IT Manager Level Politics

As an IT leader, you will be dealing with management level politics that are very different from individual contributor politics. As an individual contributor in IT, you can generally stay pretty clear of office politics altogether if you wish. You can just keep your head...

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...

Inadequate attention to management training for IT

After thirty years in the high tech, rubbing elbows all day long with IT people, both internal and external, I’ve come to believe that generally speaking, great IT people are a different breed of cat. In Myers/Briggs speak, IT people are more often, well . . . .”I-T”...

Constructive criticism as an IT imperative

I’ve said before that being an IT manager would be easy if it wasn’t for the IT staff! Technology tends to be more predictable than people. And effectively managing technologists, a smart, determined and sometimes freakily focused and opinionated group of individuals is...

The Rule of No Surprises

In the IT business, if it's not my birthday, surprises are almost always a bad thing! Also, a coworker of mine use to say that bad news never gets better with time. These two thoughts are particularly true in IT. When there is a serious issue within your department, the...

Why you should consider following the company line

You want to be a successful IT executive? Rule number ONE:  While sometimes you can complain about the company to trusted peers, never complain about the company to your subordinates and never, ever to your superiors!   Think about this. As an IT executive, would...

Build IT Team Loyalty

There is an old expression that says “To have a good friend you have to be a good friend.”   I believe that business loyalty follows the same paradigm. As an IT manager, if you want your staff to be loyal to you, then you have to be loyal to them. Furthermore,...

Accommodating personal staff needs in IT

There is an old expression that says, “People should work-to-live, not live-to-work.”  And, even though it can feel counterintuitive, allowing time off for a technical team member to take care of personal needs can actually result in higher production in IT. So, my...

Life in the IT Fishbowl

Life in the IT fishbowl! The “fishbowl phenomenon” – we have all seen this. The higher the level of IT management, the worse it gets. In a technical environment that’s very complicated already, IT staff will watch, listen and try to figure out the “real”...

Managing Motiviation in IT

Management in the truest sense of the word is the ability to get things done through the efforts of other people. While often characterized as a “different breed of cat”, and this may be true to a certain extent, IT people are still basically no different than anyone...

Former Senator Ron Raikes Dies From Farming Accident in Ashland

Former Nebraska Senator Ron Raikes has died from a farming accident on his farm in Ashland at the age of 66. Police were called to the 400 block of County Road at 22:36pm last night where they found Raikes under a piece of farming equipment like a haymaker. He was pronounced...

James Auchincloss, Jackie Kennedy Relative, Sex Abuse Indictment

At a time when the Kennedy clan mourns the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, another distant relative of the Kennedys prepares for jail time. James Auchincloss, the half-brother of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, was indicted for possessing child porn. James Auchincloss was indicted...