On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 12:03 AM, Shrdlu <[email protected]> wrote: > On 8/21/2010 8:23 PM, Joe McDonagh wrote: >> On 08/19/2010 05:20 PM, Damion Alexander wrote: > >>> I just added the networking group (better stated: person) to my newly >>> formed group of Sys Admins. I am pretty savvy with Systems, but I can >>> only play a network person on TV. > >>> Could someone point me in some good directions to get up to speed on >>> networking (we use all cisco gear) so that I can truly support my >>> networking person? > >> I don't really see what the point of hiring a networking guy is if you >> plan on kicking up your networking skills? >> >> It seems like you should just hire a guy who knows networking better >> than you and invest in upping your skills in other areas, maybe management. > > I've been thinking this since the very moment I saw the post. Newly > formed group of system administrators, and networking group (one person > or not, it's still another section), sounds like reading the excellent > chapters on Tom's book about managing people, not about trying to > compete with the new guy in the group. Yes, I used a bad word, there. I > said "compete" which, no matter how good your intention, seems rather > like what's up. > > If you have moved up to managing a set of system administrators, you > should be less concerned with your systems skill set, and more concerned > with things like how to form a cohesive group, and whether or not your > new group knows how to work together. > > I'm just glad someone else said it first, is all.
I also was going to say this but wanted to have enough time to compose a good message. Being a manager is not about knowing more than everyone else (even though many technical people incorrectly think otherwise), it's about being able to trust your people in their own skills, and having enough knowledge to ask the questions that need to be asked so they can make sure to watch out for things they may not have thought about, and be able to protect the business. It's helpful to have a general knowledge of the area, so if you're learning you should only focus on that. You want to be able to have a conversation with the person, but you shouldn't be afraid to stop and ask them to explain something. That will give you a sense of what they really know (or if they are BSing you), and it also shows that you respect their knowledge enough to let them explain it. _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
