Reaching Out ... It's Your Job!

What are you doing to help someone find their way?

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend our local school board meeting and to be part of a presentation for a program titled: Tech Journey. This presentation was to inform our local board of actions that the district had taken over the summer to provide students with the opportunity to explore, in a hands on environment, careers related to technology. This effort was focused on letting 8th grade students have experiences that could impact their education choices and potentially open up opportunities for them to explore career choices. Better yet, the program was focused on providing these opportunities to students who typically don't have a lot of resources available to them on regular basis.

I commend the district administrative staff, the instructors and their technology team for leaning in on this effort and making it happen. Tech Journey was originally envisioned by a team of people in the Des Moines School District, and the Johnston School District was able to work with the original Tech Journey team to construct a similar opportunity for kids within our local district. A win for everyone involved!

So how do I fit into the picture and why was I at the board meeting? Well, for years, I have been working with several of the local high schools. I go in and talk to the students about what it's like to work in technology fields, I work to find volunteers to help the students in programming/security competitions and I work with the administration in helping to define programs that give students an opportunity to explore technology opportunities. I also do this with some of the local colleges and across both high school and college students, I provide internship opportunities when their is a good match between a students experience and opportunities that I have in my teams. Yes, most of these internships go to 2 or 4 year college students, but when the right high school student comes along, we work to see if there is a 'right' fit. My job last night was to support the district staff in the presentation and show the commitment to this particular private/public partnership to help students.

Early this spring, I was contacted by the administration team planning the Tech Journey event and asked to review the curriculum and then to see if I could find the necessary volunteers to work with the students. Working with the team, we refined the standard Tech Journey schedule and curriculum. I was then able to find volunteers within my team to work with the students and explore the following:

1. 3D Modeling using SketchUp
2. Programming using Scratch

Next year, the district hopes to expand the program to include basic HTML and CSS concepts.
For the 3D modeling, the students all got to use a tool called SketchUp to create Lego like blocks. This took the better part of the morning as they took measurements and then learned how to use SketchUp to create the actual 3D model. The technology team from the district, had setup 3D printers and over the lunch hour then printed each students block. The final test, would the blocks fit together? Why, yes, they did!

The afternoon, was split into 2 different sessions. First the students got to experience Scratch - programming for beginners. They had a lot of fun working to create a game, guided by some of the volunteers, Students were able to work in a casual manner with 1-on-1 interaction with the volunteers. The 2nd part of the afternoon was a Virtual Reality experience.

I can only hope that these young minds walked away from the day with the knowledge that they have the capability to do this type of work. That it is not intimidating.

I know that my team had a lot of fun working with the students that day. Between the different sessions we had Sphero competitions between the students and the volunteers and at the end of the day, everyone was able to partake in a Virtual Reality experience. I gotta say, the technology available to students these days is impressive! My team is now asking to get VR equipment - not sure how I justify that!

So, why am I writing about this? A couple of reasons come to mind. 

First, all of us have a responsibility to find a way to help the next generation take their first steps. I'm truly passionate about working with students across middle school, high school and college to show them what opportunities exist and why they should be interested in pursuing careers in technology. I want to share my experiences, as a way to show to others that there is not a large investment of time, and that the rewards far outweigh the time spent volunteering.

Second, I want to encourage my peers to find a way to help students explore these careers. We all know there is a shortage of talented team members in the technology field - I don't care which field, there is a shortage and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We need to find ways to let young women and young men know that they can succeed in this field. If only one of you reads this article and then finds a way to volunteer to help a group of students or an individual student explore technology as a career choice, then I'll call it a success.

Maybe it's your own student, maybe you find a day to volunteer at your local school, maybe you help a group of students compete in a technology challenge. Only you know what you're capable of and what time you have available to help these students. Find a way! Be a part of something bigger than the day to day grind!

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

A Little Help From My Friends!

