Confessions of an IT Manager_Phil Factor

12 Training Your IT Manager
Section I: On Learning to
Love your Manager
During Phil's time in software development he has encountered all manner
of oddballs and eccentrics … and most of them have been IT managers. There
are two basic routes into IT management. You can learn your trade through
blood, sweat and tears and work your way up the ladder gradually, based on the
credibility you've gained from hard-earned technical know-how and successful
projects. Alternatively, you can don a sharp suit and tie, learn the lingo, and
smooth talk your way to the top.
Both routes seem equally effective. Dealing with the latter breed can
certainly cause some moments of dismay and incredulity … despair even …
and some of that is documented in these stories.
However, it's easy to become sad and embittered when one encounters
technical incompetence in positions of power, and to tar all managers with that
same brush. Phil advises against it. Most managers work hard and contribute
well to the company, and even poor managers can be trained up to the required
standard, if you just follow a few simple guidelines. It's part of your team
responsibility to help your manager function in a way that will benefit all.
Ultimately, if you can't train them, get them promoted, or avoid them,
maybe you can learn to love them just for their unintended contribution to the
rich comedy of the workplace. [TD]