What do you do if you're struggling to adapt from a technical role to a managerial role in IT?

Embrace continuous learning by seeking mentorship, training, and resources to develop essential managerial skills and adapt successfully from a technical to a managerial role in IT.

When transitioning to a managerial role in IT, it becomes critical to realize that your success criteria has changed. No longer are you responsible for the task... you're responsible for your team achieving the task. This mindset shift is important because your role becomes that of teacher, coach, and assessor depending on their current need. By wearing one of these 3 hats you accelerate competency growth, trust in capability and ultimately positive outcomes. Providing growth opportunities through delegation can be difficult for a new leader, but celebrating your team members' successes is so much more gratifying than celebrating your own... it's worth it.

I made this transition almost 15 years ago when I moved from the technical department to the commercial area. It was one of the hardest movements I had to do in my professional career, but the most impact one. The hardest part was to understand people work in different ways and times, and sometimes there is more than one way to have the task done. Learning how to delegate without expecting others to do exactly how you have done is the hardest part. So try to be more complacent with the result and less with the way. That's how you can grow in your new position.

In addition to technical skills, strong interpersonal abilities are crucial for a manager. Empathy allows you to understand the perspectives and needs of your team members. By building relationships and demonstrating appreciation, you can create a supportive work environment that enhances team motivation and performance.

Fostering a culture of continuous improvement is essential in a rapidly evolving IT landscape. This involves viewing mistakes as learning opportunities and encouraging the team to experiment with new ideas and innovative solutions. By creating an environment where risks can be taken, and creativity is encouraged, you can help keep your team agile and adaptable.

As you work to understand team dynamics, recognize your direct and indirect influence (see: Hawthorne Effect)... A manager promoted from within the team, from within the organization but outside the team, or from outside the organization altogether may have vastly different impacts on Team Dynamic. As you transition from a Technical to Managerial role, reflect on the team dynamics YOU have experienced - what worked? What didn't work and what did you learn from that? Invest time, and as you observe the ask how you can best support them. As the lead or manager, you'll likely have a different experience if you operate as a PART OF the team, not APART FROM it.

Coming from a technical background into management, you may feel a responsibility to solve technical problems the team faces... you may think 'That's what got me here, right?' Deliberately balance if/when/how you get involved in technical decisions... privately track it, if you have to. Consider the team's perspective and sense of ownership before stepping into a solution, especially when addressing "no right or wrong way, just different approaches" technical challenges. Your experience is valuable as a basis for your understanding; make sure there's space for the team to try, learn, own and grow, too.