The better question to ask may be “What am I not doing?” Certainly the online job boards are a great place to look for a job. In fact, I previously worked at one. That said, don’t underestimate the incredible value of looking for a job the old fashion way, face-to-face.

By face-to-face job hunting I mean all non-web based activities such as

• Participating in professional organizations
• Participating in job hunting groups
• Cold calling companies where you would really like to work to see if any openings are available
• Calling people you know who are working at companies where you would really like to work to see if any openings are available
• . . . and other similar person-to-person related activities

Let’s first look at the advantages and disadvantages of looking for a job via the web and then the advantages of looking for a job face-to-face. As you will see, they both have value, but because they have different advantages, the best way for you to find a job is to do both.

Top two advantages of online job search

• It’s very efficient in regard to finding companies with job openings
• It’s easy to apply via online forms and/or email

Top two disadvantages of online job search

• Statistically, there is a very low chance of you getting an interview
• You don’t know if there is actually a potential job to be filled

Top two advantages of face-to-face job search

• Having made a personal connection to the Human Resources group or hiring manager, you have a much higher chance of getting the job
• If you made a good impression, but didn’t get the job, you have at worst expanded your professional network and at best, will be called at a later time when another job opens

Top two disadvantages of online job search

• It’s more work and more time consuming.
• It’s a numbers game, you end up talking to many people that can’t help you find a job in the effort of finding a few people that can help

My suggestion to you is to combine online and face-to-face job search activities to maximize your effectiveness. It will give you the advantages of both. That said, consider the following:

1. Use web searches to find companies that are hiring and then use face-to-face networking to find contacts at these companies that can help you get the job.
2. Target companies where you would like to work, use LinkedIn to identify people that work at those companies, and personally contact these people via phone call and/or email.
3. Participate in active discussion boards and blog sites in the technical area where you are looking for a job, then personally contact people who comment favorably on your posts.
4. Write a blog in your professional area. If you get noticed great, if not, you are building your personal brand and can talk about your blog at networking meetings and during job interviews.

This blog is based on a column I wrote last year, as part of my weekly blog in IT World. For my most recent IT World blogs, go to http://www.itworld.com/blogs/eric-bloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.
Best wishes,
Eric Bloom

At a high level and from an accounting perspective, when you buy a product or service for your company, it can be accounted for in one of two ways; as an expense or as a capital expenditure. Conceptually, the difference is related to the useful life of the product you purchased. If your purchase will be used within a one year period, then it must be expensed during the current year. However, if the purchased item has a useful life of many years, for example a new truck or a big computer, then from an accounting perspective you can capitalize the purchased item and then expense it over a specified number of years.

In accounting terms, current period expenses must be deducted from your taxes in the current year. Money spent as a long term investment (like a truck or computer) is capitalized, meaning, rather than being expensed in the current year, it is placed on the balance sheet as an asset and then depreciated.

If you have the background to understand what I’m talking about, that’s great. If you don’t, as a manager you should learn a little about accounting. If you are not already doing so, in time you will most likely be involved in budgeting, salary planning, revenue forecasts, and/or approving company expenses. Sorry to tell you, but all of these activities are accounting related. Taking an accounting class or reading a good book on accounting would be a good personal investment in your professional future.

It would also be worthwhile to ask your company’s finance person if any of your department’s expenses can, and should, be capitalized. If the finance person says yes, carefully follow the capitalization instructions. These instructions must be correctly followed because the company may one day be audited to assure that proper capitalization rules were used.

Your first thought may be “Who cares?” The answer is your company’s senior management and finance group may really care. First, if the expense is categorized as a expense, there is the potential for company tax advantages. Second, if the company is publicly held, the capitalization of an expenditure not only increases current net income but also increases the company balance sheet.

Your next question may be “Why do I care?” The answer is twofold. First, as a manager you are part of the company’s management team and you should want what’s best for the company. Second, capitalized expenses are generally budgeted differently than general expenses. Therefore, you may be able to get more money for your department to spend on big stuff, like new computers for your staff. Remember, more money means your department means you can do more things. Generally speaking, investments that make your department more productive are good for your team, your company, and as the department manager, for you.

The primary advice and takeaways from today’s column is to know that:

• Knowing the difference between an expense and a capital expenditure may allow you to get more money for your department
• If you don’t understand accounting, as a manager, taking an accounting class would be of professional value to you
• Manager processes such as budgeting, salary planning, revenue forecasting, and other manager functions require a certain level of accounting knowledge.