I have been blessed in my life! I'm not a man of physical riches. Yes, I live comfortably and am able to provide for the needs and wants of my family. I grew up in a family that had a lot of love! Even though we live hours apart, we make time to get together at least twice a year - this has grown to include my nieces and nephews, their respective spouses and my great-nieces and nephews. Of course their are disagreements - but at the end of the day, we are family and I'm a better person because of my family.

My mom, dad and brothers and sisters were my first mentors. Being the youngest of six children, I did not lack direction from my elders growing up! While I may have fought against some of this, they taught me right from wrong, they taught me about responsibility, they provided my moral foundation, and, yes, they let me know when I was wrong!

Between high school and college, I had the good fortune to actually work in my dad's business. This was my first office job - having delivered papers and worked in fast food restaurants prior to taking on this role.  My dad showed a lot of patience with me as my attention to detail was not quite where it needed to be in those days. All that said, I learned a lot from working with my dad. His work ethic is impeccable, his fairness to others can not be challenged. My dad has always been my role model - in some ways I'm his clone (ask anyone who knows us), in other ways we are different.  I have never had the patience my father has, but he was the first one to call me out and I've continued to work at this my entire adult life.

Throughout my professional career, I've been fortunate to have people that cared enough to help lift me up and help me to learn things that I did not know. These mentors have made it possible for me to succeed!  They have made me learn lessons that I didn't necessarily know that I needed to learn or was to stubborn to recognize where I may have been making a mistake.

In fact, at one point, I was lucky enough to have 3 mentors at the same time: Beth Gritton, Jim Haddad and Art Christofferson - CIO, COO and CEO of McLeadUSA Publishing during the late 90's and early 00's.  To state that I learned from these individuals would be an understatement.  They never let me doubt that they trusted me, they were never afraid to let me make changes, they actively threw new challenges my way and gave me the support needed to succeed, even when I did make mistakes.

Beth took the time to show me the difference between being a manager and being a leader - lessons I still strive to understand today as I work with my teams. I have a strong tendency to react to what my team members are telling me about situations that need to be resolved and then inserting my view of the solution on them. Beth taught me to slow down and allow individuals to walk me through their issues as they see them, ask them questions and allow them to discover solutions, and support the direction that they want to take. That doesn't mean I sit back and let it all just happen. She also taught me how to understand when those decisions are material and when they are not. Letting people learn on projects and decisions that are not material and ensuring that the right support is in place when a decision is material and can impact the organization.

Beth was never afraid when I disagreed with her and would allow me to challenge her (note: if you're going to challenge your boss, do it behind closed doors and do it respectfully). When I felt I had a different way to tackle an issue, she would let me get my thoughts on the table, she would help poke holes in the solution I was presenting and more times than not, she would let me move forward with the recommendation.

Jim and Art were incredibly valuable as I learned from Beth. They both had open door policies and let me come in and 'chat' at any time. Both always expressed confidence in my abilities and let me know that they respected the skill-set that I brought to the organization. They never once cut a conversation off because they were 'too busy'. They would let me ask any question and they would always answer it - they never hid from the issue. In fact, in one instance I know I went to Jim with an issue that I did not feel I was capable of solving. Jim never hesitated, when I was done explaining the problem, he asked me how much it was going to cost to solve the problem and told me that he had faith that I would resolve it in a way that was a net positive for the organization.

Beth, Jim and Art allowed me to change the way that my teams worked within the organization and in how they supported the rest of the team. They held me accountable, but did so in a way where I was able to flourish, grow and become something greater than I imagined. I will forever be thankful for the experience to work and learn from these individuals - the ultimate mentors! 

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Picking your own Path!

I’ve been around the block for a while now.  Later this month I’ll turn 51 – which means I’ve seen all sorts of things during my career.  I’m lucky – I love what I do and I knew I wanted to be in software development very early in my life.  I touched my first keyboard when I was 12 and began programming in Basic on a DEC PDP 11/70.  And if that alone doesn’t date me, my first programs were created on punch cards and teletype terminals – yep a keyboard with green bar paper running through it that would physically type out the commands entered and responses would come back and print on the green bar paper.  The smartphone I have in my pocket has significantly more power than that first computer I used.  My Nana always used to joke that I was going to fry my brain working on those ‘computers’!

