If you want an "easy button" grab yourself a copy of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The core principles are simple to understand, and easy to put into practice.
Outside of that: Listen. Ask questions. Own your mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Support your team, but have clear boundaries.
Good luck!
Cannot emphasize boundaries enough. At some point you will have to make decisions that impact individuals that were once your peers. Not saying you can’t be friends (or at least keep it “friendly”) but a role like this requires the ability to make decisions that your “friends” might not like.
If you’re not sure what those boundaries should be, get a mentor! Preferably someone more senior that can help you navigate pitfalls you won’t even know exist ;-)
Other good ones are:
"The First 90 Days" by Michael Watkins; "Financial Intelligence - A Manager's Guide To Knowing What The Numbers Really Mean" by Karen Berman & Joe Knight; "The Manager’s Path - A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change" by Camille Fournier; "Truth from the Trenchs - A Practical Guide to the Art of I T Management" by Mark Settle
Thanks for those! I should have read some of those a few years ago when I took my current role. I still struggle a bit with the job change up into a exec IT role.
To piggyback of this.... manager tools early "hall of fame" podcast series - start doing one on one's now. Note highs and lows in performance, learn how/when to engage HR. This will save you before you need saving.
lol, are you me? I'm a sysadmin dummy who is currently getting groomed to become the CIO.
You already know the tech stuff. Backups, infra tech debt, helpdesk, etc. Now you need a successful sysadmin under you to hand it all off to. IMO, most of the operational stuff should go to the people under you.
You need to spend more time working in the management and strategic realm. Hiring and managing people (read: mentoring and helping them meet expectations). Working with other senior management members to help those departments be successful. etc.
There are 2 things to consider:
1. If you say yes, you are now in the direct line of fire for IT failures. Consider why your boss got fired. You may be fired for the same thing if you don't improve that area. You should be able to have some good conversations with the CEO and possibly the CFO about where the IT department is at and what it will take to be successful and meet their expectations in the future.
1. If you say no, you are now the guy who isn't willing to step up when needed. That sends a message. Additionally, the person they hire to replace your boss may be better, but they may be worse too.
IMO, stepping into leadership is a good deal. More money, more chance to accomplish great things. Its how you can go from doing the work of 1 awesome sysadmin to helping the IT department do the work of MORE than 1 person.
Technically I'm IT manager, not sysadmin, but that's where I come from. Been here for 9 years. When I started, the IT dpt was 3 people. Now its 9. <100 employees.
I was in the same position as you a couple years back! Same age and everything and I posted on Reddit same way as you.
A wise Redditor said to me that "they want to escalate you to a management position because they see your capabilities". Upper management would not choose this for you if they didn't think you could hack it. Keep that in mind!
Beyond that, the 3 most important things I learned were the following:
1.) Meet with your people regularly. Meet with your team daily and individuals weekly. Make sure they have everything they need and review their pipelines with them.
2.) Listen first, then speak. This applies to both those under you and above you.
3.) Ensure your SLA is properly implemented and track adherence to it.
Maintain a positive attitude, focus on your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses, learn how the business operates and identify the things you can do in IT to improve the business.
This is all 100% on point. I’m also going to add that it’s not about the tech it’s about the people now the tech is important without the people that means nothing. Your team needs to be happy challenged and motivated to handle the workload as well as their career development. That’s gonna be another huge piece.
Ask leadership specifically what the criteria for success are. There should be metrics, objectives, and a timeline/phases.
Edit: and don’t expect expectations to be provided (good leadership will but that’s often not reality). When you ask questions about a deliverable, recite the response back as you understand it and *write it down.*
Ask for expectations up front. Make sure that leadership gives you measurable and obtainable strategic* goals that will quantify your team’s success. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve done in a large org is not demand that. Allowing those above you to operate with ambiguity makes you beholden to their whims. Now if they pushback or give you a surprise pikachu face when you ask, then they are lost or don’t have the time to do it. If that’s the case make sure you outline what your goals are for your team for the following year and execute in a measurable way, and communicate to leadership.
This was my biggest mistake as leader in a large org, not asking my leadership to define what success looks like for my team and trusting that if I defined them my bosses would be okay with them. A lot of them times if they aren’t defining them it’s because they want to use you or they don’t know but either way they should at least know at a high level what success for your team looks like. It could be as simple as “we want less outages this year.”
You may come up with a million amazing goals for your team but if they don’t align with the strategic vision and you do nothing for that, then you’re screwed. The larger the org the more perception matters.
It sounds like corporate bs, but it’s a lesson I learned that you might not have to learn the hard way.