For additional information on today’s topic, I suggest the book The Accounting Cycle: A Primer for Nonfinancial Managers (50-Minute Series) by Jay L. Jacquet and William C. Miller Jr.

This blog is an excerpt from my weekly nationally syndicated column with GateHouse News Service. My new columns can be found in GateHouse Media publications throughout the United States.

Until next time, manage well, manage smart, and continue to grow.

Eric Bloom
President and CTO
Manager Mechanics, LLC
www.ManagerMechanics.com

To begin with, I wanted to answer you in my column, rather than via a personal email, because your question hit home for me. I ultimately decided to move into a management role because I found that I liked being a manager. The difficult part for me was the fear of losing my technical skill. What I didn’t realize until I became a manager, is that like being a techie, being a manager requires a specific skill set that grows and matures over time. That said, as a way of trying to maintain my technical edge, I taught technical classes at a local university for almost fifteen years.

It has long been debated within the technical community whether the choice to stay technical can provide the same levels of compensation and organizational ranking as those who move into management roles.

To answer your question directly, it has been my experience that there are very few individual contributors in very few companies, technical or non-technical, who achieve salary and organizational parity with their management-oriented counterparts.

That said, if you are an exceptional techie and appreciated within your company, it is very possible to have equal or greater compensation than a first-line supervisor or manager. This parity, however, becomes much less likely when comparing an individual contributor to a middle-level or upper-level manager.

If you chose to stay an individual contributor, the key to maximizing your compensation is to be the very best techie you can be.

• Be a thought leader in your specific technical area.
• Be the primary contact for the company’s most important software application.
• Become the company’s lead expert in the technical direction in which the company is moving, for example, the development of company-wide private cloud.
• Become known as an industry leader in an industry-specific technology and become a spokesperson for your company at important industry conferences.

Next, I would like to make a distinction between working in internal IT and working in the technical Product Engineering (PE), a software group that develops software for sale or as part of an online product offering.

There is the potential to achieve VP level status as technical individual contributor within both IT and PE. However, based on my personal antidotal knowledge and not based on any specific statistical rigger, the PE type groups tend to have more VP level techies than IT groups. I think this is true because technical products for sale often have/need senior technologists in roles that are designed to help the company’s sales and marketing organizations sell the product. These roles include:

• Chief Product Architect (from a marketing perspective)
• Technical Product Spokesperson
• Product Marketing – Feature Specialist
• Pre-Sales Specialist
• Product Implementation Specialist
• . . . and other similar roles that are a blend of technology, sales, marketing, and product implementation

In closing, at the end of day, we spend almost one third of our life working. It should be something that you love to do and look forward to when you wake up in the morning. If you love being a techie and hate the idea of becoming a manager, stay a techie and become the best techie you can be. If you think becoming a manager is right for you, then work to become a great manager. All technical organizations, regardless of the industry they service, need both great techies and great technical managers.

This blog is based on a column I wrote last year, as part of my weekly blog in IT World. For my most recent IT World blogs, go to http://www.itworld.com/blogs/eric-bloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.
Best wishes,
Eric Bloom

1. Have a strong understanding of the job description. This will allow you to

• Ask questions specific to the job, rather than general in nature
• Better compare the applicant’s skills/experience to the job requirements

2. Review the applicant’s resume prior to the actual interview. This is important because it

• Shows the applicant that you respect his/her time and that the job is important
• Allows you more time to formulate quality questions based on his/her experience
• Saves you from having to spend time reading the resume during the interview

3. Have an interview plan that includes the following items

• An opening question to put the candidate at ease and begin the dialog on a positive note
• Dialog allowing the candidate to ask questions about the job and/or your company. This will assure that they understand what the job is and you can assess the candidate’s interview preparation.
• List of questions related to how his/her experience and skills meet the requirements of the job
• List of questions that will allow you to determine if the candidate’s personality is compatible with your department and the company in general
• List of any general questions you always like to ask, like their strengths and weaknesses. You can always use these as a filler if the interview dialog is not going smoothly
• A closing question or statement that allows the candidate to ask any final questions and simultaneously signals that the interview is coming to a close

Many people say that in a thirty minute interview, they decide in the first five minutes (or less) if they like or don’t like the candidate. The remaining time is then spent either selling the candidate on the job if they liked him/her, or if they don’t like the person, to re-evaluate him/her to make sure their initial instinct was correct.

