The unspoken truth about managing geeks

I was sent this wonderful article about managing the folks in your IT staff.  I found it to be wonderfully insightful.  I even learned a few things about my self.  Here is my favorite section.(emphasis added)

IT pros are sensitive to logic -- that's what you pay them for. When things don't add up, they are prone to express their opinions on the matter, and the level of response will be proportional to the absurdity of the event. The more things that occur that make no sense, the more cynical IT pros will become. Standard organizational politics often run afoul of this, so IT pros can come to be seen as whiny or as having a victim mentality. Presuming this is a trait that must be disciplined out of them is a huge management mistake. IT pros complain primarily about logic, and primarily to people they respect. If you are dismissive of complaints, fail to recognize an illogical event or behave in deceptive ways, IT pros will likely stop complaining to you. You might mistake this as a behavioral improvement, when it's actually a show of disrespect. It means you are no longer worth talking to, which leads to insubordination.

Ohh, man, that is so true. The entire piece is really good, if you are in IT, or you manage IT staff this article is highly recommended.