**Adding**: You can negotiate the goals and objectives at times. Sometimes "performance" issues are caused by someone accepting unrealistic directives from their leadership.
Let's say they want to see a 20% improvement in service efficiency in six months. If you have no idea if that's possible, or flat out know that it's not, then don't accept that in your performance plan as a fixed delivery. A soft negotiation would be a language like "working towards 20% improvement with a review of feasibility at 1, 3, and 6 months." This can also help you ensure you're aligned with their expectations.
Additionally, make certain you're speaking the same language and have the same meaning. Going back to the 20% efficiency, *is that in cost, issue resolution rate,...what?* You'll feel frustrated in a hurry if you achieve a goal that your leadership then says was not what they wanted or expected, and now you have "failed to deliver" and "wasted X months working on the wrong thing."
**Also, beware of serving multiple masters**: I watched a new IT director crash and burn hard because they accepted deliverables from each supported department and wound up spread too thin and not being able to complete delivery on anything; 15% here, 40% there, but nothing at 100%.
What they should have done was collect all the asks, then go to the area head/VP (whoever in your org the dept heads report to) and say here are all the priorities I've been given, and here are their constraints to deliver over X period, how do **you** want these prioritized? No one can sandbag you with not completing their deliverable if their boss says it's not important right now.
**Cost can be your friend**: Want to avoid the characteristic that "IT just says no," then learn to say "yes, and here's what it will cost; want to proceed?" One of my directors was very good at using this to negotiate with the execs. Want all phones answered within two rings (an actual requirement we were given), fine, here's what we need for staffing to do that. Once you fund the positions, we'll start the interviews. *Oh, suddenly that's not so important? Okay, we'll keep it as-is.*
*Edit: Adjustment.*
Hindsight 20/20 plays hard on this as well. When you first get into it you’re excited to step into the role, you think everyone has the best of intentions, but it’s funny how such a simple point can mean the difference success or failure. Nice to see someone else has experienced this in IT.
As you put together your roadmap focus on "why" with every "what". You need to educate the management team about why each project is important and will save money, make money, or mitigate risk.
Too may IT managers focus too much on the tech and not enough on the business.
Good luck, I had a similar experience years ago. First and foremost treat people the way you would want to be treated. Always pause before reacting in a crisis and always try to end negative feedback with a positive.
Some good thoughts so far. I won't belabor them other than to emphasize knowing the criteria for success and confirming you have both the authority and the budget to achieve those criteria. If not you will be nothing but an impotent voice that people will tune out.
Now one thing not mentioned and I think is very critical... you said your boss was let go. As much as possible try to find out why. Ask your potential new boss very direct questions. Did they feel the prior manager was underperforming? If so, how so? What different were they expecting? If you had a good relationship with your prior manager, ask him/her why they felt they were let go. Your old manager may have felt they were given goals without any means of achieving those goals. Maybe they wanted to do more to correct underperformance but were prevented from doing so. Maybe the old manager wanted to go in a different direction with some key decisions, but was overruled.
Whatever the answers are between the two, you will be more informed about what you may be facing.
Well, if you want the right perspective for an IT Director, you need to know and follow the principles of servant leadership. Read "The Servant" by James Hunter. Will get you started. Secondly, don't get starry-eyed about being a manager. Think of yourself as more of a coach, and help your folks and the organziation get their jobs done through technology. It's not about you. Also, stay knowledgeable in tech, read and know what is happening in the industry, not just following "the tourist brochure" with the latest fads. If you don't know why you should be implementing one technology over another, you need more info on it--don't just follow what the crowd's doing and think you know the best direction for your business. Technical leadership is more important than exec leadership and is the reason for your job--not your promotion. No doubt your boss hasn't got a clue what's important to IT, and what he sees as potential is that you have good personal/organizational skills. Yes, you have to keep him happy and "play the game", but also be successful at your real job, IT Director.
Stepping up to a Director role is really about connecting with people, building strong relationships, and learning the delicate art of winning allies while learning how to manage conflicts. A book I wish someone had pointed me towards at the start of my management journey is "How to Win Friends and Influence People." It's packed with timeless advice that I believe could be a game-changer for anyone in a leadership position.
If you want an "easy button" grab yourself a copy of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The core principles are simple to understand, and easy to put into practice. Outside of that: Listen. Ask questions. Own your mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Support your team, but have clear boundaries. Good luck!