I also knew at a young age that I eventually wanted to be in management.  I had grown up watching my dad run various companies – some failed, others were successful.  While I was in high school, my dad started the final company that he would run – it became very successful and provided him with years of enjoyment until he retired several years back.  Exposure to these companies and the environment in which my brothers, sisters and I grew up in made me realize that at some point in my life I wanted to be in a leadership position – I wanted to run the world!  If I had only known then the growth I would need to be in the position that I hold today!

So why am I rambling on about my early career?  Well, at one point, I had several people attempt to convince me not to move from development into a management role.  I was reminded of this recently because someone that I’m acting as mentor to, is having the same experience.

Moving into management is tough for someone who is in a technical role.  I’m not saying it isn’t tough for other professions – it probably is.  That said, I’m speaking from the personal transition I went through.  I was used to being the one in control – at the end of the day, I could look back at the success I’d had that day pounding out the code.  I was good at what I did – I liked the tough technical problems and my managers relied on me to solve problems.  I absolutely enjoyed being a developer – it was fun, I got to solve problems, I got to play with new stuff that nobody had ever seen, I was recognized for being a person that could just get stuff done.

Eventually, I got to the point where I decided I wanted to transition into a management role.  As I began to tell people that management was something that I wanted to try.  I got feedback from all over the place that I should just stay where I was at, to eventually become a lead or an architect.  Many folks had an opinion to share and staying technical seemed to be the theme behind most of the comments.

Well, for me, it came down to what I wanted not what other people wanted for me!  This is important; you can’t let someone else determine your path forward.  If you know what you want to do with your career, then you have to make it happen.  You can blindly sit there and wait for someone to notice you and maybe give you the opportunity, or you can take proactive steps that will get you into the position you want to be in.

I recently sat down with someone who is contemplating making a similar move in their career.  We had previously discussed this “change” in their career and I know that the individual has communicated with their boss about finding a path between their current role and into a management role.  This individual than began to tell me of all the feedback they were getting from all over the place on why they should stay in the role that they are in.

I let this individual pour it all out on the table.  Then I asked them, "who cares what everyone else wants, when you look at yourself, what is it that you ultimately want to do with yourself?"  Now, I fully recognize that this individual is really good in their current role – and I mean really good.  That said, how happy are they going to be in the future if they at least didn't try?  This individual didn't hesitate, looked across the table and said, “I know I’m meant to be a manager!”  My reply, “Then why are you letting other people create doubts about what you can become?”

I have no doubt that this individual will experience some challenges moving out of the role they currently play and into a management role.  I also have no doubt that this individual will be successful in either role.  I also know the people this individual works for will provide the support needed to transition into the new role – they've done it with other folks on the team!

Sometimes you can’t listen to those around you and you need to chart your own course.  Don't be afraid to make a change and when you make the decision - proactively take steps to make it happen!

See more about my life in technology via: http://anidea4today.blogspot.com/

Test Driven Development - Think about it!

Over the last few years I've been moving my teams towards Test Driven Development.  If you're not there, you need to be looking at this paradigm.  In essence, the following is what you are shooting for:

1. Write your test.
2. Run your test - the test should fail because the code hasn't been written yet.
3. Create the bare minimum of code that will allow the test to pass.
4. Continue to refactor the code until you are satisfied - is it simple, have you removed any duplication?
5. Repeat - accumulating additional tests until full functionality matches the agreed upon requirements and design criteria.

I've been on this push for a couple of different reasons: 1) The QA Team is spending an inordinate amount of time performing regression tests that should be in the build process; 2) The QA Teams and Development Teams should spend most of their time on new feature/new function testing - not regression testing; 3)  Within the old paradigm that we were following, by the time the development team member became aware of a defect in the code, they had long since moved on to other parts of the code and it was not fresh on the mind.

