Delegate ruthlessly. Get a 2IC/COO to deal with running operations, concentrate on strategy, people, ensuring your organisation is the right shape, value add.
Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
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Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#12I highly recommend reading "The Manager's Path" by Camille Fournier. It's a great overview of the different things to consider while working your way up the ladder (specifically in engineering management). http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920056843.do
I’ve upvoted this, but want to underline that this book is truly excellent.
Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#13I'll steal a quote from Pittsburgh Penguins (American professional hockey) head coach Mike Sullivan: "Play the game the right way".
Just do the right thing. Always. If you're not sure what that is, figure it out however you can, and do it. This time. Every time. Always.
Once you start doing that, all the other BS melts away.
A few personal thoughts of what "the right way" means in IT:
- Treat everyone else like you want to be treated. No "talking down".
- Got Business Requirements? Are they any good? That may be your problem.
- Same thing for Technical Specifications.
- Same thing for Test Plans.
- Is everyone working on their most important thing? Why not?
- Will it affect the annual report? Yes? It's an issue. No? It's a detail.
- Keep the process that's needed. It helps.
- Ditch the process that's not needed. It hurts.
- Go with your gut. That's what got you here.
- If it needs changed, change it. If you don't, it'll change itself some other way.
- Correlation != Causation.
- Know the Critical Path.
- Keep your finger on the pulse of everything you can.
- Programmers produce. Everyone else must support them. (Never forget this!)
- If it's not written down, it's not.
- Relax and have fun. Can't? Find another career.Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#14Delegate ruthlessly. Get a 2IC/COO to deal with running operations, concentrate on strategy, people, ensuring your organisation is the right shape, value add.
When I was a direct report for a CIO of a fairly large multinational (40+ countries) my boss spent most of his time on the road travelling - he had a gruelling job. He was completely hands off when to technology - although he was actually fairly technical.
Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#15You need to stop doing your old job and start doing your new job. That sounds obvious, but I see a lot of people get promoted and keep doing their old job, the one that they were so good at it and came so naturally. Even if the new person in your old job is only 25% as good as you are at, let/make them do it. Related, if you can see a better way to do it, strongly consider keeping your mouth shut if that way is only…
This is exactly the problem I see with my division's supervisor. He was a developer, and is now a program manager, but he wants to directly influence every single project instead of delegating. What is an effective way to encourage him to do his new job? This is impacting the team b/c he takes away lower level decision making responsibility, while not spending the time he needs to spend planning out and setting top l…
I think that depends on what you think his new job actually is, and if that actually aligns with what they think their new job is.
Every manager has different ways to lead, every person has different behaviors that make them more or less likely to follow someone who is leading. The whole team needs to work out the right dynamic and be truthful with each other and managers need to be truthful with their employees as well as with themselves.
It may turn out like it often does, great developers who understand the product and project inside out don't automatically make them great managers
Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#16I think the Peter principle, the idea that people are promoted to until they are incompetent in their roles, comes into play.
What worked for you to get to the job isn't necessarily going to work for you to succeed in the job, I agree with others saying that it's not a time management issue, it's a change in perspective that's require, you no longer have the ability to do everything for everyone, you now have to lead people you can trust to fulfill those tasks better than you could, as your responsibilities grow, the rest of your team doesn't stay static, they also grow with you.
Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#17You need to stop doing your old job and start doing your new job. That sounds obvious, but I see a lot of people get promoted and keep doing their old job, the one that they were so good at it and came so naturally. Even if the new person in your old job is only 25% as good as you are at, let/make them do it. Related, if you can see a better way to do it, strongly consider keeping your mouth shut if that way is only…
> Related, if you can see a better way to do it, strongly consider keeping your mouth shut if that way is only 5% better.
Great advice. Thank you!
Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#18You need to stop doing your old job and start doing your new job. That sounds obvious, but I see a lot of people get promoted and keep doing their old job, the one that they were so good at it and came so naturally. Even if the new person in your old job is only 25% as good as you are at, let/make them do it. Related, if you can see a better way to do it, strongly consider keeping your mouth shut if that way is only…
> strongly consider keeping your mouth shut if that way is only 5% better
That's great advice. An experience with a director overruling his engineering staff is one reason I no longer work for him.
As a leader, your most valuable asset is context: big-picture strategy, business priorities, and the like. If you're in an interaction where you find you're not utilizing that asset, you probably should back off and let your reports do their jobs (unless you're mediating a dispute, but even there you should help people work together better—not just pick a side).
Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#19You need to stop doing your old job and start doing your new job. That sounds obvious, but I see a lot of people get promoted and keep doing their old job, the one that they were so good at it and came so naturally. Even if the new person in your old job is only 25% as good as you are at, let/make them do it. Related, if you can see a better way to do it, strongly consider keeping your mouth shut if that way is only…
> strongly consider keeping your mouth shut if that way is only 5% better That's great advice. An experience with a director overruling his engineering staff is one reason I no longer work for him. As a leader, your most valuable asset is context : big-picture strategy, business priorities, and the like. If you're in an interaction where you find you're not utilizing that asset, you probably should back off and let y…
If the director is smarter and more knowledgeable about the engineering domain, he should overrule. that's what the big-picture strategy is all about, some people make it into leadership because they are really good and capable at engineering. So long as they stay sharp, they can still make technical decisions.
Re: Ask HN: IT Directors and VP's – how do you manage your time and projects?
#20Delegate is the keyword. You have to trust and not worry about the details. You can't be solving all the problems. I've had my reporting team come to me seeking a solution, I tell them to go solve it and come with the solution. I can review the solution and give a fast feedback if they still have concerns. More often than not, when they think about it, they come up with what works. The more responsibility I give to them, they more they step up to the plate and start filling in those big shoes. Just 1on1s, business partner, vendor meetings & daily status update is enough to fill my entire week.