IT managers would blindly follow what their management told them to do, but if there were, then those days are now long gone. We live in an age where everyone, including IT managers, question everything that they are told to do. Given this, how are you as an IT manager supposed to deal with your management?
What Kind Of Loyalty Is The Company Looking For From You?
The fact that your company promoted you into an IT manger position means that they trust you to implement the company decisions and policies. This is great news, but what does it really mean?
I guess there is one important point that we should discuss here: let us assume that your management is not completely evil. If they were, then just about anything that they would ask you to do would go against who you are and what you believe. Let us assume that you are working for some good people who are working at a good company. What this means is that you really do want to do a good job for them.
What this means is that you are going to have to show them some loyalty. This means that as a member of the company's management team you are going to have to implement the company's policies and your management's decisions. Note that this is not blind loyalty, but rather a "thinking man's loyalty".
Providing Good Input
Being an effective IT manager is all about having the right information with which to do your job. Your management is now going to be asking you to provide input on issues related to your areas of responsibility.
There is something that is very important that you do when your input is requested. You need to make sure that your input is as broadly based as possible Don't allow yourself to provide narrow ideas that will only benefit you or your team. If you do this, then very quickly everyone will come to view you as being self-serving and will stop asking you for your inputs.
If you can provide inputs that relate to ways that the entire company can become better, then your input will start to be sought out. The value of your inputs will be realized. People will understand that your inputs go beyond your team and can help the complete company.
What All Of This Means For You
Becoming an IT manager means that you are now a part of the company's
management team. This means that you need to start to implement your company's polices and your management's decisions.
What this means is that when you are asked to provide your input to your management you need to make sure that your inputs are bigger than just your team. Provide your thoughts on how the company can be made better. By doing this, you will soon be seen as a source of valuable information that the company can use instead of just being an IT manager who is only looking out for themselves and their team.
IT managers can spend a lot of time working on how to set up effective communication channels with the members of their teams. However, it turns out that they have another task that is just as important: effectively communicating with their management. Provide your management with good input and you will be seen as a valuable member of the company's management team!
