Managing technical professionals: why technical managers need people management skills

IN my previous articles, I wrote about communication and interpersonal skills, dealing with difficult employees and giving employee feedback. These basic skill sets apply not only to technical managers, but also to all managers who in some way control the activities of others. Managers function in two capacities: 1) managing activities, and 2) managing interpersonal relations. If the manager does not possess the appropriate skill sets, both the manager and the professional specialists will be limited in meeting organizational expectations.