When I got my first professional job - it was selling IBM PC's and
compatibles, along with the assignment of teaching a couple of courses
for the company I worked for - these courses included dBase III and I
believe Lotus 1-2-3 (that should give you a pretty good indication of
how old I am). Yes, I had done contracting work prior to this job - some
coding on the IBM 5110 - which was state of the art at the time. But
that wasn't full time and I fit in the coding between school activities
and my real job.
After a couple of years, I sought to find a job
doing software development - I learned that although I could sell, I
didn't like it. I also knew that I really enjoyed programming. So the
switch was logical. Looking back on those first two jobs, I realize that
although I thought I knew everything, in all honesty, I barely knew the
basics. Following are some of the things that have been ingrained into
my psych over the years – things maybe I knew, but didn't realize were
important when I started my professional life:
1) Patience is a virtue. I've indicated in previous postings that I'm a Driver - with a capital D - learn more by reading about Social Styles.
That's not a bad thing, it's not a good thing, it just is. My
particular issue - one that I've learned to manage over the years - is
that I want to dive in head first when I see a problem. What I've
learned over the years, is that in many instances, you want to listen
and ask before starting to solve a problem. In fact, I frequently tell
my direct reports that when presenting me with a problem, they need to
let me know: 1) they just need some room to vent; 2) they want my input
on ideas on how to resolve the problem; or 3) they are escalating the
issue and want my involvement. I had/have a nasty habit of jumping in on
their conversation and telling them how to solve the problem. In many
instances, they don't want me to solve it, they want me to guide them
through the process and help them solve the issue (some might call this mentoring).
2) Be Passionate about your Role.
I can honestly state that I've loved most every job that I've ever had.
I've never left an organization because of the work - I've left
organizations because of the culture and because of specific
individuals. If you want to get ahead in your current role, you need to
show passion, you need to let your boss know that you want to help
him/her. Volunteer for the tough assignments! How many times have you
walked up to your boss and asked if there was anything on their plate
that you could help with? When an opening has occurred, have you ever
told your boss that you’re willing to take on the responsibilities
associated with the open position? Let your boss save money in the
budget! I have and it's been awesome - I've taken on teams that were
outside my prime area of expertise and it has forced me to learn. What's
better than that? You win, your boss wins!
3) Learning is a never ending process.
Especially in the technology industry. And, change is only
accelerating. It wasn't long ago that you could use a language for years
and not feel the pressure to learn a different language, now there are
new scripting tools appearing daily. Businesses are shifting development
paradigms! You need to think about the user experience across mobile
(phones and tablets) as well as traditional laptops and desktops. You
don't need to run hardware anymore, you can develop, test and have your
production environment in the cloud. Companies are now introducing
wearable technology - how do you think that will impact your business?
4) Communication, communication, communication!
For those of us in the technology field, there is a certain personality
that people associate us with - they believe we lack social skills and
don't understand how to interact with others. I am lucky that my parents
taught me how to communicate in groups at a young age. The fact that I
can move between non-technical and technical users and communicate and
share information has been a key driver in my career. The time has
passed where you could hide at your desk and not have to interact with
anyone. In the business environment that exists today, you need strong
written and verbal communication skills. You also need to be adept and
moving between technical and non-technical discussions and being able to
translate information between teams.
5) If you're not happy, find something else to do!
When you're dreading going into work every day, maybe you need to
change things up. Once job from my past, made me extremely miserable. I
didn't realize it in the moment, but after leaving the company and
taking on another role, I was able to look back at the experience and
understand how it had impacted me - and not for the better. It was a
miserable experience for myself and others. I wasn't the only one who
ended up leaving either. Over a period of time, a lot of good people
ended up taking on different roles in other organizations. What a loss
for that organization.
As I've grown into different roles and
moved between organizations, these realities have allowed me to tackle
new challenges. Each of us have our own core strengths. Figure out how
to maximize the impact your strengths have within the role you currently play.
If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile
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