Hear, hear!!

I just read an interesting article on how to manage geeks, and I wholeheartedly endorse it.

A couple of my favorites:

8. Include them in IT related decisions. Never make decisions without consulting geeks. Geeks usually know the technical side of the business better than the manager, so making a technical decision without consulting them is one of the biggest mistakes a leader can make.

10. Remember that geeks are creative workers. Programming and system analysis are creative processes, not an industrial one. Geeks must constantly come up with solutions to new problems and rarely ever solve the same problem twice. Therefore they need leeway and flexibility. Strict dress codes and too much red tape kill all innovation. They also need creative workspace surroundings to avoid "death by cubicle."

Hah. Death by cubicle... that's great. Finally:

Geeks don't like dead weight. If you have any, get rid of it, and your team will be better off. Teams work best when everyone is pulling their weight.

Managers beware!