Can you really manage IT workers if you don’t know how to write a great SQL query? Some companies believe that yes, you can, while others believe that no, you really can’t. What’s the best approach to sell your amazing management skills to a company when you lack an IT background?
Focus on communication.
One thing that makes a truly great manager stand out is the ability to communicate effectively. Communication encompasses more than just the day-to-day assignment list; you must be able to work with all the personalities involved in a team, ease the delivery of messages between upper management and the people on the team, convey the overall goals, and most of all, keep people motivated to achieve those goals. It’s a tall order, and those skills can’t always be found in an O’Reilly guide.
Have clear goals.
A manager takes the complex overarching company strategy and boils it down to clear goals that can be conveyed to a team. More than just that (as if that wasn’t enough), a manager has to have goals for the team in the near future, distant future, and far future. Making a big difference between an average manager and an excellent manager, partnering with each member to set personal goals and help them reach these goals.
Listen to the feedback.
A superb manager hears feedback and uses it to make changes. Feedback can make or break a team, after all no one wants to be the team that keeps creating doing the same thing over and over. You want to get better and more efficient! Effectively using feedback also helps keep teams engaged and fosters the feeling that they are important.
So, if you’ve got management chops but no tech in your history, that doesn’t mean that you can’t lead a tech team, but you’re going to have to sell yourself to the company. That resume and the interview really need to be able to showcase all your best management skills in order to get your foot in the door. Once that door opens, you have to go in armed with your ‘A’ game skill set and communication.
Do you have what it takes to lead a team to success?
Consultant Specialists, Inc. will match you with the best options and the companies that believe managing a tech team may mean ramping up the learning curve on the product and languages, but it’s easier to teach tech than management skills. If you’re ready to make the leap, then contact us today.