I've recently spoken with several groups of students - some high school and some at the collegiate level - and the one common theme that I have been impressing on all of these groups is that they need to think about testing first.  That means while doing the design work and prior to any code being written, they should understand how they will test the code and then execute against the plan.

In a separate session. when meeting with some of the instructors - another individual recommended that the instructors should have a base set of tests created that the students will need to execute against their assignments.  The students could do this at any time to get immediate feedback.  If an instructor were to pursue this paradigm within their classrooms, I would encourage them to create a portion of the tests, but force the students to create their own set of tests.

Unless our teams are working on a completely new system - there should exist somewhere in the organization a base set of tests that cover the current functionality.  It may not be extensive, but it's there somewhere.  That's the baseline!  No build of the system should happen without improvements to that baseline with your development team increasing the code coverage with additional unit tests that are then included in the set of regression tests the next time that code is touched.

Let's face it, immediately after the code has been written and the developers focus shifts on to the next task, their ability to maintain the code begins to drift.  I'm not saying they can't maintain it, but that they will need to spend time re familiarizing themselves with the code and then planning how to make the change.  Additionally, you can't guarantee that the next time the code needs to be touched it will be touched by the same developer.  By having these tests complete and in the pool of regression tests, you set an expectation with the developer that they can't claim they are complete with the code until all regression tests are complete and they can prove that they have tested against the new feature/functionality of the application.

Really, when it comes down to it, it's about accountability within the development team.  They are just as responsible for the quality of the code as are the people working the front end of the project - discovery and requirements, design - and those working the back end of the project quality assurance and the user representatives.

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

STEM - Stop Talking, Start Helping!

There is a lot of talk across the nation in promoting STEM careers with our younger students.  This continues to be an issue that we need to address.  More jobs continue to open up within these fields and that trend will only accelerate as the Baby Boomers retire.

Take a quick look at the number of job openings that are expected thru 2022: BLS: Occupational Outlook Quarterly.  Let's review the top jobs identified in this report (as of Spring 2014):

• Software Developers - 218,500 openings thru 2022, average wage $92,660
• Computer Systems Analysts - 209,600 openings thru 2022, average wage $81,190
• Computer User Support Specialist - 196,900 openings thru 2022, average wage $46,620
• Software Developers, System Software - 134,700 openings thru 2022, average wage $101,410
• Civil Engineers - 120,100 openings thru 2022, average wage $80,770

You know what, those are pretty good wages!  I recognize that these are not the starting wages, that said, you can see that overall, these are jobs that will be in demand.  Students entering into these jobs should see wage increases that will allow them to earn a decent living.

My focus in this post will be careers in Computer Science.  While other STEM careers are critical - I'll focus on those that I'm most familiar with, those that have powered my careeer.

Unfortunately, here in the States, we are doing a very poor job of educating our students about what opportunities are available and are not focusing our curriculum to encourage young students to explore the career choices.

Only 1 in 10 of our high schools offer computer science programs for their students (as identified by TEALS).  That is a scary statistic - if 9 out of 10 schools can not provide early experiences to students that might be interested in Computer Science, how are we expecting these students to make the choice to pursue degrees in Computer Science.  More importantly, if it is this bad at the high school level - what do you think it looks like at the middle school level.

I firmly believe that if we don't find a way that allows middle school students a way to explore these careers early and then do not reinforce that through high school experiences, that we are failing the next generation.  More importantly, we are putting the future of our companies at risk.

So, here are my ideas of what needs to be done:

• Our local school boards need to find a way to introduce computer science curriculum into all middle schools.  These courses need to count as math or science credits.
• We need to specifically find ways to encourage both young men and women to take these courses.
• Our local school boards need to find a way to introduce computer science curriculum into all high schools.  These courses need to count as math or science credits.
• Alternately, some states are declaring that computer language courses would count as foreign language credits.
• Our states need to fund the expansion of STEM exploratory courses at both the middle and high school levels.
• Businesses need to step up and provide volunteers to go into the schools and assist students as they explore STEM careers.  Some of this is being done through initiatives like Lego League, but we need to find these types of programs and make them available to every school, every year.
• Businesses need to open up and hire more entry level technology students.  I have seen the tide shift to where many companies now only want to hire people with several years of experience.  They no longer want to hire newly graduated students and mentor them into the next generation of experts within their company.  Or they only want to contract and rotate people in and out every 18 months.  That may work for their bottom line today, but it destroys the expertise that they will need when current subject matter experts retire.

