Top Traits of an IT Manager

What makes a great leader? And what is the difference between a general manager and an IT manager?

Is the ability to run a team, check off an end user’s needs, and a superior aptitude for technology enough? Although they’re certainly important, we discuss some other traits that are crucial for an IT Manager.

Confidence in others

Trust often becomes a factor that IT Managers struggle with – there are so many different routes to take in IT that this means there is no set way to accomplish something.

This means when someone moves into a managerial role, relinquishing control and leading through the work others do doesn’t come naturally, however, in the project world, it becomes the only healthy way to scale.

As well as this, confidence in the team instils them with encouragement and creates an environment where employees feel comfortable enough to take chances in their work – although this could result in a failure, often some of the best progress is made when chances are taken.

Showing confidence in your team will mean they feel happier taking calculated risks without fear of negative reprisals if the outcome isn’t successful.

However, a leader’s role also requires them to suss out the boundaries and act accordingly if an idea doesn’t look like it will work – often saying no displays an admirable decisive quality in a team frontrunner.

Collaborative and strong communicators

This goes without saying for every leader – the ability to communicate effectively, patiently, and wisely is a core principle of any managerial position.

From the launch of new initiatives, through to how the results of a project are reported, a good IT leader will listen carefully to the needs of their team, and will ask the most relevant questions.

Through working collaboratively with their team an IT leader will be able to ensure that all bases are covered, indeed, with the fast paced nature of the technology industry, a Manager cannot afford not to pay attention to the knowledge of the team around them, as there is usually always something to learn.

Strategic problem solver

IT tasks are usually complex in nature, so being a logical problem solver is a key quality every IT Manager needs to exhibit.

Being able to objectively assess the bigger picture and how smaller tasks add to a project’s success is paramount, especially when team members may look at situations from a more subjective point of view.

A strategic thinker will be able to separate where the team is spending most time, and where it should be spending most time – the two are often drastically different.

Decisive

Decision making always sounds like it should be easy, but when a team and the success of a project depends on an individual’s decision making ability, this suddenly becomes a lot more stressful.

Any team leader needs to be able to make justifiable and good quality decisions at the time they are needed.

Being able to then explain this decision to staff and project investors then becomes important.

In the IT industry, an unjustified decision can lead fairly quickly to project failure, or delays, and, unfortunately, it’s very easy to trace back to the source.

Staying ahead of the curve

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” – Steve Jobs

The IT industry is incredibly fast-paced, keeping up with industry trends and progression is essential to be able to deliver a cost effective, and successful project.

Consumer demand is now also set much higher, with mistakes being less acceptable as the market matures.

As a Manager In IT, meeting such demands is even harder simply because details such as data security and network functionality must be delivered, and it’s hard to balance at a consistent rate.

Returning to Steve Jobs – in the ever changing world of technology, innovation enables a leader to stand out from the crowd.

Remember there’s always something new to discover, and you do this by taking different routes to get to your destination.