The stakes for new managers are high – both for the manager and the company. A poorly performing manager drags down the performance of the entire team. Team members suffer, and corporate results take a hit. The new manager also pays a price. When promoted, they get a spotlight shined on them. Their team will watch closely; their peers will pay attention to how they handle the new role, and their manager will watch to ensure they're up to the challenge. If they fail, they’re unlikely to return to their prior role. Instead, they’re let go and left to figure out how to pick up the pieces of a stalled career.

The sink-or-swim approach foisted upon new managers does us all a disservice. At best, it takes longer for a new manager to become effective, hurting their team in the process. At worst, new managers fail, their teams suffer, and they are left wondering what they did wrong. This book is for anyone who finds themselves in that situation. This book serves as a mini curriculum to keep their careers on track and their teams performing at their best.

Sadly, most companies do not invest nearly enough in teaching their managers. There's a belief that if they take the best-performing employees and throw them into a management role, those people will somehow figure it out on their own. Many technologists are promoted to management because they excel in individual contributor roles. The best network engineers are tapped to lead network engineering teams. The most productive developer suddenly finds herself a development manager. The project manager with a track record of delivering on time and within budget is bumped up the ladder to head the PMO. These employees have shown tremendous skill in their current roles. However, the skills necessary to excel in a management role are vastly different than those needed to be a good manager.

This is a mistake. I’ve worked in various IT roles, from project management to infrastructure to application development, across a range of industries. From the smallest non-profit to massive Fortune 50 companies, I’ve seen too many new managers struggle. They aren’t prepared or equipped to lead teams effectively. According to CEB Global, 60% of new managers fail to achieve their goals. New managers spend too much time in meetings, too much time doing their old work, and too little time effectively leading their teams.

Good technology management is more important than ever. It’s also more difficult than it’s ever been. The “Great Resignation” led managers and directors to resign at higher rates than non-managers, hollowing out the middle-management ranks responsible for training new managers. Further, our engagement with our employers has changed. Gone are the days when an employee joins a company out of school and retires from that company 35 years later. More frequent job changes, whether voluntary or through layoffs, break the traditional apprentice model responsible for training new managers. Finally, the rise of remote and hybrid work makes it harder for new and aspiring managers to “follow along” over the shoulders of their more experienced colleagues.

This book examines the various challenges managers face every day. It helps people determine the best strategies and provides practical tools to tackle them.