And, yes, before you ask, I'm holding myself accountable.  For years, I have taken time to regularly talk to high school and college students about career opportunities and what life is like working within the Computer Science field - specifically software engineering.  I have volunteered to assist as schools present various tech initiatives for their students.

If those of us in this field don't take the time to encourage the next generation to step up and become the future technology experts, who will?  If we don't take the time to encourage our schools to address the educational needs that will drive job opportunities, who will?  If we don't take the time to personally lobby/communicate with our state leaders on the need to drive change in this area, who will?

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

It's NOT all about you, it's about the Team!

I'm not a success without the people on my team!  Flat and simple - if they aren't succeeding, then I'm failing.  As a leader inside the organization, it's one of my responsibilities to look out for the needs of my team and find ways to make them successful.  I can't guarantee them success every time, but I need to find ways for them to succeed more than they fail and within their failure, I need to recognize that I own some of that failure.

I've seen people that have been great contributors on the team suddenly put themselves in a position where they look like they are going to hit the wall.  I've had to step in-front of them and prevent the smash up that is about to occur.  Sometimes these discussions can be difficult, because they don't want to admit that they are about to fail.  Sometimes there is a look of pure relief on their face when someone steps in and says - hey, I'm here to help.

One of the first projects I worked on after becoming a manager was a fairly mundane project needed within the organization - there were several pieces of the software being developed and one of the pieces was being held up because there was nobody else to work the issue.  I made the decision that I would jump in and work the issue myself.  At this point, my boss asked me why I was working on the code.  I explained to him my logic and he began to ask questions:

• If  you're working on the code - who's going to keep track of all the pieces that are moving within this effort and make sure overall we're on target?
• If you're working on the code - who are your engineers going to escalate the issue to when there's a problem and how will you manage those issues?
• If you're working on the code - who's going to keep myself and the rest of that management team aware of the status, issues, risks and plans?

There were several other questions - but you get the general sense of the conversation,  I was young and eager and for every question he had, I had an answer, me!  My manager made it clear to me that this was not the right answer and that I was going to end up hitting the wall.  I assured him, that I would be able to handle all of it and went on my merry way.

Soon, I began to trip up on myself - at first it was missing a status report here and there, not escalating an issue that needed to be escalated.  Then the impacts grew - I wasn't paying attention to all of the different moving parts and coordinating the delivery.  I hit the wall.  My boss looked me in the eye and asked me what I was going to do to clean it up.  I had failed!  Luckily, he reached out and helped clean up the mess and get the project back on track.  But what he taught me happened after all the pieces had been put back together and the project was again running forward.  He sat me down, told me that this time he had allowed me to fail and had helped me out so that I could learn what not to do going forward!  The next time this happened, if I let it happen, I would need to clean up the mess by myself.

Where to start?  First I learned as a manager, it's tough to be the one in the details and still be the one coordinating everything else that needs to be done.  Two, I learned that sometimes it's alright to let people fail.  Three, I learned that when somebody does fail, you have to be there to pick them up and help them get back on track - give them the ability to learn.

Now in some instances - the failures begin to outweigh the successes and you come to the moment of truth.  Is there a way that I can make this person successful, or have they proven that they are incapable of performing within the role that they've been hired for - a difficult decision.

As leaders - either formal supervisors/managers or informal project managers - it's not enough just to do the tactical parts of the job.  It's essential that we work work with the people we touch in the organization and help lift them up.  Only if we truly give them the tools and skills they need to perform their role and prepare them for more difficult responsibilities in their future, will we reap the rewards and succeed within our own role.

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Dysfunction within the Team - Breaking down the barriers!