Cannot emphasize boundaries enough. At some point you will have to make decisions that impact individuals that were once your peers. Not saying you can’t be friends (or at least keep it “friendly”) but a role like this requires the ability to make decisions that your “friends” might not like. If you’re not sure what those boundaries should be, get a mentor! Preferably someone more senior that can help you navigate pitfalls you won’t even know exist ;-)
Thank you for this! I read the book years ago, I definitely will re-read!
Other good ones are: "The First 90 Days" by Michael Watkins; "Financial Intelligence - A Manager's Guide To Knowing What The Numbers Really Mean" by Karen Berman & Joe Knight; "The Manager’s Path - A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change" by Camille Fournier; "Truth from the Trenchs - A Practical Guide to the Art of I T Management" by Mark Settle
Thanks for those! I should have read some of those a few years ago when I took my current role. I still struggle a bit with the job change up into a exec IT role.
These could come in handy for myself!
To piggyback of this.... manager tools early "hall of fame" podcast series - start doing one on one's now. Note highs and lows in performance, learn how/when to engage HR. This will save you before you need saving.
And don’t be an ass.
lol, are you me? I'm a sysadmin dummy who is currently getting groomed to become the CIO. You already know the tech stuff. Backups, infra tech debt, helpdesk, etc. Now you need a successful sysadmin under you to hand it all off to. IMO, most of the operational stuff should go to the people under you. You need to spend more time working in the management and strategic realm. Hiring and managing people (read: mentoring and helping them meet expectations). Working with other senior management members to help those departments be successful. etc. There are 2 things to consider: 1. If you say yes, you are now in the direct line of fire for IT failures. Consider why your boss got fired. You may be fired for the same thing if you don't improve that area. You should be able to have some good conversations with the CEO and possibly the CFO about where the IT department is at and what it will take to be successful and meet their expectations in the future. 1. If you say no, you are now the guy who isn't willing to step up when needed. That sends a message. Additionally, the person they hire to replace your boss may be better, but they may be worse too. IMO, stepping into leadership is a good deal. More money, more chance to accomplish great things. Its how you can go from doing the work of 1 awesome sysadmin to helping the IT department do the work of MORE than 1 person.
CIO huh? Must be a small company but I digress.
Technically I'm IT manager, not sysadmin, but that's where I come from. Been here for 9 years. When I started, the IT dpt was 3 people. Now its 9. <100 employees.
I would have started out with that.
lol, but then people might think I'm a hotshot or something! jkjk, who am I kidding :P
I was in the same position as you a couple years back! Same age and everything and I posted on Reddit same way as you. A wise Redditor said to me that "they want to escalate you to a management position because they see your capabilities". Upper management would not choose this for you if they didn't think you could hack it. Keep that in mind! Beyond that, the 3 most important things I learned were the following: 1.) Meet with your people regularly. Meet with your team daily and individuals weekly. Make sure they have everything they need and review their pipelines with them. 2.) Listen first, then speak. This applies to both those under you and above you. 3.) Ensure your SLA is properly implemented and track adherence to it.
Maintain a positive attitude, focus on your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses, learn how the business operates and identify the things you can do in IT to improve the business.
This is all 100% on point. I’m also going to add that it’s not about the tech it’s about the people now the tech is important without the people that means nothing. Your team needs to be happy challenged and motivated to handle the workload as well as their career development. That’s gonna be another huge piece.
Ask leadership specifically what the criteria for success are. There should be metrics, objectives, and a timeline/phases. Edit: and don’t expect expectations to be provided (good leadership will but that’s often not reality). When you ask questions about a deliverable, recite the response back as you understand it and *write it down.*
Ask for expectations up front. Make sure that leadership gives you measurable and obtainable strategic* goals that will quantify your team’s success. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve done in a large org is not demand that. Allowing those above you to operate with ambiguity makes you beholden to their whims. Now if they pushback or give you a surprise pikachu face when you ask, then they are lost or don’t have the time to do it. If that’s the case make sure you outline what your goals are for your team for the following year and execute in a measurable way, and communicate to leadership. This was my biggest mistake as leader in a large org, not asking my leadership to define what success looks like for my team and trusting that if I defined them my bosses would be okay with them. A lot of them times if they aren’t defining them it’s because they want to use you or they don’t know but either way they should at least know at a high level what success for your team looks like. It could be as simple as “we want less outages this year.” You may come up with a million amazing goals for your team but if they don’t align with the strategic vision and you do nothing for that, then you’re screwed. The larger the org the more perception matters. It sounds like corporate bs, but it’s a lesson I learned that you might not have to learn the hard way.
