5 Skills IT Managers Must Develop to Thrive

If you’re an IT manager in this bold new world of digital transformation that seems to move at light speed, you probably feel caught in the middle. On one hand you must keep up with all the basics of running an IT department, putting out fires and keeping end users armed with the tools they need to be productive. Yet all eyes turn to you when it comes to introducing new technologies and integrating new apps among a host of legacy systems.

That’s a lot of pressure. But these are also times of great opportunities if you are willing to step outside your comfort zone to take your rightful place among the key decision makers. Here are five skills IT managers need to develop to thrive in this new and exciting information world.

1. Go beyond serving end user needs to serving strategic needs. The tendency has always been to “take orders” from senior management and to execute them in an efficient way. But often what happens is that IT managers miss the opportunity to dig deeper into the strategy behind each “order”. There may be a better way to solve the problem. Asking for a brief meeting to clarify the order can create an opportunity to engage that otherwise might never emerge. Opening up dialog will help address root causes of the issue and enable you to share your problem-solving skills and greater knowledge of the data and the systems your team supports. Once the door is open, these conversations will become easier.
2. Develop your skills (and those of your employees). This is an area that has become more important over the last ten years. The need for skills in data management has never been greater. This encompasses expertise in data analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and the integration of emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning. As an IT manager, you need to not only hire for these skills but must also make sure you have a working knowledge.
3. Get better at obtaining high level buy-in. This has been a nagging problem for IT managers for decades and now is a great opportunity to step up to the plate and improve your image with the C suite. There are opportunities to gain buy-in if you change the way you go about getting it. Start by getting end-users to embrace a new project. Be prepared to demonstrate to the C suite how it will help improve their productivity. Finally, make the extra effort to tie each project you undertake to a greater strategic goal. This takes time. However, if you are able to transition to a role of collaborator, you will build more trust. That will make getting buy-in a much smoother process.
4. Make sure you have the right data to support a new generation of apps and AI. A big mistake many IT managers and CIOs make is initiating a project without first understanding the data needed, its integration points, and how it must be engineered to support the project. Not working this out in advance can quickly cause a project to grind to a halt while the data component is worked through and sorted out. Some of that data may still be locked in silos and challenging to access. IT managers need to make sure that accompanying each project proposal is a detailed description of the data needed and what it will take to assemble it in ways that support the goal of the project. Doing so in advance will improve productivity and quality.
5. Demonstrate your value by running a tight ship. One of the basics that should never be ignored is making the best use of your budget. Part of that involves avoiding expensive mistakes wherever possible. One the most expensive mistakes is often hidden from view. It comes in form of monthly invoices from suppliers and service providers. Busy IT managers and CIOs may not have time to pour over these invoices and yet they often contain errors or double billing that can result in thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars added to your annual telecom spend. But you shouldn’t be spending your valuable time or that of your staff looking over each invoice. That’s why there are tools available to do the work for you. The best is a TEM (Telecom Expense Management) system that will run a check of all invoices and identify overcharges and other billing anomalies. Scheduling an annual telecom audit will save money additional money by identifying areas of cost savings in supplier contracts and maintenance monies still being payed for unused systems. Running a tight ship is essential to having the money and resources available to support true innovation in your company.

The good news is that we can help.

Our WinBill® TEM solution is available as an onsite or SaaS application that is proven to save companies thousands of dollars by identifying billing errors, overcharges, and other anomalies. Our professional audit team will conduct a deep dive forensic audit to save your company hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Both work together to keep your department in ship shape, with more resources to innovate.

There are great opportunities for IT managers to demonstrate their skills and move up to a higher level of visibility and engagement with senior management. Keeping an open mind, brushing up on your own skills and those of your team, and taking steps to move from just taking orders to helping find solutions will begin the process. IT has never been needed more than today. Make sure you are making the most of the opportunity to play a greater role in your own career and the future of your organization.

And don’t forget to reach out to our team here at TTI. Our veteran IT experts are happy to answer your questions and help you run more efficiently and get the kudos and respect you deserve!