Sometimes I'm left surprised when an issue hits my desk and I begin to work backwards to find out what happened.  In too many instances, I can trace it back to follow-through.  Someone in the organization knew something, or was assigned to do something and for some reason forgot.  What's even more irritating is when I'm the guilty party!

Recently, I was rightfully called out by one of my peers for not communicating a decision impacting a critical project out through the organization.  She had every right to call me out on the lack of communication.  It was my error and I could do nothing but agree with her and acknowledge the failure.  I like to pride myself on the fact that have strong communication skills and working relationships with my peers, and so I take this one personally.  There are many excuses that I could use - I'm too busy as we move several key projects into production ahead of our year end production freeze; the Project Manager should have communicated that out to the team.  Ultimately, I made the decision and I had the responsibility to communicate the decision across the organization - especially when that decision was going to put pressure on other teams across the organization.

This is not unique to myself.  As I began to explore at the beginning of this post, too often I look at the root cause of an issue and it all goes back to someone knew and didn't think to share that knowledge.

I recognize that some of this is human nature.  In the heat of the moment, decisions will be made that we believe will move the process forward and get the entire organization closer to the end goal.  While that may be the case - follow-up is critical.  Let's face it, we've all sat on the receiving end of some decision that made our lives miserable.  We've had to deal with the fallout when that information comes at the last minute.  I will be the first one to step up and call someone out when they do that to myself or one of my teams - it's only fair that I take the feedback when I'm the one causing the problem.

To allow this type of honest feedback - you need to be willing to trust the teams you work with on a daily basis:

1. Your direct reports
2. Your peers within your supervisors team
3. Your peers across the organization with whom you deal with on a daily basis

One of the best books that I've read on this topic was written by Patrick Lencioni, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team".

This book leads you through a scenario of how a group of individuals that didn't work or trust each other was transformed into a highly functional team.

I was first introduced to this book, by my current boss - our CIO.  It was the first thing that he wanted me to read after I was hired.  In fact, he sent it to me before I even officially started.  It is now one of my favorite books.  I in turn have required all of my direct reports to read the book.  I encourage my team to be honest with each other and to hold each other accountable in their daily interactions.

We have been hired for a purpose.  We are here to make a difference, to move the ball forward.  That means holding ourselves and others accountable for the deliverables that people throughout the organization rely on so that they can do their job.  We must open ourselves up to others, understand the story that is driving their actions and be prepared to receive open and honest feedback when we fail to live up to our commitments.

Don't get me wrong - this isn't a directive for you to walk around the building pointing fingers at people and telling them they're not doing the job - chances are if you did you'd have a line of people at your desk telling you that you didn't do your job.  What you should do is be willing to engage in a positive open communication.  Explain what you are seeing - you may not have a full understanding of the situation and be prepared to change the direction of the conversation based on what you hear.  If the person truly is responsible for failing to deliver, than it's up to you to find a positive way to work with the person and manage the situation.  Help them help you!

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

I Wish I Knew Then, What I Know Now!

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

How to FAIL an Interview!

When interviewing candidates for a position, I like to get the candidate to tell me about experiences that speak to the goals that I have for the open position. This is the easiest way to weed out people that can't speak to their own personal contributions within the roles that they've played.

It amazes me on regular basis when I tell someone about an objective/goal that I have for the open position and a timeframe that I want it completed, and they can't come up with concrete examples of how they've achieved something similar. They will speak in generalities and will become silent when I ask them specifically what contribution they individually made in the effort that they are discussing. Suddenly, they look like a dear in headlights and stare back at me - then begin to tell me what the team did. STOP!

You know what - I really don't care what the team did (ok, I do, to give context). But I really want to know what you did. What obstacles did you personally experience? How did you overcome those obstacles? What disagreements did you have? How did you solve the disagreements? What did you learn? If you could go back in time, what would you do different?

Some candidates who are entry level look at me and tell me they haven’t done anything yet.  Yes, you have.  What team assignments did you have in school?  How did you solve problems between team members?  Don’t tell me there weren’t any problems, there always are.  Were you able to deliver something unexpected in the piece of the project you were responsible for? 

