Turning IT Professionals Into Great Department Heads

When it comes to finding great managers, one thing most executives look for — and rightly so — are individuals with those all-important “people skills.” After all, a huge part of a manager’s day-to-day duties entails managing people, so people skills are a must.

Yet IT workers are “known” for being lone wolves; they’re the folks whose idea of a good time is sitting in a dark room in front of a glowing screen and figuring out how to make code and computers work.

Which may or may not mean IT professionals have “people skills.”

But there are those who do; they are out there. You just need to know how to find them.

So to start discovering IT employees who may be potential leaders, start by looking around your department to find people with the following characteristics:

• They tend to enjoy guiding or training others.
• They’re enthusiastic about the work your department is doing and don’t hesitate to “talk it up” positively.
• They come to you with possible solutions to problems they’re experiencing (instead of just coming to you to tell you there are problems).
• They continuously do more than expected.

Now that you’ve identified these potential great IT department leaders, you’ll need to develop them into leaders. Here are some ideas on how to do so:

• Give them assignments that provide them leadership opportunities, such as heading a work group.
• Arrange for them to go to classes or seminars that will broaden and deepen their knowledge of IT issues, the future of IT and how IT figures within your company’s industry.
• Provide them training on how to mentor and coach others, provide feedback on the performance of others and, just as important, how to inspire and motivate others.

Whether you need IT directors, managers, or “just” exceptional IT professionals, if you’re a business located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, come to Pinnacle Staffing. Not only do “We Know People,” we know the right people, IT professionals who are skilled, reliable and who will prove to be a valuable asset to your company. Contact us today.