Ok, here goes. Topic 2: Strategies for inspiring, motivating, and leading IT staff
As a consultant/contractor this isn’t something I spend much time doing. The last time I was a direct manager of a group was in the 1980s. So I can best tackle this topic either by assuming the perspective of being staff or from a management consulting theorist’s point of view. And what better way to start than to go do a Google search? This lead me to the following URL (by Jason Hiner of TechRepublic in 2007): 10 tips for leading your team to peak performance
To quote this reference (abbreviated) —-
If you want to succeed as a leader, you can only do it by setting up your team members to succeed. Here are a few fundamental leadership tips for managing your team to peak performance. Keep in mind that these tips are aimed at leaders who manage knowledge workers and project managers in IT. The equation can be a little different if you are managing people in a strict production environment, although many of the principles may still apply.
#1: Focus on results and productivity and not the time clock
#2: Align people with the stuff they are good at
#3: Align people with the projects they are passionate about
#4: Put your best performers on your biggest opportunities
#5: Find the balance between aggressive and realistic goals
#6: Trust your people — and let them know it
#7: Avoid blame (a.k.a. throwing people under the bus)
#8: Foster innovation by killing projects the right way
#9: Don’t provide all the answers — make your employees think
#10: Build consensus by letting people know “why”
unquote
I would add something I have always tried to remember. Part of the role of a manager is to fend off the bosses so your people can get the work done. This may not directly be “inspiring, motivating or leading” the staff, but it does set the stage for getting things done in a way that allows more job satisfaction. Perhaps its more leading the bosses ??
I could go on, but let’s first see if these tips, which come straight from a Google search, resonate with your thinking. Let me know what you think!
I'm a Blogging Idol enthusiast who also does consulting for a living. I began my career as a railway data communications engineer. After working for a bank for 7 years, I took up the consulting challenge and I still find it challenging! I try to keep in touch with a lot of different I&IT topics but I'm usually working in areas that involve service management and procurement. I'm back into ISO standards development - in the area of cloud computing (ISO JTC1/SC38). I'm starting to get more interested in networking history, so I guess I'm starting to look backwards as well as forwards! My homepage is http://www.concon.com