If you didn’t have any team assignments, than think about whatever jobs you’ve had.  Be it a cook at a restaurant, a server, a lifeguard – think about how you provided service.  Where did you go above and beyond in the expected job to be noticed by your supervisor?  If it was a volunteer activity – tell me about it.  Were there experiences you had during the volunteer experience that show your passion for doing something?  Where you needed to get something done and someone or something was in the way – how did you get around it?

Let's be honest, I'm taking a few hours to make a critical decision that will allow the team to succeed, or that could potentially cause the team to fail. This is not an inexpensive decision - when I bring a person on board, I'm going to lose some productivity within the team as others bring the new team member up to speed. I need to have the highest degree of assurance through a short interview process to make the decision that this person will fit in with the team and be a contributor.

If you're not willing to understand what the goals and objectives of the job are and can't speak to specific experiences that you've had that can contribute to achieving those goals, you will not get picked. In fact, if I see the pattern, I'm going to find a way to end the conversation and move on to the next candidate.
 
Prior to an interview, take time to reflect on the contributions you make to the team you’re part of and be willing and able to talk about that during the interview. In other words ... take time to prepare!

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Find a Mentor ... Be a Mentor!

Maybe you're in your first job, maybe you're at the pinnacle of your career, it doesn't matter, all of us need a mentor and those of us that are moving up the ladder need to lend a helping hand to those on their way up!

You ask yourself, why do I need mentor? Well, let's be frank - you don't know it all. If you're new in your role, or have been in your role 15 years, there is someone you can learn from. Maybe you've noticed someone within your organization that you respect. Maybe you've been introduced to someone outside the company that you feel you could learn from.

Before you make any moves, sit down and figure out what it is you are expecting from a mentor. What is it that you want to learn from them?

Next, find an issue that you're dealing with that addresses the above question. When you have a situation at hand, open up the conversation by letting the person know that you've been watching the way that they handle themselves and really respect their abilities. Then ask if they wouldn't mind giving you some advice on a specific situation. Once you've broken the ice and started developing a relationship with the person, ask them if they would be open to providing you career advice on a regular basis. Let them know up front that you don't want to eat up a lot of their time, that you understand that they are successful and you are willing to minimize the time spent together to get this advice.

When you're having this discussion make sure that the person your approaching is relaxed. Don't approach this conversation when you know they've just gotten through a tough meeting or had a rotten week at the office.

Now let's flip this around! Those of you that have started moving up the ladder, when's the last time that you intentionally found someone to help take their next step? If you don't take the time to help the next person up, how does the organization find the next talented person when it's needed? Part of the human experience is sharing knowledge! I'm sure each of us have seen someone struggling as they try to figure out which path moves them forward. Remember when you felt that way and someone put a guiding hand on your shoulder and opened the door for you. Now is your time to return the favor.

Look at the people that you meet with on a regular basis. Is there someone that you recognize has the potential to be something bigger? Introduce yourself, if you haven't already. Let them know that you see something bigger in their future, that they have the potential to grow and that your willing to help them. If you see a project that they are struggling with - give them some free advice on what they might do next. If you see them struggling with certain conversations - tell them how you might approach the situation.

Now, I'll let you in on a little secret - I found my mentor by accident and found myself being mentored without realizing it at first! I had actually been in management for a while and thought I was all that, I was comfortable and having fun. What I didn't realize is that my personality was causing some of the pain that I felt in my role. I'm a Driver by nature - I see a problem and I begin attacking it to solve the issue. I can be very vocal and sometimes in my communication I can be blunt. I immediately head for the goal posts and will drag everyone across the line to get the problem solved.

My mentor also happened to be my boss. Without realizing it at the time, she was coaching me on understanding how to recognize what made other people tick and how to change my approach to working with people. She would take me to meetings I didn't necessarily need to be in, just so I could see how she was handling certain situations. She never formally told me what she was doing, it was only after some time that I figured out she was 'teaching me'.

