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I manage 85 people (~15% of our global IT organization) in 9 countries and 14 times zones, but size doesn't matter. The ability to build a trust relationship,

by eitally 14y ago

I manage 85 people (~15% of our global IT organization) in 9 countries and 14 times zones, but size doesn't matter. The ability to build a trust relationship, hire & develop talent successfully, and delegate well are what matter most. Face-to-face meetings are still valuable, but choosing the right tools for videoconferencing (Skype, Gtalk Google+ Hangouts, etc), screen-sharing (Hangouts, Screenleap), collaboration (Google Apps), and Project/code management (SVN, JIRA, Confluence, Google Docs, Balsamiq) are more important. Pro-tip: focus on hiring the right person for the right role, not just the best-person-you-can-find-but-you-don't-have-a-good-fit-spot-for-them, and outsource things that are not core competencies (perhaps SEO & marketing, perhaps UI/UX, perhaps even mobile dev). Use common sense and treat people respectfully. Make providing an enriching workplace and a good work/life balance part of your mission statement.

ryancarson 14y ago
I was nodding my head in agreement until you suggested outsourcing your UI/UX. That's basically outsourcing your core product (presuming your product is delivered via screen). I'd never do that.
- rfrey 14y ago
  We don't know what business the GP is in. If somebody is in an IT department that supports the core business, rather than is the core business, doing things like reporting applications, internal enterprise apps, etc... is the UX still the core product? If you're making a maintenance team scheduling app for an oilfield service company, and you outsource the UX and save hiring on a team of Javascript/HTML5 devs that would have little work afterward, isn't that rational?
  - eitally 14y ago
    I'm in an IT department that primarily supports the core business. The UX is an afterthought in a tight margin industry and we generally settle for "it works and isn't too confusing". I'm not happy about that, but it is what it is. <banghead>

by eitally 14y ago

ryancarson 14y ago

I was nodding my head in agreement until you suggested outsourcing your UI/UX. That's basically outsourcing your core product (presuming your product is delivered via screen). I'd never do that.

rfrey 14y ago
We don't know what business the GP is in. If somebody is in an IT department that supports the core business, rather than is the core business, doing things like reporting applications, internal enterprise apps, etc... is the UX still the core product? If you're making a maintenance team scheduling app for an oilfield service company, and you outsource the UX and save hiring on a team of Javascript/HTML5 devs that would have little work afterward, isn't that rational?
- eitally 14y ago
  I'm in an IT department that primarily supports the core business. The UX is an afterthought in a tight margin industry and we generally settle for "it works and isn't too confusing". I'm not happy about that, but it is what it is. <banghead>