Moving from a Tech into a full Business Operations role
Discussion
We've had a recent departure of the head of a business area, and I've been recommended to step in a replace him which I've tentatively accepted.
It will involve continuing his work and then further building up a sales team, running day to day operations and being a figurehead for this area in charge of policy, hiring/firing and product development.
While historically my role has been technical, I do come from a small business background, and have been previously involved setting up a couple of new businesses (completely unrelated to this one). However this is a lot more involved with a lot more responsibility and I feel a bit out of my depth...
Has anyone else been in this position? I feel like I've skipped a few learning steps that would have been helpful in this role, so if you have been in this position do you have any tip on what helped, what to avoid and what would you make your priorities in the first few months?
Thanks
It will involve continuing his work and then further building up a sales team, running day to day operations and being a figurehead for this area in charge of policy, hiring/firing and product development.
While historically my role has been technical, I do come from a small business background, and have been previously involved setting up a couple of new businesses (completely unrelated to this one). However this is a lot more involved with a lot more responsibility and I feel a bit out of my depth...
Has anyone else been in this position? I feel like I've skipped a few learning steps that would have been helpful in this role, so if you have been in this position do you have any tip on what helped, what to avoid and what would you make your priorities in the first few months?
Thanks
ATG said:
I'd hazard a guess that the sales team will be the biggest challenge. Totally different culture to a technical, ops or personnel role. Are you going to have an experienced sales manager that you trust sitting between you and the salesmen?
That's kind of what I think is the biggest challenge, and as part of the agreement to take on the role was having a new sales manager to handle that side. The new CEO has a guy he thinks should be able to cut it, and will report into me so hopefully that side should go ok. Depending on the time he takes to move from his existing company I may however have to hire a new sales guy, as the person who is leaving this role was acting head of sales... I may be back for questions/tips on hiring a decent sales guy... Brother D said:
ATG said:
I'd hazard a guess that the sales team will be the biggest challenge. Totally different culture to a technical, ops or personnel role. Are you going to have an experienced sales manager that you trust sitting between you and the salesmen?
That's kind of what I think is the biggest challenge, and as part of the agreement to take on the role was having a new sales manager to handle that side. The new CEO has a guy he thinks should be able to cut it, and will report into me so hopefully that side should go ok. Depending on the time he takes to move from his existing company I may however have to hire a new sales guy, as the person who is leaving this role was acting head of sales... I may be back for questions/tips on hiring a decent sales guy... You have done the right thing in requesting a sales manager to support you. The business has recognised this and the CEO as you suggest has also supporting to identify someone.
Just request open dialogue and regular catch up points with upper-management. They have requested you to move up because they recognise something of value, but we all have weaknesses and areas of improvement, this is why we all have teams to support us - otherwise we would do it all ourselves.
If in doubt get yourself onto a leadership course quickly - ask it as a refresher. I do one every few years.
First couple of months is a gap analysis whilst maintaining BAU. Make no changes. Monitor, identify, and log. Trust, but verify. Listen and learn.
Search for a number 1 or 2 - team leaders that you can trust within reason.
Identify individual personalities in the team and work out what makes them tick.
Be results orientated. Do not micro manage - set and maintain goals, use your team leaders and managers to deliver results.
The team are more worried than you are - seek to maintain morale. Request a T+E budget or a small increase, especially for sales.
You will be fine. Problems only occur when people start to hide things.
Just request open dialogue and regular catch up points with upper-management. They have requested you to move up because they recognise something of value, but we all have weaknesses and areas of improvement, this is why we all have teams to support us - otherwise we would do it all ourselves.
If in doubt get yourself onto a leadership course quickly - ask it as a refresher. I do one every few years.
First couple of months is a gap analysis whilst maintaining BAU. Make no changes. Monitor, identify, and log. Trust, but verify. Listen and learn.
Search for a number 1 or 2 - team leaders that you can trust within reason.
Identify individual personalities in the team and work out what makes them tick.
Be results orientated. Do not micro manage - set and maintain goals, use your team leaders and managers to deliver results.
The team are more worried than you are - seek to maintain morale. Request a T+E budget or a small increase, especially for sales.
You will be fine. Problems only occur when people start to hide things.
Edited by BobSaunders on Wednesday 3rd January 09:52
I went from a hands on technical software developer to IT Manager for the UK and Ireland. Mine was phased so I was promoted to Deputy IT Manager for a while and had some exposure, then spent a year doing a management diploma to get qualified. In all honesty, nothing prepared me for this role. I could have skipped the previous steps and went straight into it and been in the same deep waters! People management is a real eye opener for me. Even with a small team, it can be a real headache. You learn as you go and I had some really hard times ramping up to speed and meeting expectations but after 2 years, while I can't say I enjoy it compared to my technical role, it pays the bills a lot better.
The thing to be aware of is that, for me at least, I've lost a lot of the technical skills I had as I've not kept up to date. I'm now only really suited to IT Management as there are people out there half my age and who command half my salary who are more up to date. If you enjoy the business ops role then great but if after a while you don't, it's not always easy to fall back on what you used to do.
The thing to be aware of is that, for me at least, I've lost a lot of the technical skills I had as I've not kept up to date. I'm now only really suited to IT Management as there are people out there half my age and who command half my salary who are more up to date. If you enjoy the business ops role then great but if after a while you don't, it's not always easy to fall back on what you used to do.
As was mentioned higher up, if you can find a mentor (somebody who has done a very similar role before), that you can call on, it could make your life a lot easier in the early days.
Just for things like sanity checking commission plans if you have never worked through them before, (especially if you had to devise one for a new sales manager), annual target setting, helping you validate the reporting expected by the CEO /Board etc, and just and passing on their experience, to reduce the number of errors you make in the early days.
Some of the best Sales VP's I have worked with, use mentors & trusted contemporaries (usually ex-colleagues) to bounce ideas, and walk through new situations.
Just for things like sanity checking commission plans if you have never worked through them before, (especially if you had to devise one for a new sales manager), annual target setting, helping you validate the reporting expected by the CEO /Board etc, and just and passing on their experience, to reduce the number of errors you make in the early days.
Some of the best Sales VP's I have worked with, use mentors & trusted contemporaries (usually ex-colleagues) to bounce ideas, and walk through new situations.
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