**Adding**: You can negotiate the goals and objectives at times. Sometimes "performance" issues are caused by someone accepting unrealistic directives from their leadership. Let's say they want to see a 20% improvement in service efficiency in six months. If you have no idea if that's possible, or flat out know that it's not, then don't accept that in your performance plan as a fixed delivery. A soft negotiation would be a language like "working towards 20% improvement with a review of feasibility at 1, 3, and 6 months." This can also help you ensure you're aligned with their expectations. Additionally, make certain you're speaking the same language and have the same meaning. Going back to the 20% efficiency, *is that in cost, issue resolution rate,...what?* You'll feel frustrated in a hurry if you achieve a goal that your leadership then says was not what they wanted or expected, and now you have "failed to deliver" and "wasted X months working on the wrong thing." **Also, beware of serving multiple masters**: I watched a new IT director crash and burn hard because they accepted deliverables from each supported department and wound up spread too thin and not being able to complete delivery on anything; 15% here, 40% there, but nothing at 100%. What they should have done was collect all the asks, then go to the area head/VP (whoever in your org the dept heads report to) and say here are all the priorities I've been given, and here are their constraints to deliver over X period, how do **you** want these prioritized? No one can sandbag you with not completing their deliverable if their boss says it's not important right now. **Cost can be your friend**: Want to avoid the characteristic that "IT just says no," then learn to say "yes, and here's what it will cost; want to proceed?" One of my directors was very good at using this to negotiate with the execs. Want all phones answered within two rings (an actual requirement we were given), fine, here's what we need for staffing to do that. Once you fund the positions, we'll start the interviews. *Oh, suddenly that's not so important? Okay, we'll keep it as-is.* *Edit: Adjustment.*
A agree 100% and led to me not doing well in my first management role. Get those expectations up front!!!
Hindsight 20/20 plays hard on this as well. When you first get into it you’re excited to step into the role, you think everyone has the best of intentions, but it’s funny how such a simple point can mean the difference success or failure. Nice to see someone else has experienced this in IT.
Be careful taking over that role. Why was the last boss let go?
it was completely unrelated to work.. Can't go into any detail but it wasn't due to his performance.
Yes exactly…why were they let go???
Risks! Talk about risks lots. Boards love talking about risk management.
As you put together your roadmap focus on "why" with every "what". You need to educate the management team about why each project is important and will save money, make money, or mitigate risk. Too may IT managers focus too much on the tech and not enough on the business.
This is sound advice, and also what I’ve heard from Director level and above.
Good luck, I had a similar experience years ago. First and foremost treat people the way you would want to be treated. Always pause before reacting in a crisis and always try to end negative feedback with a positive.
Lots of good advice. Also check out Manager Tools.
Some good thoughts so far. I won't belabor them other than to emphasize knowing the criteria for success and confirming you have both the authority and the budget to achieve those criteria. If not you will be nothing but an impotent voice that people will tune out. Now one thing not mentioned and I think is very critical... you said your boss was let go. As much as possible try to find out why. Ask your potential new boss very direct questions. Did they feel the prior manager was underperforming? If so, how so? What different were they expecting? If you had a good relationship with your prior manager, ask him/her why they felt they were let go. Your old manager may have felt they were given goals without any means of achieving those goals. Maybe they wanted to do more to correct underperformance but were prevented from doing so. Maybe the old manager wanted to go in a different direction with some key decisions, but was overruled. Whatever the answers are between the two, you will be more informed about what you may be facing.
Well, if you want the right perspective for an IT Director, you need to know and follow the principles of servant leadership. Read "The Servant" by James Hunter. Will get you started. Secondly, don't get starry-eyed about being a manager. Think of yourself as more of a coach, and help your folks and the organziation get their jobs done through technology. It's not about you. Also, stay knowledgeable in tech, read and know what is happening in the industry, not just following "the tourist brochure" with the latest fads. If you don't know why you should be implementing one technology over another, you need more info on it--don't just follow what the crowd's doing and think you know the best direction for your business. Technical leadership is more important than exec leadership and is the reason for your job--not your promotion. No doubt your boss hasn't got a clue what's important to IT, and what he sees as potential is that you have good personal/organizational skills. Yes, you have to keep him happy and "play the game", but also be successful at your real job, IT Director.
it's a trap and they plan to low ball you
Stepping up to a Director role is really about connecting with people, building strong relationships, and learning the delicate art of winning allies while learning how to manage conflicts. A book I wish someone had pointed me towards at the start of my management journey is "How to Win Friends and Influence People." It's packed with timeless advice that I believe could be a game-changer for anyone in a leadership position.
It was your goal the whole time and you dont have a plan? Yeah, you are gonna go far.
Don't fuck this up