You hear through the grapevine that a reorg is about to happen. Assumptions are shared through chats, emails, and water cooler discussions. As time passes, employees get anxious awaiting the news.
You assure your team that everything will work out regardless of the new manager.
The time arrives for the announcement of the reorg. You feel the tension as employees await the news.
The org chart is displayed and you immediately search it to find your team. And then…you notice the new manager assigned to your org – someone you have a history with.
You feel a deep pit in your gut as memories of the past start flooding through your mind. Ughhhh!
Let’s explore how to shift your mindset to support and partner with your new male IT manager.
Find Ways to Partner with Men as a Woman Leader in IT
The announcement of the reorganization was out – I was still processing my feelings about having this person as my manager.
There were some rough spots that I would have to overcome to build a good working relationship with him. Could I do it?
I recalled a time when I was assigned a management position in an area I didn’t know much about. It was uncomfortable at best, but I took the position knowing it would be a great growing experience. The employees in my new org were immediately supportive and kind.
I wanted to be that for my new manager too. I wrote an email congratulating him and told him I was excited to work with him. Within minutes he responded saying, “Thank you! I’m excited to work with you too!”
Whew – I felt relieved! I had set the tone for the type of relationship I was hoping to cultivate.
Over the following months, I educated him on our function, processes, team roles and growth areas.
Things were going quite smoothly and I appreciated the opportunity to get him up-to-speed.
Over time, two new functions were added to our organization and I could sense overwhelm from my manager. I had extensive experience with one function and he would often ask questions or seek advice on issues that arose.
I felt heard and valued.
An opportunity to perform IT benchmarking with other similar companies arose with a short completion time. It was a corporate initiative that required extensive coordination among the IT organizations. I knew that my manager was already on overload and volunteered to help.
I already had a full workload, but I decided it was worth the effort to springboard building a stronger partnership with my new manager.
Instructions for the benchmarking activity were reviewed and assignments divided. I took the areas I had expertise with – software development, application meta data, change management, and hosting. My manager worked the remaining tasks with help from others as needed.
Subject matter experts and points of contacts throughout IT were contacted to gather needed data. A weekly call with all the benchmarking teams was held weekly to discuss progress and answer questions.
The project duration was approximately 6 weeks and we both had to juggle other priorities to fit this in, but it was actually enjoyable work.
Partnering on this effort provided opportunities to better collaborate and communicate with internal and external IT teams. It gave us a common goal with defined objectives and opened up lines of communication between my manager and I.
It became a stepping stone that illustrated to my manager and director the capacity of work I was capable of and the quality they could expect.
As a woman leader in IT, you have to actively seek out occasions that allow you to partner with men in your organization to gain respect.
Here are 3 ways this partnering opportunity helped me:
- My manager discovered I had a great network and knew exactly who to contact to obtain accurate information quickly.
- He learned that I had a great work ethic. I came in early or stayed late to complete my assignments on time and balanced it with my other priorities.
- It paved the way to receive other career-building opportunities, such as being selected to participate on interview teams, organizational committees, or provide guidance or mentorships to IT employees.
I know, competition can be fierce working with men in IT. But here’s a little secret I’ve found:
It’s much more productive and effective to partner with men.
Find ways to provide value and it will earn you respect and success in your career as a woman leader in IT. You can do it!
Stay empowered and lead assertively!