*TELL THEM WHAT THE BUSINESS GOALS ARE*

Too many times I’ve been asked to do ridiculous crap on web projects, and when I would question any decision, or ask for prioritization, I’d get pretty much every reaction except one you might consider normal/rational.

There may be times occasionally when not broadcasting your business goals to the entire company is the best move, but when someone is asked to work on something, let them understand the full picture. Often times I felt like I had a better grasp of the company’s business and how the web technology and related processes served the business objectives than those above me who were telling me what to do.

Also, if a techie comes back with a suggestion, or with something like “hey, that’ll take a long time to do” – LISTEN. Don’t blindly assume you know better. Perhaps even take a recommendation from someone ‘below’ you in the corporate hierarchy and actually implement it. You *might* actually be surprised at the results(!)

IT, in a broad sense, often sits in the middle of multiple business concerns – marketing, production, sales, support, etc – and as such, IT workers often have a stronger grasp of how requested changes and projects will impact multiple areas than do their direct managers. Don’t feel *threatened* by that – embrace that fact and exploit it as much as possible. Everyone will be much better off.