ManageEngine continues our weekly blog series called Talk to ME Tuesday. Each week we discuss interesting topics from the world of technology with you, the people that live and breathe it everyday.
Here’s the problem with the corporate structure. The most common, and usually only track for success, is management. What if you don’t want to be a manager yet you still want to progress along your technical track in skills, interesting work, and promotions?
This is exactly the problem faced by Tim Fenner, Supervisor for Infrastructure at Telephone and Data Systems Inc. Fenner has great senior IT professionals that have no aspiration for management.
“I’m concerned that good people may fall into ruts and I want to make sure that there are opportunities for them that go beyond just walking out the door,” said Fenner as he asked that question of his colleagues at the IT Leadership Summit at the 2012 Interop conference in Las Vegas.
While Fenner is still searching, I pose the question to you, readers of the ManageEngine blog, what have you done either for yourself or your staff to maintain interest for those extremely talented IT professionals, that want to just stay in IT yet not make the jump to management?
While you’re mulling that answer over (please leave your advice in the comments), I’d like to share this last bit of parting wisdom from Fenner.
“Everybody who comes to you and asks you for service or help is a customer,” said Fenner. “So that includes people that pay you or pay the organization as well as people within the company that come to you for services – the person across the cubicle from you or in another office. Treat them all as customers and you will win the day.”
