Manage Geeks

When the geeks threaten to go on strike, everyone is impacted; from ATMs and electronic salary payment to smooth restaurant orders and airplane check-ins, IT has become so central to almost all corporations, that any disruption is likely to cost a lot of time and money. This simple reality means that keeping the geeks happy at work is an absolute requirement for a modern business. Happy geeks are effective geeks usually.

The main reason IT people are unhappy at work is bad relations with management, often because geeks and managers have fundamentally different personalities, professional backgrounds and ambitions. Some people conclude that geeks hate managers and are impossible to lead. The expression “managing geeks is like herding cats” is sometimes used, but that’s just plain wrong. The fact is that IT people hate bad management and have even less tolerance for it than most other kinds of employees. So where does it go wrong? Here are some top ways that managers can lead geeks effectively and respectfully.

Steps

Value what matters to geeks

  1. Value training. If a boss thinks that training is a waste of money and expects you to teach yourself, you feel pretty demotivated in any job. Training matters, especially in IT, and managers must realize that and budget for it. Sometimes you get the argument that "if I give them training a competitor will hire them away." That may be true, but the alternative is to only have employees who are too unskilled to work anywhere else and your organization risks lagging behind other more enlightened ones. Also, if you pay them well and have good benefits, they won't go somewhere else.
  2. Keep overtime down. Avoid taking the approach of wringing as much as possible out of IT employees just because you figure they don't lead a normal life. Wrong! That’s a huge mistake and overworked geeks burn out or simply quit. It's a complete myth that long work hours are good for business.
  3. Give geeks the tools needed. A fast computer may cost more money than an older one and it may not be corporate standard, but geeks use computers differently. A slow computer lowers productivity and is a daily annoyance. So is outdated software. Give them the tools they need. Understand that tools come in many forms. Caffeine is considered a standard tool among geeks. It's good to keep a supply of the caffeinated beverages your team prefers handy.
  4. Beware of over engineering. Geeks will tend to look for a classical and beautiful architecture, with built-in capacity for future changes. They will tend to over engineer systems as opposed to wanting to bodge something together quickly, which is sometimes what's needed. If you need a quick bodge, ask for it specifically, and accept at some point in the future, that bodge will need to be undone and the system re engineered.
  5. Expect at some stage to be asked by some of your geeks to "work remote." This may terrify you initially but it's a valid expectation in a world where we're linked almost anywhere we go. Not all geeks will be good at working remotely, so you'll need to know if they have the right personality, if the job they're doing can be supported this way and if the culture of your organization will be sufficiently supportive. Consider trial periods with no promise of permanency as one option to at least give this a chance.

Avoid superficiality

  1. Avoid using management-speak. Geeks hate management-speak and see it as superficial and dishonest. Managers shouldn’t learn to speak tech, but they should drop the biz-buzzwords. A manager can say “We need to proactively impact our time-to-market” or simply use plain English and stick to “We gotta be on time with this project”. The latter makes total sense to everyone involved.
  2. Don't try to appear smarter than the geeks. When managers don’t know much about a technical question, they should simply admit it. Geeks respect them for that, but not for pretending to know. And they will catch it––geeks are smart––that's why you employed them after all!
    • Even if you do know, don't lord this knowledge over everyone. Most geeks will be thinking the answer as quickly as you, there's no need to discuss the minutiae. The best thing you can do is to make it known that you are always available to answer questions or to clarify whatever you've just said. They'll take it from there and respect you all the more for it.

Be fair and inclusive

  1. Act consistently. Geeks have an ingrained sense of fairness, probably related to the fact that in IT, structure and consistency is critical. The documentation can’t say one thing while the code does something else, and similarly, managers can’t say one thing and then do something else.
  2. Include them in IT related decisions.Never make decisions without consulting geeks. Geeks usually know the technical side of the business better than the manager, so making a technical decision without consulting can be one of the most costly mistakes a leader can make.
  3. Come alongside your geeks. Geeks need to feel valued, and few ever understand what they do in order to appreciate them. If you have a problem you need a geek to solve, instead of ordering "fix this broken report", try "We can't work out why this report doesn't seem to match this other one––can you help?". If possible, allow the geek involvement in the diagnosis, and they will get to the core of the problem––you may find a novel solution that highlights other business weaknesses!

Recognize and reward good work

  1. Give recognition. Since managers may not understand the work geeks do very well, it’s hard for them to recognize and reward a job well done, which hurts motivation. The solution is to work together to define a set of goals that both parties agree on. When these goals are met the geeks are doing a great job.
  2. Don't make the mistake of ignoring the geeks. Because managers and geeks are different types of people, managers may end up leaving the geeks alone. This makes leading them difficult, and geeks need good leadership - the same as all other personnel groups.
    • Without fail, have regular one-to-one meetings with your geeks.
  3. Pay transparently. Geeks are smart, and will spot the weaknesses in your benefits packages and corporate bonus policies in a heartbeat - that's part of the skill set of a successful geek producing high quality code! So find out what your geeks really value - you may find voucher schemes that your general staff value are as good as worthless to your geek community. Giving them mid-range technology or cheap gadgets that would impress other staff may even be seen as an insult worse than no gadgets at all!

Respect creativity

  1. Remember that geeks are creative workers. Programming and system analysis are creative processes, not an industrial one. Geeks must constantly come up with solutions to new problems and rarely ever solve the same problem twice. Therefore they need leeway and flexibility. Strict dress codes and too much red tape kill all innovation. They also need creative workspace surroundings to avoid “death by cubicle”.
  2. Acknowledge that geeks will answer the phone and emails when it is convenient. This means that phones may ring to voicemail during times of intense work, when interruption would destroy the flow. If it's urgent, make the effort to turn up in person.
  3. Try to have a mix of organic and structured meetings. Many managers like structured meetings because they have been trained to check off things––agenda, check; time limits, check; following agenda without deviation, check; and filling the time allotted for the meeting, check. Organic meetings allow for meandering, they don't have specific time requirements and they can go over the time, include random debate and actually be fun. This is how creativity thrives and you may get some of your best solutions during organic meetings. Let go your inner perfectionist and let geeks run a few of the meetings.

Reap what you sow

  1. Recognize the outcomes of not treating geeks with respect as outlined above. Happy geeks are productive geeks, and the most important factor is good management, tailored to their situation. Doing the opposite to what has been outlined in this article has serious consequences for your organization, including:
    • Low motivation
    • High employee turnover
    • Increased absenteeism
    • Lower productivity
    • Lower quality
    • Bad service.

Tips

  • Like many potentially derogatory words, "geek" is a term that non-technical staff should avoid using though technical staff members often use it with each other.
  • This advice would work well with most employees, not just geeks.
  • If you're a "geek managing geeks," don't wear your boss hat like a crown. They know you're in charge.
  • Geeks are smart, but don't assume smart people always have sound judgment––they don't. Rely on the ones who have it and learn from them––evolve.
  • Find out what your geeks like besides work, and take an interest when you can. They'll appreciate your effort.
  • Not all geeks are the same; take the time to know the ones you work with. This article is not saying that all IT people are geeks; some are, some aren’t.
  • Some of the most basic principles of management apply to all employees, geeks and non-geeks. Be fair. Be open. Don't expect people outside management else to appreciate business buzzwords.
  • The word geek in this article is not intended in a derogatory manner: "definition 3: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity <computer geek>."[1]
  • Geeks don't like dead weight. If you have any, get rid of it, and your team will be better off. Teams work best when everyone is pulling their weight. If you're not sure who is dragging things down, they'll let you know if you tactfully ask the team individuals.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

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