During this time, the organization began training all of the supervisors and managers, taking them through a Working Styles course. It was during this class that I realized what she had been doing with me since I had started reporting to her. My mentor worked with me a lot outside of that class to help me break some bad habits, how to improve my chance of having a successful exchange of ideas with others. I won't say I'm an expert at it, but I'm a lot better at it today than in the past. 

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile

Management - Leading, Coaching, Mentoring!

Well, I think it's time to switch up topics again.  With this posting, I'd like to change lanes and look at the human aspect of management.  As Leaders and Managers within the technology field, we need to be able to shift from the technical aspects of our jobs and deal with the individual team members at the drop of a hat.

Whether we realize it or not, we swing between different roles during the day as we move between issues and projects.  Depending on what is happening, we need to get in to the technical details of a specific sub-system or project; an hour later we may need to display our ability to drive to a decision; in another moment we may need to handle a disagreement or communication issue between two members of our team; or, we may need to mentor or coach an employee to continue their growth as they prepare for new opportunities.  Day to day, our bearings shift as we navigate between the various events that surface, that want to take us off task.

As I look back on my career - and, yes, it has been an interesting ride with paths yet to be explored - I think the toughest shift I've made was when I went from being the programmer pounding out code to a manager no longer responsible for creating the code.  I've touched on this subject before, so I won't belabor the issue.  That said, hitting that particular brick wall made me assess what my role was, what was important for me to focus on and what I needed to "give up".  My boss at the time let it happen and I give him a lot of credit for giving me the space to fail and then sitting me down and forcing me to understand my role.

As my boss pointed out to me at the time - I was there not to be the technical expert, but to mentor and guide the people on my team; to remove the roadblocks and ensure that my people knew what it was they were supposed to do and ensure that they were provided the proper resources to get it done.  I was there to keep them focused and to deliver results.  Along the way, I learned that there were limits to what I could do and that I would never be able to provide all of the resources that my teams wanted.  Nor could I feasibly address every project that was requested - it was up to me to find the balance between what was requested and what the company and the available resources could provide.

Now, all that said, I earned some bruises along the way.  There were times as a young manager, I didn't necessarily treat people the way that they should have been treated - sometimes my driver personality got the better of me and I ended up doing or saying something that wasn't as well thought out as it should have been.  In those moments, I was lucky enough to have a boss that continued to coach me, to teach me how to smooth the edges.  These learning experiences through several mentors have shaped me in to the role that I play today.  Do I still sometimes let the driver in me get the better part of me - yep, but it happens a lot less than it used to these days.

People that I respected took the time to invest in me.  They knew when I was at a point that I needed a stretch goal; they knew when it was time to take me out of my comfort zone; they gave me room to make mistakes and fail; they let me come and ask questions; they let me make a difference.  And when needed, they pulled me back from the abyss.  Even today, I am mentored by someone that I respect and that I feel is pushing me and preparing me for that next step in my career.

Not every boss I've ever had was a mentor - I've had my share of clunkers along the way.  Case in point, the boss that flew in to town right after my department had been moved under his to inform me, and I quote, "I don't know what it is you do, I don't want to know what it is you do, if you need something, tell me who I need to talk to and what I need to say".  Yikes!  Or, there was the owner of a company that I worked for that felt it was appropriate to verbally abuse everyone on her staff - the rush for the door was quick once it started and to this day I'm sure she never understood the message.

Somewhere along the way, I learned that I could also be a mentor.  Not everyone wants a mentor, but to those that do, I attempt to be available.  Sometimes, I identify someone who I think has the potential to act in a different role and I initiate the conversation.  Sometimes individuals ask if I would be interested in giving them guidance.  Sometimes these people report to me or within my organization.  Sometimes these people don't even work for the same company I work for.  However, it's my turn to give something back.

What are you giving back to your teams?  Who is it that your mentoring so that they can take that next step?

Tags: Leadership, Mentoring, Management, Lifecycle, Software Development

For more information on David L. Collison: LinkedIn Profile