Most techies have a difficult tim e leaping from the technical to the managerial ranks. Countless stories have been written advising techies how to become successful managers, implying that anyone can become a manager with proper training. Yet not all techies are cut out to be managers. But that's not the case in the managerial world. It's confounding to accept the fact that often there is no right answer, which is one reason why it's difficult for engineers, for example, to think like managers.
Technical people are all about certainty, clarity and understanding.
But from a manager's perspective, that's myopic thinking. Managers must think broadly, cope with uncertainty an d go beyond technology to embrace nontechnical solutions. John Stieber, a consultant at Hagberg Consulting Group, a management-assessment company in Foster City, Calif., cites three essential pillars of success necessary to being a successful manager. However, their weaknesses included insensitivity, impatience, inability to establish long-term relationsh ips, lack of empathy, unsociable, failure to keep others informed, inflexible and poor delegation skills. At the top of the list, Stieber puts poor communication skills as the technical professional's biggest roadblock to becoming a good manager.