Some people also like to ask funny questions. I strongly suggest not taking this approach. You may accidentally offend the candidate by your question, or just look unprofessional by asking it. For example, I was once asked in an interview “If you could be any type of animal what would it be?” I told him I would be an eagle because it’s on the top of the food chain and I could fly for free. He said he liked my answer but that technically an eagle was a bird, not an animal. In any event, he offered me the job.

In closing, it is important that you become a good interviewer. One hallmark of a great manager is the ability to attract and hire great people. Your ability to select the best candidate from a group of applicants and have that person accept the job is directly related to your ability as an interviewer.

The primary advice and takeaways from today’s column is to know that:

• Preparation is key to giving a great interview
• Understanding of the job description
• Review the applicant’s resume prior to the actual interview
• Have an interview plan
• Your ability to hire the best candidate is directly related to your ability as an interviewer.

For additional information on today’s topic, I suggest the book The Evaluation Interview: How to Probe Deeply, Get Candid Answers, and Predict the Performance of Job Candidates by Richard Fear and Robert Chiron.

This blog is an excerpt from my weekly nationally syndicated column with GateHouse News Service. My new columns can be found in GateHouse Media publications throughout the United States.

Until next time, manage well, manage smart, and continue to grow.

Eric Bloom
President and CTO
Manager Mechanics, LLC
www.ManagerMechanics.com

These industry-changing trends can be of great career and financial benefit to you. That said, consider the following:

1. Do your research and find job openings at companies that you think will grow dramatically because of current industry trends and changes. All ships rise in high tide. If you work for a growing company, chances are that you can grow with it; not to mention the potential value of stock options and/or stock purchase plans if available.
2. If you are at a company you love, try to discover ways that your company can take advantage of new and evolving technologies. This has two advantages for you; first, it can help you become an internal company thought leader, second, using these technologies will enhance your personal/professional marketability.
3. If your company is moving toward new technologies, such as developing an internal company Private Cloud, try to get involved. It can help establish your role as a participant in the company’s new technical direction. Also, if your company’s plan is to replace older technologies with newer ones, working on these newer technologies could save your job.
4. If you are entrepreneurial by nature, your skill set is aligned with one of these new technologies, and your personal situation allows it, now may be the time to try to start your own company on a part-time or full-time basis.
5. If you are in an internal IT group, try to align new technologies with the business needs of the groups you support. If you can do it cost effectively, you can provide real value to your business users, IT, and your company in general.
6. If you like to write or speak at conferences as a way of enhancing your professional brand, experience and practical knowledge in an up-and-coming technology can help you get published and/or a speaking slot at a professional conference.

As mentioned in earlier columns, industry changing trends, like cloud computing, has the potential to generate winners and losers because of its technology shift. Other technologies, such as tablet computing, smart phones, and GPS enabled devices, because they are new technology paradigms; tend to bring immense opportunities with minimum short-term risk to other technologies because they are an “addition to” rather than a “replacement of” type product. In the longer term, however, these “addition to” technologies will, in fact, reduce the demand for other products. For example, less people today buy paper maps because their cars have GPS systems. This change in buying patterns, however, has taken years to take form.

In closing, how many people do you think have said to themselves or others “Wow, I wish I got involved in the internet when it first became popular.”? (I’m not actually looking for a specific number; this question was just rhetorical

Well, five or ten years from now, don’t be the one saying the same thing about today’s new technologies. Learn about them and get involved. If you do, the combination of hard work, backing the right horse, and more than a little good luck, may bring your wealth and professional growth.

This blog is based on a column I wrote last year, as part of my weekly blog in IT World. For my most recent IT World blogs, go to http://www.itworld.com/blogs/eric-bloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.
Best wishes,
Eric Bloom

The fundamentals of salary planning include Job Descriptions, Job Levels, Salary Ranges, Salary Surveys, Position in Salary Range, and Salary Range Quartiles.

A Job Description is a description of the job, including its title (the name of the job, for example, Business Analyst), responsibilities, tasks, needed skills, required certifications and needed level of experience. The job description is the primary communication vehicle of the job’s responsibilities. The job description is also the basis for defining the Job Level and Salary Range.

