Beverly Lieberman

Q. I have more than 10 years of experience on technical teams at solutions provider companies. Recently, I was hired as an IT manager at another non-IT company where I believed I could add a lot of value. However, after a year I find myself not as productive as I thought I'd be because top management is unaware of IT responsibilities and roles. My direct boss (the COO) does not understand anything about IT and cannot take the time because he's too busy. I am afraid at this point I could get fired because we do not understand each other. If this happens, it will be the first failure of my career. Any advice?