Why are Technical Skills Critical? You must possess strong technical skills to manage an IT team. This may be a bit obvious, but most of these skills are obvious. A lot of people go into management because they are tired of chasing the technology and want to do something else. However, you can’t fully let it drop. You must stay on top of the tech. Think of yourself as the mentor for your most senior guys. I’m not saying you have to know all the details at the same level of your team, in fact it’s impossible for you to do so. What you need to do is have a good enough understanding to know when good is good and bad is bad. Why is this important? 1. Respect 2. Protect your team 3. Communicate effectively both up and down the ladder 4. Deal with vendors without having to drag your most valued individuals into all those meetings with vendors. 5. To make wise strategic decisions, you must understand the technology. In order to be an effective manager, you must continue to work on your technical skills and knowledge. Do not let yourself get into the "Markitecture" of technology, concentrate on the "Architecture" and what really works. This will help you create more sound decisions around strategy and direction. Above all else, let your people work out the details and have input. Let them own the solution. You simply provide the direction and help them move forward. www.itcareerguy.com