A Job Level is where the job fits within the company hierarchy. For example, the Business Analyst job family may go from Junior Business Analyst to Senior Business Analyst to Principal Business Analyst. As a result, the job description for a Senior Business Analyst should require more experience than the job description for a Junior Business Analyst. Once a job is leveled, it has to be assigned a Salary Range.

A Salary Range is the range of pay that the company is willing to pay for a specific job. For example

• The range of pay for a Junior Business Analyst may be from $40,000 to $60,000
• The range of pay for a Senior Business Analyst may be from $50,000 to $80,000

Conceptually, these salary ranges are determined by a number of factors including

• Needed skills
• Required certifications
• Amount of experience
• Level of responsibility

In reality, the salary range associated with a job tends to be driven by

• General market conditions
• Supply and demand for the specified skill set
• What other local companies are paying for similar jobs

As an added point, sometimes specialized skills demand higher salary ranges, For example, knowledge in new computer software technologies tend to bring a higher price than the equivalent skills in standard or older technologies.

Many Human Resources departments define their salary ranges with the help of Salary Surveys. These surveys are facilitated by consulting firms that collect, aggregate and analyze salary data from hundreds of companies. Then, they summarize the collected information by job type and sell it back to the participating companies. The companies then use it as a reference guide to define their salary ranges.

Once a job’s salary range has been defined, the general rule of thumb regarding where a person should be Positioned in a Salary Range is a

• Less experienced person should be in the lower end of the salary range
• Fully qualified person should be in the middle of the range
• Very experienced person should be in the higher end of the range

Some companies break salary ranges into Salary Ranges Quartiles. Quartiles are four smaller ranges within the salary range. For example, as discussed earlier, if the “Junior Business Analyst” salary range goes from $40,000 to $60,000, the quartiles would be $40,000 to $45,000, $45,001 to $50,000, $50,001 to $55,000 and $55,001 to $60,000.

With the range quartiles defined, people’s pay raises are then partially based on their quartile within the range. The rationale being if are fully qualified

• You should be at midpoint
• If paid less than midpoint, you are underpaid and should receive a larger than average increase
• If paid more than midpoint, you should get a smaller increase because you are already being appropriately compensated

Sorry for all the math and numbers, but welcome to management. If needed, ask your Human Resources person for help. It’s their job to help you.

The primary advice and takeaways from today’s column is to know that:

• The fundamentals of salary planning include Job Descriptions, Job Levels, Salary Ranges, Salary Surveys, Position in Salary Range, and Salary Range Quartiles.
• You don’t need to be an expert in these fundamentals, but as a manager you do need to understand what they are
• If you have trouble with the math, Human Resources can help

This blog is an excerpt from my weekly nationally syndicated column with GateHouse News Service. My new columns can be found in GateHouse Media publications throughout the United States.

Until next time, manage well, manage smart, and continue to grow.

Eric Bloom
President and CTO
Manager Mechanics, LLC
www.ManagerMechanics.com

The resume tips below have been divided into three main areas; Form and Function, Content, and General Thoughts. Truth be told, the reason for this categorization is because this is how I, as a hiring manager, review resumes.

• Do other people review resumes differently than I do? Yes.
• Is my way better or worse than how other people review resumes? No, it’s just one way.
• Would every hiring manager and/or job search consultant agree 100% with what I am about to say? No, I think they would agree with me on most of my comments, but may disagree with a few of my points.
• Would they be right to disagree with me? Yes, their thoughts are equally as valid as mine. In fact, this is what makes resume writing so difficult. Different people have different opinions and like different things. As a result, you get conflicting suggestions on what is best. Your goal is to listen to me and other experts and make an informed decision of which advice works best for you.

Regarding a resume’s form and function, consider the following:

1. Make sure your resume is neat and well organized (shows organization and structure)
2. Be sure everything is indented properly. (I’m a techie, I can’t help myself. I dislike source code that’s not properly indented and I guess I have extended that to resumes.)
3. Use bullet points not lots of text. (I personally like bullet points because it’s easier and faster to read.)

