Hank Marquis quoted a recent study that said “97% of IT workers say their job is stressful on a daily basis.” Hank shares:
“It seems the reasons for this stress come directly from a lack of leadership from IT managers. Effective leaders build a trusted team and then follow the team’s advice. Many IT managers lack this understanding, and this causes the stress.”
Hank also shares 8 ways a leader can help alleviate this stress:
- Leadership means focusing on the needs of others, not yourself
- Leadership comes from your actions, not your title
- Leadership makes you accountable, even if it’s not your fault
- Leadership is not a 9-to-5 activity
- Leadership takes trust from your followers
- Leaders get their best ideas from their team
- Leadership thrives on diversity
- Leadership comes from continuous communication
While Marquist is talking specifically about IT leadership, I think these are great principles for all of us to follow regardless of what type of team we need. As a manager, I can tell you that things are most stressful when I’m not communicating with my team fully, or when I am not being communicated to fully by my senior leaders.
One key that Marquist alludes to but doesn’t make completely clear is the fact that leaders are always ON. By that, I mean followers expect leaders to always be in a good mood, willing to talk, and willing to solve problems, regardless of what’s going on in their personal lives or what has happened the rest of the day. If you’re not willing to be always on, managing could be REALLY tough for you!
What do you think? Is Marquist on the money?
What other tips can you share to be a better follower, and thus a better leader?
Thanks to Douglas Wong from the MinuteFix technician community for sharing this article with our technicians. Did I mention before that you can get free tech support from now until March 15th from MinuteFix?
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