I read an article yesterday that made me think. I know, , , those of you who actually know me are saying to yourselves, “It’s about time you started thinking.”
Well, anyway, , , the article was about mentoring your employees.
It made several good points, but the essence of the message was that you need to develop your people in more than one or two areas, , , not just technically. What you ultimately want in an organization is a staff of well rounded IT professionals.
What this says is that they need the following investments from their manager:
1. Technical knowledge expertise (goes without saying, I guess)
2. IT organization mission and expectations you have of them
3. Company knowledge and why our company is so good
4. Industry knowledge and the part our company plays in this industry
5. Communication skills (IT people need help here more than most)
6. Client needs and issues (after all, we have a job because clients need us)
7. Client service skills (traits that creates great client relationships)
8. Vendor insights and how to work with vendors
9. IT policies and procedures (the things that help us support the business)
10. New technology trends
11. Project management skills (successful projects lead to IT credibility)
This is just a list of 11 areas where you need to develop knowledge and understanding in your employees. Believe me, IT people are hungry for information, , , it is hard to give them too much.
Invest in your employees and develop their insights and you will see great things come from them, and remember, , , don’t just focus on one thing, , , you need well rounded professionals to be highly successful.
ITLever™ 