Orientation:

Orientation must be the starting point for any role change, especially one resulting from a promotion into a totally different job. Orientation provides the new IT Manager with an overall direction and structure that enables them to see and understand the big picture of their new role. When you provide a newly promoted IT manager with an orientation, you give him or her the basic rules and objectives of the new role as well as information on tools and resources they can use to succeed. For example, a few specific items include:

• Expectations the company has of them in their new role
• Where and how to gain access to reports, people and information needed to do the new job
• A clear understanding of the incentives and disincentives impacting this new role

One other benefit of starting with an orientation is that it is the smallest investment you will make in the transition process and it may help identify someone who does not want to be a manager, thus preventing you from sinking too many dollars into transitioning the wrong candidate. I had an experience along these lines a few years ago, when faced with one management opening and three people vying for the position, I decided to provide a “public orientation” on the requirements and expectations from this role. As I expected, two of the three candidates withdrew from the race, once they had a better picture of the job.

It is with these benefits in mind Couture’s Employee Lifecycle Management © HR Model, recommends the re-orientation of employees that are undergoing a promotional or lateral move as a first step.

Training:

When an IT professional in a “doer” role is promoted to a management role, many of their former core skills, knowledge and experience (e.g., Fixing equipment or programming, or setting up networks) become context. It helps them to understand what their team is doing, but it does not enable them to perform their new role as a manager. To effectively execute their management role, they need a new set of skills (e.g., leadership, communication, negotiation, hiring, etcetera). Once a new manager is “oriented” into their new role, we can use training to “input” these new skills. Effective training will give the new manager tools and strategies that they need to get their new job done.

Coaching:

The coaching I am referring to here is in line with the philosophy of W. Timothy Gallwey, the author of the “Inner Game” series. Gallwey has referred to his coaching approach as a “better way to [effect] change [in people].” Gallwey’s interpretation of coaching can be referred to as removing internal obstacles to performance.

Let’s look at an example of someone who just completed training in public speaking and is preparing to give his or her first speech in three weeks. The training, which included lectures and practice sessions, gives the participant the skill, knowledge and experience they need to prepare and to give a presentation. The only thing holding them back now is that little voice we all carry around in our heads, which is saying to them things like: “Be careful! If you mess up, you will really lose a lot of credibility with your boss.” “You only had two weeks training. That’s not enough to be really good at this.” “I bet they are expecting me to come off like an amateur. They know I am not good at this.”

It’s that annoying internal perfectionist, doubter and corrector that coaching will help the new IT manager to control. The result is an increase in confidence that will enable the new manager to fully utilize what they’ve learned through training as well as their overall life experiences up to that time. So, where as training adds new skills and strategies to the “toolkit,” the type of coaching we are referring to here removes the obstacles and enable the new manager to fully use what they’ve gotten out of training.

Putting It All Together:

A superior IT doer to manager transitioning process needs to:

• Communicate the goals and objectives of the new job,
• Provide skills and strategies that the new manager needs to perform effectively and finally
• Remove internal obstacles that get in the way of peak performance

Training plays a key role in helping newly promoted managers to cross the gap between the doer role and the manager’s job by fulfilling the need for new skills. Alone, however, training is a one-legged table approach. When preceded by a solid job orientation and followed by coaching, it will produce sturdier and more reliable results.

Lahaska Publishing is currently offering a free mini ebook version of 'Manage I.T.' co-authored by Joe Santana. You can download your free copy of the ebook at www.manageitbook.com. Also, for more information on the September 19th web-based seminar being led by Joe, visit www.uliveandlearn.com and click on Manage IT Webcast in the Featured Programs box.

Author:(Joe Santana)

Joe Santana is a Director with Siemens Business Services, Inc. a tier one global IT outsourcing and consulting company. He has 21 years of experience as an IT executive. His career includes roles as the buyer, seller and leader of IT delivery teams in fast-paced business environments.

oe has taught and coached hundreds of new IT Managers and IT sales representatives. Joe has often been quoted in well-known industry and business publications regarding key IT topics. He has also been a guest on business radio and network television. He is co-author of a soon to be released book ITbook@lahaskapublishing.com entitled MANAGE I.T., which is designed to help new and aspiring IT Managers to make the right career choices and gain a solid foundation in the skills they need to succeed as new managers. For more information about the book or to contact the author, email ITbook@lahaskapublishing.com.