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Introduction - 100 Secrets to Changing Your IT World
I have gained a bit of experience over the years and I was thinking it might save other people some time if they could learn some of the things I've learned in a little easier way than I had to learn them (which is usually the hard way).
So, I've set a goal of writing down 100 or so of the secrets I've learned about having a great, fun, and interesting career in the world of Information Technology (hence forth referred to as IT).
I've worked a lot of jobs and held different responsibilities, but I've spent most of my time in consulting and contract work. Doing so has provided me with a pretty broad base from which to see things. I've worked in many different industries and for many different people. I've done my time in manufacturing, distribution, services, government, and non-profit. Most of my time has been in the US, but I've also done a little international work.
So, with that in mind, let's get started and take a look at my 100 secrets change your IT world...
Leadership Vision
To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who doesn't know where he is going.
--Joe Namath
One of the key aspects of leadership is the ability to create, and share, a vision.
A vision is a picture of where your group is headed. What are you trying to create? Why does your group exist? Where are we going?
You can read all the leadership books and blogs you want, but leadership boils down to just a few elements.
The key elements of leadership are:
- Vision: you must know where you are going.
- Trust: you must deserve, earn, and maintain the trust of those you would lead.
- Certainty: you must be certain of your objectives.
- Transparency: no hidden agendas, no double standards.
The most important of these is Vision. If you don't have one, why do you want to be a leader? Any other motive, other than implementing a vision, is probably selfish and unworthy.
Keys to a good vision:
- Clarity: easily expressed and understood.
- Brevity: a few well chosen words create the picture.
- Honed: remove the extraneous.
- Worthy: something big and important.
- Expandable: room for everyone to plug in.
Your vision should fit into what is typically called an "elevator speech". It should be clear, concise, and honed to the point where you can deliver the vision and its importance in the time it takes to ride an elevator. When you share your vision, you should share enough so that the person you are talking to wants to know more and, if they share in your vision, wants to get involved.
Here's a comparison of a good vision statement and a bad vision statement:
Good Example: Whole Foods Market
Whole foods, whole people, whole planet.
Bad Example: Exxon Mobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation is committed to being the world's premier petroleum and petrochemical company. To that end, we must continuously achieve superior financial and operating results while adhering to the highest standards of business conduct. These unwavering expectations provide the foundation for our commitments to those with whom we interact.
Shareholders
We are committed to enhancing the long-term value of the investment dollars entrusted to us by our shareholders. By running the business profitably and responsibly we expect our shareholders to be rewarded with superior returns. This commitment drives the management of our company.
Customers
Success depends on our ability to consistently satisfy ever-changing customer preferences. We pledge to be innovative and responsive, while offering high quality products and services at competitive prices.
Employees
The exceptional quality of our workforce is a valuable competitive edge. To build on this advantage we will strive to hire and retain the most qualified people available and maximize their opportunities for success through training and development. We are committed to maintaining a safe work environment enriched by diversity and characterized by open communication, trust, and fair treatment.
Communities
We pledge to be a good corporate citizen in all the places we operate worldwide. We will maintain the highest ethical standards, obey all applicable laws and regulations, and respect local and national cultures. Above all other objectives, we are dedicated to running safe and environmentally responsible operations.
To be successful, ExxonMobil must be at the leading edge of competition in every aspect of our business. This requires that the Corporation's substantial resources - financial, operational, technological, and human - be employed wisely and evaluated regularly.
While we maintain flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, the nature of our business requires a focused, long-term approach. We will consistently strive to improve efficiency and productivity through learning, sharing and implementing best practices. We will be disciplined and selective in evaluating the range of capital investment opportunities available to us. We will seek to develop proprietary technologies that provide a competitive edge.
We will achieve our goals by flawlessly executing our business plans and by strictly adhering to these guiding principles along with our more comprehensive Standards of Business Conduct.
So, if you want to be a leader, start honing your vision.
Hire Talented People
"You cannot surround yourself with the smartest and most talented people and then start looking over your shoulder or behind your back, worried that somebody smarter or better might be on your heels."
--Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG, as quoted by The New York Times
Whether you are a one-person show or a large IT organization, you'll find youself having to hire or contract additional labor.
