The Field Guide For the Accidental Manager

You have heard of the "Accidental DBA", but what about the "Accidental Manager"? Many of us did not originally set out to be managers or may even find that we have become a manager by way of the "battlefield promotion" process of our existing managers being promoted or moving on. So what do we do? How do we make the transition from individual contributor to manager? How do we mentor or coach people? Will we still get to write code? What is this strange "budget approval" thing?

In this talk, we will begin by talking about career progression, paying particular attention to organizations where becoming a manager is the only way to advance. From there, we will discuss how to navigate the transition from individual contributor to manager, including how to approach taking over as the manager for a team you were part of. We will continue by talking through the challenge of handling managerial responsibilities, like coaching and mentoring, while still trying to stay technical. Lastly, we will review some concepts that may be new to you as a manager, such as budgets, hiring, reviews, and compensation.

Becoming a manager unexpectedly can be intimidating, but you can excel at it!

Understand career progression in IT Learn how to transition from IC to manager, including managing people Learn what it takes to reverse the process