• I really enjoyed reading this article. It is full of good ideas.

    One point I'd like to emphasise is that  the 'team' management skills are easy to define and train. They are quite different from technical skills in their nature but, just as nobody is born with programming skills, so it is with the skills to manage a team. What always puzzles me is that people are prepared to take on a management role without any training, experience, or backgroung reading, whereas most of us would feel shame and guilt about taking on a technical IT role without training or experience.

    The other point which comes out strongly from this article is that we should be absolutely frank with our managers about what we think of their 'team' skills, and assist them as much as we can to improve their skills. Good teams tend to get good managers. Maybe we all need training in 'Team' skills.

    Best wishes,
    Phil Factor