One of the most important secrets to success is to hire people that are not only talented, but more talented and smarter than you are.
Leaders tend to bring on people that are better than they are. Managers tend to hire people that are weaker than they are. People that don't like to lead or manage, but enjoy the technical aspects of their work tend to become contractors.
In the Macintosh Division, we had a saying, “A players hire A players; B players hire C players”--meaning that great people hire great people. On the other hand, mediocre people hire candidates who are not as good as they are, so they can feel superior to them. (If you start down this slippery slope, you'll soon end up with Z players; this is called The Bozo Explosion. It is followed by The Layoff.) I have come to believe that we were wrong--A players hire A+ players, not merely A players. It takes self-confidence and self-awarness, but it's the only way to build a great team.
--Guy Kawaskaki
So, your job, as an "A player" is to hire "A+ players".
Here's a short list of how to do this:
- Have, and be able to share, a vision.
- Create a workable workplace.
- Treat others as they want to be treated.
- Know what you want to hire.
- Know where to find talent.
- Know your hiring process.
- Keep recruiting your employees after you hire them.
- Be someone worth working for.
- Fix your mistakes.
10 Common IT Job Application Mistakes
Here are some quick tips on how to avoid common mistakes people make when trying to get hired for an IT job...
Don't Have a Dumb Email Address
If you are applying for a job at a large company, I promise that having an email address like "sweatygirl2009@gmail.com", though it sounded clever when you made a commitment to working out at the gym 3 times a week, will not make it past the HR department screening. In fact, you'll probably end up in their "email address hall of shame". If someone in a smaller company does want to interview you, it is probably for the wrong reasons.
Same thing goes for computergod24141 @ yahoo.com, tooeasy4you @ hotsingles.com, etc. Take 5 minutes and set up a personal, reasonable sounding email address at gmail and save yourself some pain and shame.
Make it easy to hire you.
Always Spel Chek
Seems obvious, but don't just settle for a quick spell check in Word. Have someone, who knows spelling and grammar, read your resume. Another trick is to read your resume yourself, but start at the bottom and read backwards, one word at a time. It forces your brain to process the words with fewer assumptions.
IT people are expected to be detail-oriented.
Read the Directions
When the potential employer specifies that you do certain things to apply, such as supplying your CV as a PDF, don't send it in as a Word document with some lame excuse about not having Adobe Acrobat--that's just dumb. They had a reason to be specific, even if that reason is just to see if you can follow directions. In this case, there are lots of ways to convert your document to a PDF for free--you're in IT, so you should be able to figure it out (if not, think of changing to a less challenging career).
The ability to follow direction and figure things out is an important skill for IT staff.
Be On Time
On time means on time. More than likely, you aren't the only person that the "hiring team" will be seeing. In fact, you may be just 10 minutes of an entire day of candidates. Show up early or show up late and you're hosed. Be there exactly when you are supposed to be, otherwise you are an inconvenience.
The ability to manage your time is a critical skill in IT.
Be Easy to Contact
Supply your personal email address (never your current employer), give your home phone, and give your mobile number. Make sure you have voicemail and check it. While it may take forever to get through the hiring process, once a decision is made, or if some missing piece of information is required before moving forward, the ability for the potential employer to be able to contact you is critical.
I've seen cases when, because of the closeness between two candidates made the choice difficult, an additional "final" interview was set up between the two finalists. However, only one candidate was able to be contacted in time. Who do you think was hired?
High availability and responsiveness is critical for IT staff.
Review Your Personal Hygiene
IT people can sometimes really let this part of their humanity slide, but you can't afford to. You don't want to be the one the hiring team talks about later that afternoon when they say, "boy, that one candidate really stunk--literally."
Be the exception to the IT stereotypes and make it easy to be around you.
Be Yourself, Mostly
Like dating, the interview process often requires hiding a little bit about who you really are in order to determine if there might be some future opportunity. This happens on both sides. How many candidates would stick around, if the hiring team started laying out every problem the organization has had in the last 3 months?
