Seven Inner Demons When Technical Professionals Move into Management

Technical professionals may want to read this. The author is Liu Jianguo. With a computer-science master’s from Beijing Jiaotong University, a Tsinghua EMBA, and recognition at Baidu for outstanding management, he writes about the management and entrepreneurship challenges technical people face. I think management principles apply broadly, but technical people have distinctive commitments: constantly pursuing new technologies and building from their own perspective. Work in isolation and you may create a product you think is wonderful without considering every usage detail from the user’s perspective. Users then find plenty of features they do not need, while the ones they want are hidden somewhere. ---- Uncertainty at the management crossroads After several years of professional work, technical people reach a fork: a specialist technical path or management of a technical team. Many struggle to decide where to go. What makes them so uncertain? Mainly seven troublesome “little demons.” ●First, “lost”: I cannot see the road ahead—what career possibilities do engineers have? ●Second, “confused”: I do not know whether to manage. How should I decide? ●Third, “uninitiated”: how can I move smoothly into management? ●Fourth, “torn”: should I return to technical work? ●Fifth, “worried”: how do I maintain technical competitiveness? I do lead a technical team, after all. ●Sixth, “doubtful”: does my personality make me unsuited to management? ●Seventh, “insecure”: I often feel I cannot manage well. What should I do? As the saying goes, settle matters inside before confronting those outside. How can you focus on management with your mind in turmoil? Only by clarifying your direction and finding inner strength can you manage without distraction. Before discussing how to manage, clear these obstacles and deal with the seven “demons.”