your Human Resources department. In most cases however, all that is required is a little time and communication from both parties. This starts by building a relationship with your team. Talk to each person, both in public and private. Learn their talents and recognize the contributions.

Politics at Work
Many new managers will immediately find the political landscape in their new role, whether they mean to or not. Projects and corporate goals create political landscapes and as you make decisions in your new role, you are helping to shape that landscape.

It is important to recognize that while some managers (or non-managers for that matter) do their best to stay out of politics in the workplace at all costs, other managers thrive on it. Politics can come in many different forms, from turf wars over who manages a department or project down to something as simple as what color a company logo or shirt is.

The point is, politics are at every company and you as an IT Manager needs to be aware of it. Some politics are necessary. Anytime humans are involved in a decision making process there are going to be non-objective considerations that have to be made. For example: Jim is being promoted to a new management role, but Cathy is against it because Jason is Jim’s best friend. She believes Jim will play favorites with Jason while hanging her out to dry. This is part of human nature and has to be dealt with.

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1. Thinking That You Know Everything
If you were just promoted to Applications Manager, you may feel you know everything about programming. Even if that were true (and trust me, it isn’t) you sure don’t know everything about the most important part of your new job, managing people. Listen to the people around you. Ask for their input when appropriate. Keep an open mind.

2. Showing Everyone Just Who’s In Charge
Trust me, everyone in your group knows who the new manager is. You don’t have to make a big show about being “the boss” or “the man”. You do, however, have to demonstrate that, as the boss, you are making a positive difference.

3. Immediately Change Everything
Don’t re-invent the wheel. Just because the way something is done isn’t the way you would do it, it isn’t necessarily wrong. Learn the difference between “different” and “wrong”. Change wrong immediately. Don’t change different until the time is right, which could mean NEVER.

4. Being Afraid To Do Anything
Maybe you didn’t ask for the promotion. Maybe you aren’t even sure you can do the job. Don’t let that keep you from doing the job the best you can. Upper management wouldn’t have put you into the job if they didn’t have confidence that you could handle it.

5. Not Taking The Time To Get To Know Your People
Maybe you worked alongside these people for years. That doesn’t mean you know them. Learn what makes them excited, how to motivate them, what they fear or worry about. Get to know them as individuals, because that’s the only way you can effectively manage them. Your people are what will make or break you in your quest to be good manager. Give them your attention and time they deserve.

6. Not Spending Quality Time With Your Own Boss
Since he/she just promoted you, surely he/she understands how busy you are and won’t need any of your time, right? Wrong. Your job, just like it was before you became a manager, is to help your boss. Make sure to budget time to meet with him/her to both give information and to receive guidance and training.

7. Not Worrying About Problems or Problem Employees
You can no longer avoid problems or hope they will work themselves out. When something comes up, it is your job to figure out the best solution and get it done. That doesn’t mean you can’t ask for other’s input or assistance, but it does mean you are the person who has to see it gets taken care of.

8. Not Letting Yourself Being Human
Just because you are the boss doesn’t mean you can’t be human, that you can’t laugh, or show emotion, or can’t make an occasional mistake.

9. Not Protecting Your People
The people in your group will be under pressure from every direction. Other departments may want to blame you for failed interfaces. Your boss may want to dump all the unpleasant jobs on your department. HR may decide the job classifications in your area are overpaid. It’s your job to stand up for your people and make sure they are treated as fairly as possible. They will return the loyalty.

10. Avoiding Taking Responsibility For Anything
Like it or not, as the manager you are responsible for everything that happens in your group, whether you did it, or knew about it, or not. Anything anyone in your group does, or doesn’t do, reflects on you. You have to build the communications so there are no surprises, but also be prepared to shoulder the responsibility. It goes hand-in-hand with the authority.

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Alignment
If you work for a for a manufacturing company such as DR Horton Homes as an Applications Manager, your goals might be to help the organization manufacture quality homes at a reduced cost through developing software and analytics that reduce waste at the job sites by ordering the right quantity of timber already pre-cut to the right lengths. If you work for a non-profit charity feeding the hungry as a Desktop Support Manager, your goals may be to help save money by forcing PCs to sleep at night thus saving electric costs.

While we firmly believe it is your boss’s responsibility to communicate the corporate goals to you, it is ultimately your responsibility as a management professional to seek them out and align to them. If your company makes widgets for the widget retailers, are you doing everything you can to support them in selling their widgets to said retailers? Is the manufacturing line in need of newer more efficient software? Can a simple code change increase the efficiency of the robot injection molders?

The Value of an IT Manager
IT is the new world of corporate growth and strategies. Most executives are now proficient with Excel, Word and PowerPoint as well as Blackberries and SmartPhones. However, most of these executives are not familiar with the intricate details of how these or other systems work below the surface. They see IT as magical and complex, producing great rewards and having lots of risk. Executives need and pursue IT Managers who can help them understand and execute their IT goals and manage their risk while keeping the underlying technicalities to a minimum.

One mistake many new IT Managers make is putting their interests and desires ahead of the company’s. It should be your goal to make sure that the company’s goals are first, and yours second. Does this mean you can’t accomplish your goals as well? Absolutely not! Often by putting the company directives first in your priorities and accomplishing wins for the company and yourself you’ll find the company will be more open to your goals and interests in the future, as your relationship strengthens together. A new Change Management system for example may really help your department be more efficient in the future, but will it help sell more widgets today?

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