However, don't fall into the trap of being a good interview, but a terrible employee. Be honest about your abilities, skills, experience, and expectations. While a job, any job, might seem worth having, if you're stuck in an ill-fitting job because you exaggerated or disexaggerated (I just made that up, but it officially means the opposite of exaggerated) about yourself, you would miss out on your dream job, which might be the next interview you would have gone on.
Other than a little polishing off of the rough edges, don't try to be something other than yourself.
Be Prepared
Understand as much as possible about the organization and the job, before you go into the interview. When given the chance, ask legitimate questions about the organization based on what you've learned. Avoid sounding self-important or clever, but just get some clarification on public information.
Show that you are interested in the organization.
Check Your Fit
Try and find out the values of the organization before you apply. This isn't possible when responding to a blind ad, but when possible, especially if you've been contacted by the organization for an interview, start checking.
If you have applied at a Christian organization, for instance, and one of your personal passions is spreading the word about Atheism, you probably won't fit there no matter how accepting each side is.
Culture in an organization matters every day you work there.
Stand Out
You are one of a hundred or even a thousand of applicants for the job, so you need to stand out. This doesn't mean doing something stupid like sending your resume in a large FedEx overnight box (more than likely, shipping and receiving will open it and route it through the system in a plain envelope). Also, don't perfume your paperwork or submit it on odd colors--it may have worked in "Legally Blonde", but that was a movie--as if!. These examples stand out, but only as bad ideas.
No, these days, you can stand out by simply being a qualified candidate with a history that matches the expectations of the hiring organization. You can try some of the "Web 2.0" ideas, but instead of clever, most of what I've seen just comes off lame.
Stand out by being a candidate with a good match to the job and the organization.
So, there are some tips on common mistakes I've seen that applicants make. The bottom line: try not to be dumb, it makes you look smarter.
Be Worth Talking To
I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.
--Oscar WildeWhen you don't know what you're talking about, it's hard to know when you're finished.
--Tommy Smothers
When dealing people, I always try to leave things in such a way that they are glad they talked to me.
Sounds a little egotistical spelled out like that, but I'm serious...
Have you noticed, after interacting with someone else, you'll often think one of these three things:
"Gee, I'm glad I talked to X, today."
"Whoa, I wish I'd avoided X, today."
""
The last one represents "nothing".
In what order would you prefer these outcomes, when it comes to how people think of you? Of these three outcomes, which ones do you have the most control over?
To answer my own questions, I'd say I'd prefer people be glad they talked to me or at least not care they did (think nothing of it). Also, I probably have the most control over them being glad they talked to me or wishing they'd avoided me.
Here's a few things to keep in mind, if you want people to be glad they talked to you:
* Be yourself, unless you don't like you. If you don't like you, then no one else will either.
* Be a little entertaining. I'm not talking big jokes or anything, but most everyone, at the right time, enjoys stories that are personal and funny. If you aren't funny, at least be current and topical.
* Don't take things too far.
* Try not to say anything stupid.
* Never joke about employment status, money, or fertility.
* Look for opportunities to help and offer to.
* Be polite and take turns speaking. Don't monopolize the conversation--at least for very long.
* Actively listen--don't spend the other person's talking time only thinking about what you're going to say. Listen to them!
* Be empathetic.
* Be encouraging.
* Unless the conversation is dead serious, smile.
* Do what you can to make the other person feel they are "on the team" or "in the group" or just included.
* Enjoy the time you spend listening to them.
Not every situation will allow you to leave another person glad they talked to you, but a lot more situations are improved, if you keep it in mind.
For instance, most people don't like giving other people bad news or correcting/disciplining them. Very few people enjoy getting corrected.
If you are giving the correction:
* Don't let it get personal.
* Stick to the facts.
* Be clear.
* Allow for the person to work through what you've said. You've probably been thinking about it and this is the first they've heard about it.
* If you feel the person has listened or grasped what has been said, thank the person for listening. If not, at least thank them for the time.
If you are getting the correction:
* Don't let it get personal.
* Stick to the facts.
* Be clear.
* Ask for clarification.
* Repeat back your understanding of what the correction is, even if you don't agree with it. "So, you're saying..."
* Without getting defensive, gently provide any rebuttal or clarification you might have.
