Techie-to-Manager Tips

Techie-to-Manager Tips
by Allan Hoffman
Monster Tech Jobs Expert

While management positions are increasingly open to techies with business skills, competition is intense. To land one, you'll need to stand out, so follow these 12 tips to put yourself in the lead:

1. Expand Your Vision

Techies sometimes have a narrow worldview, says Bruno Zerbib, director of product management at InfoVista. To move into management, he says, you need to "acknowledge the value and skills outside of your organization." Unless you recognize the roles of marketers, sales professionals and others, you will struggle to move beyond your role as a techie.

Start thinking macro rather than micro, says Allison Gross, vice president of staffing and consulting firm Comforce. "The higher up in an organization you are, the broader your vision has to be."

2. Think Outside Your Company and Industry

"Look externally for solutions," counsels Andrea Michalek, president of consulting company 1-800-CTO. "By bringing external ideas and best practices to their manager's attention, you can quickly establish a reputation for being in the know."

Zerbib agrees. Reading leading-edge business books -- and discussing their ideas -- can lead colleagues and higher-ups to recognize you as someone with interests beyond technical issues.

3. Be a Motivator

Management requires you to motivate others, but learning this skill isn't easy. "We learn to motivate by watching others," says John Baldoni, author of Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders. "Look to the examples of good teachers, coaches and managers."

4. Solve Problems

Techies must translate their passion for problem solving into a management context. "By moving into management, they will have the opportunity to problem solve in a team format, in fact, guiding the team to solve problems," says Baldoni. "They will also have the opportunity to teach others not only technical skills but also problem solving ones, too."

5. Get in Front of Management

Unless you make your interest in management known, you may not get a chance to move up. Seek out opportunities -- presentations, meetings and even email -- as a way to demonstrate your knowledge of industry as well as your facility with more than just technical concepts.

6. Network

Aside from helping you meet others, Gross says, networking organizations provide a forum to gain leadership and communication skills.

7. Wield Influence

Managers need to exert their influence, and techies can demonstrate this ability on team projects. "You need to get others to work with you, to do what you want them to do," says Robert Monroe, visiting lecturer at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. "One of the best ways is to have good ideas, but you need to be diplomatic and political in how you present those ideas."

8. Stretch Yourself

Businesses want to see would-be managers step up to the plate, even if it means seeking out projects at the edge of their abilities. "Take on assignments that take you out of your comfort zone," suggests Monroe.

9. Be a Communicator

Would-be managers, says Gross, "have to embrace the idea of learning how to write, learning how to speak and learning how to behave within meetings." Even emails should be crafted with care and sensitivity in order to demonstrate your intelligence, knowledge and thoughtfulness.

"The earlier you pick up those skills, the better the career trajectory you can set up for yourself," says Monroe.

10. Dress Up

If you want to be a manager, you will need to stop donning slackerwear. Gross's advice: "Always dress the part for the position you want, not for the one you're in."

11. Get an MBA

Don't discount your education. Standards vary from one industry (and company) to another, but the MBA is widely valued among those moving into management.

12. Determine If Management Is for You

Techies must also consider whether management is the right choice for them. "Most engineering, research or IT folks love what they do," says Baldoni. "They have been recognized and promoted due to their technical expertise. Moving into management means giving up what they love best."

Surviving Marriage

Surviving Marriage

Nowadays, couples begin their marital life riddled with worrying statistics. If the four-year itch doesn’t get you, the seven-year itch just might. Here’s how to cope

The rise in the number of divorce cases across the globe has become a cause of concern among young couples. The thought of marriage makes them more anxious than ever. So much so that when they finally do tie the knot, they enter the relationship unsure if it's going to work.

But many marriages do survive. How do they do it? We look at the different stages of married life, and how to make sure your union has a happy ending.


THE ‘ITCH’

Most of us already know that a marriage has its ups and downs. Even statistics show that the quality of a marriage takes a dip in the early years, and stabilises only to take a dip again – one during the early years of marriage, normally known as the 'four-year itch', and then again around the eighth year of marriage, known as the 'seven-year itch'.


SIGNS OF THE ITCH

• Disagree with each other more often
• Become less affectionate
• Share fewer activities
• Blame, criticise and ridicule each other
• Concentrate on being right rather than working together


TACKLING THE STAGES

The LUI (loving under the influence) stage: This is the stage that could lead to a relationship and marriage. You have stars in your eyes and your heart beats to the rhythm of love. Scientists call it the PEA rush. When in love, your body is flooded with the endorphin PEA (phenoethalymine). PEA boosts your feelings of well-being and sexual desire. When this stage evolves into commitment, it's called the honeymoon stage.

Watch out for: Try to look past the romantic haze and see whether you share similar interests and values, before tying the knot. Also, if you feel more anxious than happy, get out. If you decide to commit, enjoy this period and make the most of it.

The LD (let down) stage: The biggest myths about love is that it's forever. So, when the euphoria starts to fade we think that love wasn't true after all. One reason for the let down feeling is that PEA production is beginning to decline. And because we see the other person as the source of that warmth, we don't take it seriously.

The LD stage can happen at one year, four years and again at seven years. After that, marriages tend to stabilise. However, these feelings of discontent can strike at any time in a marriage.

Watch out for: This is the period that can make or break a relationship. However, most marriage counsellors feel that in the end, it has nothing to do with itches, endorphins or primitive urges. Instead, it has everything to do with two people, and their willingness to make their marriage worthwhile.

You should not think in terms of 'working' on your relationship, but should rather focus on 'giving it attention'. If a marriage succumbs to the four- or seven-year itch, it is most likely because the couple concerned ignored their problems rather than solved them.


WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Consult your partner before making plans or decisions. You both will get to do more of your own thing

• Set aside time to talk on a daily basis, even if it's just for 20 minutes

• Take time to dress up and go out on dates

• Focus on your own behaviour. What are you putting into the relationship? Does it make it grow or stunt it? Then take one step at a time to change the negative things

• If nothing helps, you might need to see a marriage counsellor

• Don't throw away your marriage because it looks difficult. You will most likely only repeat the same pattern in your next relationship

• Consider a happy marriage as a gift to yourself - and a legacy for your children.