You may be the best developer in the world, or you may be able to diagnose any network problem in three minutes flat, but that does not automatically make you a good candidate for a manager. That’s like saying “I play a mean cello, so I should conduct the entire orchestra.” These are two different skill sets. The Manager tag should not be your goal. It is not something by which to measure your personal worth. It’s a responsibility, and it’s a lot of work. It’s also very unfair to team members to take on their management if you don’t really know how to do it. If you think you deserve...

People have written tons of articles about what makes a great leader great. Some conclusions center around his or her intelligence, charisma, or personal drive. Researchers at Columbia University have come to a little bit of a different conclusion. Professor Daniel Ames, with a colleague in the Management Division, Frank Flynn, centered their research on coworker evaluations of their MBA students. Former coworkers commented on the students’ strengths and weaknesses and also rated their leadership potential. When asked, “What’s holding this person back from being a great leader?” the answer...

#1: Pay attention to details “I realized that I’d been sending e-mail updates to the client and spelling the name of his company incorrectly for a month.” It seems comparatively unimportant, but to that client, the error is a sign that you don’t recognize his corporate brand. Oversights like this will cause significant, unnecessary friction. #2: Don’t mess up the simple stuff “At my last company, I accidentally overwrote the data files for an online project plan, leaving me to re-create large parts of the plan from scratch. I couldn’t believe it when, later that year, I lost two...

One of the nasty things about political maneuvering in the workplace is that you may not realize you’re the victim of someone else’s plot until it’s too late. Here’s one story that came to my attention: While moving up the ranks from being 1 of many engineers to vice president of the company’s entire IT group, I’ve enjoyed a solid and satisfying career with the same employer for 12 years.  Until now, I’ve never thought much at all about the “politics” that take place elsewhere.  Until now. About 8 months ago, a new VP was hired to oversee a new venture at my company.  He’s...

1. Power is not the same as force - There’s a real difference between power and force but it’s widely misunderstood. Consequently, when times get tough, in an effort to get more productivity with fewer players, most managers simply try to push their teams ever harder. It’s kind of like trying to break your dog of a bad habit by using a whip – it’ll work for a while but at some stage the law of diminishing returns kicks in. And you may end up getting bitten in the butt. People appreciate being asked for their advice. Especially if the manager is sincere about using it. Team members will...