question

- Run interference and keep company $h!# from landing on them - Flexibility: Focus on the job getting done rather than the chair staying warm - Give them autonomy - they all know what needs done and are likely happy to do it - Challenge them - most people hate just going through the motions - Encourage them to shop the market (seriously) - Keep them trained - encourage them to train others (user groups SQL Sat. etc)

- Don't micro-manage - Do ask questions - Don't expect minute to minute updates - Do demand professionalism - Do set goals together - Conversation! Conversation! Conversation! - Fight the battles for the team - Remove red tape - Give autonomy but hold accountable - Be clear in what is expected of them and you - Read and learn as you grow in the role - Get the team what they need to succeed

My other answer was for the team. This one's for you. Make sure you have a mentor. Someone you respect to help you through the learning-the-management stuff. They don't have to have come from the same background, but they do have to be a good manager of people and projects, and need to be someone you can spend time with away from the office and other distractions.

There are several great answers here, Particularly Thomas's 2 answers. But one thing I would say is to find out what kind of manager your boss wants you to be. I don't mean in the "management style" sort of way (your boss might give advice, but that should be your decision). I mean in the "lead from the front technical manager" versus "decision maker and overseer" vs "pure administrator" type role. That categorization will affect a lot of other things. Of course, most managers have some combination of those three (and more!) in their job descriptions, but which one predominates matters and that should come from your superiors. Many technical managers are expected to continue doing technical work and provide direct mentoring. They need to work hard to keep up on the technical side along with the leadership side. They are expected to do a lot of direct mentoring, but often the company will have other administrators that will handle a lot of the gritty details or at least help out on that side. But a decision maker and overseer is expected to spend more time making higher level decisions and tracking progress. It may be less important to keep up on the technical side, but more important to track what every individual is doing and how they are coming along on their milestones. And then there are almost pure administrators. This is especially common when dealing with a team of engineers. An administrator might be more focused on tracking time off, and acting as a communications facilitator and organizer than on leading in the sense of others. All three types (and some more) are valuable and have their place. But its important to know which one your boss epects you to be. (I've worked for all 3 at different times, and I've been two out of three at different times. They were all good experiences, but very different.)

Most serious points have been eloquently covered by other answers already. So, bring in pizza when they are running a roll-out or working unexpected hours when you could be legitimately at home having your time off. Appearing mid shift and giving them a break and providing some light relief will be very welcomed and remembered. Don't disappear into management and leave them behind (Unless you want to?). You are in charge but that doesn't necesarily mean you are exchanging SSMS for MS Project. When there is a tight deadline and the boss can help out and cut some code to ensure completion on time can be useful.

This is a bit more on "Shop the Market" @TimothAWiseman thought some explanation would be nice. Since this didn't seem to be a good fit with the original answer, I thought I'd post it as its own. I won't pretend it's a good blanket approach for everybody in all situations - you have to know yourself, your people and what works for them. As an IT leader (supervisor/director/manager/whatever-you-want-to-call-it), I want my employees to occasionally "Shop the Market" I'm no longer with the same IT consultancy where I began my career and I suspect that most other people aren't either. I also expect that I won't spend the rest of my career with my current employer. It's not that I don't enjoy working there (it is a pretty good place to work), or that I'm currently looking (I'm not), it's just that, where I live, for males my age, the median workplace tenure is 5.3 years and I'm well beyond that (50-50 chance, though, right?). For the future, the median tenure for for males 7-10 years my senior is 7.8-10.3 years (I'm right on the divide between two groups): if I were to change employers now I would just reach the median tenure for each age group right as I arrive. That's not a goal, just a statistic. The point is that, as a leader, no matter how hard I try, I'm extremely unlikely to retain my employees for more than a few years for reasons that may be entirely beyond my control. I'll sure do my best to keep them around and, while I have them, I'll try to build lasting relationships and memories with them that we can all cherish, but the numbers just don't have us working together for even as long as 5 or 10 years. By the time my employees leave, I'd like to think that we're friends that will stay connected, as has often been the case so far. I want them to have invested themselves in the company and in their peers, just as I want to have invested myself in them. My wish when those friends leave? To land in a place to which they are well suited with the right problems to solve, the right people to work with, and a high likelihood of success. With this in mind, what do I do to prepare for and manage the inevitable transition? I encourage them to Shop the Market. I want those friends to interview with confidence and poise when a job is up for grabs. I want them to like our workplace so much that they can walk away from an "almost right" opportunity without feeling they missed out or like they "have to" come back. I want to be able to truthfully and shamelessly discuss their plans and dreams - what they want to do next, or where they want to go next and get them set up for success. Let's not just go through the "where do you want to be in 5 years" script with the implied mutual understanding that it will involve either working here, only higher up the ladder, or retiring on the beach with their lottery winnings. Really, when I hear of a great opportunity with another company, I want be able to say to my friend, "I think you would be awesome at that place," and not have them fear for their livelihood.