Managing an IT Organization is hard work to be sure, especially to do it effectively. But, you might be surprised that the formula for IT success is actually pretty simple when you get right down to it.

I’ve managed IT organizations for over 20 years and after that I delivered training to IT managers all over the world for another 20+ years, , , that’s over 40 years of being in the IT manager arena. I’ve had my share of successes as well as a few failures that became great learning lessons.

To get to the point, I think there are three key ingredients that help you succeed in your IT Manager role:

1.  Deliver projects successfully – Being able to deliver a project successfully is THE KEY to gaining credibility for an IT organization and for you, the manager. This creates predictability in the fact that you can do what you say you will do. It also creates trust from those around you (senior managers, department managers, and your IT employees). Always remember, , , “the key to IT credibility is delivering projects successfully”.

2.  Focus on business value – Your IT strategy, your IT priorities, and how you think and act should be focused on BUSINESS VALUE. Believe me when I say that senior managers and department managers (the business managers of your company) will see you in a whole different light when they observe your focus and communication is all about business value, , , i.e., doing things that help the company succeed. Where most IT managers miss the boat is that they focus on technology and they speak in technology terms, acronyms, and the like. Do this and business managers see a “techy”, not a business manager.

           Business Value includes:

• Increase Revenue
• Decrease Cost
• Improve Productivity
• Differentiate the Company
• Improve Client Satisfaction

3.  Communicate proactively – IT managers, in general, have a very poor reputation for not communicating effectively. Make it your mission to proactively communicate with your client (Senior managers and Department managers) and IT employees. They all want to know what’s going on, the status of key projects, and the direction the IT organization is taking to improve. Your ability to communicate relevant information proactively makes a world of difference and gives you an edge up on other IT managers.

I encourage you to focus on these three key things in 2024, , , it will pay dividends for you and your IT organization.

Best of success!!

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