Regarding a resume’s content, I suggest the following do’s and don’ts:

The Do’s

• Use the right keywords and technology names
• Use effective action-based titles
• Describe your technical achievements factually without boasting
• Describe the business value related to your technical accomplishments
• Explain the benefits of your specific skill set
• Back up your qualities and strengths with example accomplishments
• List your job responsibilities only if you are in senior management role
• Include non-professional accomplishments only if they are impressive and significant

The Don’ts

• Don’t include obsolete technologies unless strategically placed
• Don’t include irrelevant information
• Don’t include technologies you don’t really know, it can raise questions regarding the technologies you really do know
• Don’t include “no kidding” information
• Don’t feel required to list all your work experiences
• Don’t leave unexplained time gaps in your work experience, potential employers will think the worst, or at least ask for clarification if they like you

Next, there are some general tips that may be of value to you:

• After you have proofread your resume give it two other people to review
• Avoid negativity, it only hurts you
• Customize your resume to best meet each potential job opportunity
• Honesty is the best policy, false truths on your resume can destroy your professional reputation
• Don’t use slang words or expressions, the people reading it may not understand your meaning
• Your personal and professional social media profiles should be consistent with your resume content

In closing, even if you have great contacts and a great job, I suggest you keep your resume updated for two reasons. The first reason is if that once-in-a-life-time job shows up at your doorstep you will be ready to apply. A second and less obvious reason is that there is something about updating your resume that makes you sit back and think about your career at a macro level. This occasional introspection about your career goals and direction can help assure that you stay pointed in right direction toward your ultimate objectives.

This blog is based on a column I wrote last year, as part of my weekly blog in IT World. For my most recent IT World blogs, go to http://www.itworld.com/blogs/eric-bloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.
Best wishes,
Eric Bloom

Now would be a good time to contact your mentor and/or professional career coach to plan out your short term and long term goals and plans. When planning your next steps, consider the following questions:

• Do you enjoy being a manager and do you wish to continue on a management path?
• Are you happy at your current company and industry?
• What opportunities exist at your current employer and do you believe you will be considered for these opportunities?
• Is an advanced degree, specific certification, or other credential needed for you to be promoted?
• Are there things that you could be doing as part of your current job to help position yourself for a promotion?

Another thing to consider when deciding your next professional move has nothing to do with your profession; it’s your personal life. Remember, your job is just part of who you are and part of what you do. In order to be successful not only in work, but in life, you must consider your personal priorities also. That said, when considering your next move, also think about the following questions:

• What are your thoughts on work-life balance?
• Does your personal life allow you to travel for work? If yes, then how much?
• Do your family and personal obligations allow you to move to a different city, state, or country if the opportunity arises?
• Will you be happiest in a job that helps people, even if the pay is less?
• Would a job that does or does not have a 9:00 – 5:00 schedule be more suited to your lifestyle and personal situation?
• If you know you could not fail, what would you like your job to be?

These questions and others like them will help you define a next job that meets the combination of your personal and professional aspirations. That’s the real win.

Another thing to consider is where do your talents lie? If you can find a job, in management or elsewhere, that takes advantage of your personal strengths and doesn’t require strong abilities where you are not as capable, it will greatly enhance your chance of success.

Lastly, what are your interests? Using an old expression, “What floats your boat?” If you are going to be doing something five days a week, it might as well be something you are interested in.

Once you have an idea of your professional direction, your next steps will begin to become obvious. The sooner you figure out where you want to go, the sooner you can begin your journey in earnest.

The primary advice and takeaways from today’s column is to know that:

• People who carefully plan their career tend to be more successful professionally
• Your job is only part of who you are and what you do. Consider your personal priorities also.
• When considering your next move be aware your interests, strengths and weaknesses, family obligations, and wanted work-life balance.

For additional information on today’s topic, I suggest the book The Truth About Managing Your Career by Karen Otazo.

This blog is an excerpt from my weekly nationally syndicated column with GateHouse News Service. My new columns can be found in GateHouse Media publications throughout the United States.

Until next time, manage well, manage smart, and continue to grow.

Eric Bloom
President and CTO
Manager Mechanics, LLC
www.ManagerMechanics.com

Wow, what a great question. My assumption, by the way you worded it is that you want suggestions that will meet all four of your criteria. Truth be told, I decided to answer this question in my column for two reasons; first, it really made me think, second, I have a training business that’s heavily tech oriented.

Ok, here I go. I can’t promise that each one of my suggestions will meet all four of your needs, but I can comfortably say that each option will at least meet three of the four.

