In a dynamic world of IT Systems Ops and DevOps, effective cross-training is a always challenge. Skill-ups are essential for both individual growth and team success. Over many years of experience as a PM, manager, and mentor, I have developed a philosophy that emphasizes: self-reliance, initiative, and continuous learning. Here is my personal manifesto on cross-training, my contribution to developing proficient and empowered teams.

Teaching the WHERE or the WHAT, Not Always the WHY or the HOW

I can provide you with the WHERE—the documentation, server information, IP addresses, and other essential resources. However, I may not always have the time to delve into the WHY behind every decision or the HOW of every process. I am not talking about “Why” for team motivation “Why” covered in the book Start With Why. I am talking about giving someone First Principles training, which always covers the Why of a thing. The nuances of our systems and the depth of understanding come from hands-on experience, your own personal initiative, and time. While I can guide you to resources and sometimes briefly talk about a technology or tool, uncovering the why and how is ultimately your journey: and that journey must involve exploration and practice, sometimes on your own time. It’s how you get good at anything in this line of work. If you put in your time, same as everybody else, you can become the expert you want to be. And if you don’t have the time (and I get it, I truly do) to uncover the why and how of stuff – then you at least owe it to the team to work hard to use the where and the what as best you can.

Setting Clear Expectations and Providing Support

We’re all adults and professionals here, and I trust in your ability to take ownership of your tasks and your own self-development. I will set clear expectations for outcomes, and ensure you have the tools and support you need. However, I expect you to begin your work without requiring immediate step-by-step guidance, hand-holding, or asking numerous questions right from the start. Dive in first: explore and take the initiative to solve problems independently, and that leads to better support from your manager or local SME. In Enterprise IT and DevOps, your performance is directly-measured by outcomes and accountability. Part of accountability is working independently toward a needed result, and (fair or not) being a self-starter is your currency for begin able to call-in enthusiastic support from your team.

Embracing Challenges and Seeking Help When Truly Stuck

Challenges are opportunities for growth. I encourage you to tackle obstacles head-on and make a genuine effort to overcome them. If you find yourself truly stuck after exhausting your resources, I’m more than happy to assist. But remember, when you come to me for help, I will always ask what you’ve already tried first. This approach ensures you’re actively engaged in the problem-solving process and promotes learning.

Remember that independently trying first is everything in troubleshooting and learning: joyfully get stuck, because that is learning happens and where I get motivated to joyfully help! If you ask for help without having tried much (without getting stuck first) we’re going to have a chat, or you’re probably going to receive this blog post. 😂

Pro Tip: The secret about getting enthusiastic support from your local SME or uber nerd is–trying to solve the problem independently, and be ok (even excited) to get stuck first before firing-off an email thread or asking for help. If you operate this way, the help and support you receive is fierce and powerful. If you don’t, the help you receive may be unmotivated, uninterested, and sometimes tired.

Again, being a self-starter is your currency for begin able to call-in enthusiastic support from your team.

Autonomy and Professional Growth

Once I set a clear expectation or outcome, I’ll step back and let you do your job. This autonomy empowers you to develop your expertise and confidence. The deeper understanding of our systems—the WHY and HOW—is best gained through experience, persistence, and self-directed learning. Going straight to “help!!” teaches us nothing.

Taking Initiative for Your Own Training

While I’m not responsible for always identifying the external training you might need, I fully support your professional development! If you discover a compelling training opportunity from a certified third party that relates to our work or where you can improve, bring it to my attention. I’m always open to considering valuable resources that can enhance our team’s capabilities. That said, it’s also not my job to set up educational curriculum, either: I need you to honestly assess your own blind-spots and identify technology areas you yourself are interested in learning. Do that, and I will fight every CFO and C-Suite for a training budget. Don’t, and…well, I got my own self-learning and training goals to attend to. Come see me when you find something you’re passionate about learning something of value for the team.

Take-Aways

If this all feels like a “teach a man to fish” talk, it is. I also believe in throwing the fisherman right into some waist-high water, to try catching those big fat fishes on their own, before doing any fishing for them or teaching angler techniques. I do neither of us any favors if I am doing cross-training before you even start fishing, first! 😉 But if you’re game, and working hard, I will cross-train all day.

To foster a team environment where everyone takes initiative, learns proactively, and contributes effectively – I believe people must leave their confort zones and build confidence. Team leaders should always lead by example here. Help enthusiastically, but always ask what has been tried.

By focusing on self-reliance and continuous learning, we actually all grow together and meet the challenges in our field head-on. Embrace this approach, and you can work collaboratively on powerful teams that achieve amazing outcomes and shared success.

I am rooting for you!