The unspoken truth about managing geeks

Panzer919

This article is too great not to share. Opinion: The unspoken truth about managing geeks - Computerworld

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Comments

Everyone

Very good read, thanks for sharing.

Mc5ully

This article is amazing. It puts words to what I've witnessed working in small to medium size IT depts over the last 5 years.

It also explains why I'm so unhappy at my current job.

Thanks for sharing!

bryanthetechie

Man, what a fantastic article... I learned a lot of lessons the hard way when starting out as a new manager of data analysts, and most of those hard lessons could have been avoided if I had been the type of manager that I would have wanted as an IT geek vs. the type of manager that the business thought they wanted for my group. I learned much of the approach that this article takes over time to much better results. +1 for the link.

VAHokie56

Good read

swild

"When hiring an IT pro, imagine you're recruiting a doctor. And if you're hiring a CIO, think of employing a chief of medicine. The chief of medicine should have many qualifications, but first and foremost, he should be a practicing doctor."

This.

Its amazing to me how many executives in IT get their jobs because of experience in management and an MBA, yet have no clue when it comes to technology.

ptilsen

Amazing.

drkat

Wow.. i'm going to forward this to my boss

Everyone

drkat wrote: »

Wow.. i'm going to forward this to my boss

Yeah I went back to do the same, hopefully he doesn't take it the wrong way. :P When I was doing this, I noticed this article is actually 2 years old. Obviously still relevant, I just didn't notice that the 1st time I looked at it, thought it was a new article.

Zartanasaurus

Good article (haven't finished). Came to comment after I read this:

I think every good IT pro on the planet idolizes Dr. House (minus the addictions).

Very true in my case. I've privately made the connection between diagnostic medicine and IT in the past.

Zartanasaurus

Really good article. Gonna send this out to my co-workers tomorrow.

cisco_trooper

True story. Management at my place has gone nuts and is trying to structure everything and shove everyone into a box. They wonder why everyone is leaving. The worst thing in the world you can do is try to manage people smarter than you. Yes business folks, every single person in the IT department is smarter than you. Get over it and listen. If you can do that you will save a lot of money and you will make even more of it.

/rant

shodown

cisco_trooper wrote: »

True story. Management at my place has gone nuts and is trying to structure everything and shove everyone into a box. They wonder why everyone is leaving. The worst thing in the world you can do is try to manage people smarter than you. Yes business folks, every single person in the IT department is smarter than you. Get over it and listen. If you can do that you will save a lot of money and you will make even more of it.

/rant

Plenty of people manage people who are smarter than them. Its just a matter of accepting it and everybody getting the best of it. Just cause your smarter doesn't mean management can't have good ideas. A smarter person may just have more ideas or come up with a ideas quicker. Does that mean they can't be in charge??? Of course not, my wife runs circles around me in intelligence, but in any crisis situation we have or things that have to be solved quickly she always wants me at the helm. Now thats just one example, but you can't put off management cause a few guys are smarter thats not fair.