Play instructional based videos (fun, techie, and will help at work)
Game-based learning is an up-and-coming trend in the training world. When playing these games, consider the:

• Overall structure of the game to see how it creates a learning environment
• Techniques used to deliver the training materials
• Use of graphics and voiceovers
• How this technology could be used to deliver your company’s training materials

The key take-a-way here is that you should learn more about your industry in general and the technologies that are used by your firm’s competitors. This knowledge can make you more valuable to your company and move you toward being the internal go-to person regarding information on technical innovations within your industry.

Volunteer to be the tech person for a non-profit, charitable, religious, or issue-based organization that you believe in (fun, techie, will help at work, good for the world

Organizations of this type generally appreciate the involvement of technically oriented people to help with their website, email blasts, and other communication related technologies. Helping out within these organizations can be fun because I have found that the people associated with these types of organizations are generally fun to be with, committed to doing good for the world and personally inspiring. Regarding helping you at work, it can give you the chance to learn new technologies and maybe make contacts that can help you gain future employment.

Join a Special Interest Group (SIG) related to your technical expertise (fun, techie, will help at work)

The online social media can certainly expand your professional circles, but don’t underestimate the professional value of participating in a SIG related to your technical expertise and/or passion. The discussions and presentations made at these meetings can greatly enhance your technical knowledge and expertise. You may also find it fun, based on the new likeminded people you will meet who are interested in this type of meeting.

Watch educational videos on YouTube and Vimeo rather than sitcom reruns (fun, techie, will help at work)

Ok, fun is a stretch on this one, but how about also watching a couple of fun YouTube videos and we’ll call it even. Regarding educational videos, the quantity of quality of educational material on YouTube is remarkable. Use it to expand your technical and business knowledge.

In closing, I hope I have answered your question in a way that is of value to you. The trick here is to keep learning and keep participating. It’s good for you, good for your career, good for the world, and maybe even a little bit of fun.

This blog is based on a column I wrote last year, as part of my weekly blog in IT World. For my most recent IT World blogs, go to http://www.itworld.com/blogs/eric-bloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.
Best wishes,
Eric Bloom

As a manager, you will still be involved in the work your department is doing, but it will be different. Instead of doing the work, you will be managing people and overseeing the work performed by your team. It is important that you understand that

• Managing is very different from doing
• You should make the conscience decision that you would rather be a manager than an individual contributor

Most of the topics in my weekly column have discussed your responsibilities as a manager. What I would like to emphasize here, is that one of your first responsibilities as a new manager is to transition your old responsibilities to a member of your team. If you try to continue doing your old job while learning and performing your new job, you will most likely fail at both. My one caveat to this statement is sometimes a manager’s job is better described as “Player Coach”, namely your job description includes a combination of supervisory and task related responsibilities. In this case, it is possible to be successful in both roles because you are being asked to do a little of each, not a full time job of each.

Over time, particularly if you are in a technical job, like computer programming or engineering, your technical skills will eventually become stale and out of date. This doesn’t mean you can’t lead the group. It means that without ongoing practice and training in new technology, you will not be able to sit down and personally perform the tasks being performed by your team.

If you truly enjoy hands-on work and don’t have a strong interest in managing people, then moving into a management position may not be the right career move for you. I have seen a number of very talented technologists try management, not like it, and go back to an individual contributor role. Managers generally make more money than the individual contributors, so if you want to remain an individual contributor there is a cost, but there is also a cost to having a job that you don’t enjoy.

My goal here is not to scare you away from becoming a manager, but rather to help assure that you are moving in the right direction that is right for you professionally. When deciding to move into management consider the following:

• Is being a manager something you will be happy doing?
• Do you need additional training to be the best manager you can be?
• Will you try to maintain your current technical skills?
• If you become the manager, what effect will it have on the relationship with your current co-workers and are you ok with that change?

Personally, I love being a manager. I find it to be challenging, creative, and rewarding. That said, I must say that there are also times that I find it to be frustrating and look fondly on the days of being an individual contributor. A friend of mine who has also been a manager likes to joke that management would be great if it wasn’t for the people. For me, moving into the management ranks was a great move.

This blog is an excerpt from my weekly nationally syndicated column with GateHouse News Service. My new columns can be found in GateHouse Media publications throughout the United States.

Until next time, manage well, manage smart, and continue to grow.

Eric Bloom
President and CTO
Manager Mechanics, LLC
www.ManagerMechanics.com