Tips for working with your information technology staff

Here are three tips for working with your information technology staff. When you work with information technology staff, it is like you are working with an entirely different species. The reason is that the minds of the information technology staff, work in ways that are more logical than emotional.

No matter what your business is, there is always a challenge with interviewing, hiring and retaining the staff that works the information technology. In fact this staff does so much in the overall growth of the business that their retention and employment actually can affect the entire success of the business in many ways.

With this in mind, you can see how it is both important and necessary to learn how to work successfully with the information technology staff. In fact if there is not good management and good communication being used with this staff, you will find that there are a multitude of problems that can occur.

Here are some simple tips you can follow that will help you to be able to communicate, work with and manage the informational technology staff within your business.

Tip#1

Listen. Listening is the biggest and most important key to communicating. The information you will receive simply by listening is more than you would imagine. The reason is that often time's people will tell you what they need to succeed. Though, if you do not hear them, they may not be the kind to say it twice.

Actively listening is the other part of listening and communicating that is so important. It is hard when the boss is breathing down your neck, the customers are screaming demands and your work is pilled up from all the problems. Then all of a sudden on of your staff members of the information technology team comes up and lets you know that the server is having problems and needs to be upgraded.

Ok, so did you really here what was going on. Did you look up from your pile of work to see that this really is an issue? Or did you nod your head, and go back to thinking about that report that was due.

Honestly, if you ignored this issue, then you will know within a short amount of time what that really meant. When people cannot access information, get on the Internet, etc. Listening is going to be the first thing you can do to communicate and work with your staff.

Tip #2

Learn what the information technology team does. It is hard to manage and work with a team that you do not understand. They have several duties that are done on a daily basis, which may seem trivial. However, it is really tasks that must be done for basic housekeeping and learning of the new needed technologies.

Take some classes, or sit down with your staff and have them show you. It may be interesting to see what really happens inside those systems.

Tip #3

Set good expectations. You will often times find that there are very creative minds in your information technology team. However, this also means that without good expectations, their minds may wander.

Therefore setting good expectations and following through with what is said, will be the key to making sure the team runs smoothly.

These tips are rather simple. Though, in time if followed you will find that working with your information technology team will be much more successful.