Becoming an IT manager can be traumatic for systems administrators and developers. The skills for which you used to be valued suddenly aren't as useful, your peer group changes, and everyone is looking to you for answers. In such a situation, it's easy to feel unsuccessful—and fast. A natural reaction for many people in this position is to focus on what they're comfortable with— for example, managing servers or writing code. Unfortunately, what can emerge from doing so is the most feared kind of corporate monster: the Micromanager.

Beg...