* Thank the person for taking the time to go over it with you. At least they shared.
* Remember most people are very uncomfortable giving negative feedback--it took something for them to do it, regardless whether they did it well or not.
In either situation, you can leave the person feeling they glad they talked to you.
"I'm glad I talked to Steve about about how he did ______, he seemed interested in improving and took my feedback very well."
"I'm glad I talked to Steve about how I messed up on ______, he gave me clear feedback and I won't let it happen again."
Here's what makes me glad after I've talked to someone:
* I feel loved or appreciated.
* I feel informed or included.
* I was moved or engaged.
* I laughed or cried.
* They did something for me I needed or, even better, they gave me a chance to do something for them.
It really is pretty simple: just do what you can to make people glad they talked to you and you'll do well by it.
Tech Support and You
This really happened to me...
[User] (a nurse, calling my office for help) You have to get over here right away and fix this computer.
[Me] What's wrong?
[User] (getting madder) I don't know. You're the expert. Get over here.
[Me] Can you tell me what you are having problems with?
[User] (angrier) The computer. It won't even turn on. I keep pressing the "on" button and some green lights come on, but it isn't working. Look, I'm a nurse and I'm really busy and I don't have time to fool around with this. Just get over here and fix it.
[Me] Could you take a few minutes to answer some questions? It might be a simple problem.
[User] No! Get over here. Now.
[Me] OK. I'll be there in 30 minutes. I have to get a spare computer and monitor and drive on site.
[User] Whatever. (phone click)
(25 minutes later...)
[Me] (out of breath from hauling computer and monitor up 3 flights because the elevator was taking too long) OK, can you show me the problem?
[User] Yeah. Look, the screen's black.
[Me] (pressing the "on" button on the monitor) Looks OK now.
[User] Oh... (mumbles something incoherent and probably unrepeatable)
If you are in IT, you may have worked on, and definitely will end up calling, a Tech Support help line. If not Tech Support, then at least customer service.
Here's my advice: always, absolutely always, be nice. In fact, be nicer than nice.
Sometimes you have to be firm, but always be nice. Some environments make it difficult for the service people to really help you, but it usually isn't the person you are talking to's fault. If you need something, be resolute, but always be nice...
Here are some things to think about:
* I don't have to explain to anyone that has done help desk or tech support how thankless the job is. You can make their day simply by being polite and saying, "thank you".
* They have the power and you don't. They can end the call and you'll still have the problem.
* They may have certain protocols they have to follow, but they don't have to take your abuse.
* You can catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar.
* If you let them, most folks will want to help you. Approach them as your partner, not as your adversary.
* Do you feel more or less compelled to help someone that is angry at you for something you didn't do?
* Do you feel more or less compelled to help someone that is kind and appreciates your help?
* How many people really like to work a help line? There are certainly some that like it, but most people work a help line because: they have the skills, they like to help, and/or they need the money. They probably aren't there because they enjoy abuse.
* Resist the urge to ask for a supervisor until your helper has exhausted all of their options. Calling in a supervisor does not help the tech, it usually hurts them. You may have to get to that point, but make sure you really need to.
The rules apply regardless if you are using online chat, email, or voice for your support: be nice.
I don't know if it makes any difference in the world, but I always end any support call that was the least bit helpful, even if it was that they gave me a different number to call, with an earnest, "thank you so much for your help today--I really appreciate it!" sign off. I might tone it down a little, if the assistance was limited, but I usually turn it up a little higher (short of sarcasm) than I might actually feel.
They've helped me somehow, now I want to make their day, or at least made them glad that they talked to me.
Paranoia is a Very Good Thing
Only the paranoid survive.--Andrew Grove
I'm not talking about paranoia with respect to your co-workers and your boss, though that might make sense in your situation. I'm talking about being paranoid about your own work product.
Whether you are writing some code, designing a network, or just opening a few ports on your firewall, being paranoid is a very good thing...
When you let your inner paranoid loose, you begin to think in all sorts of "what if" scenarios.
* What if my boss sees this code?
* What if a hacker does a port scan?
* What if a truck smashes through the front of the building into my brand new server rack?
* What happens if someone wiggles this piece here...
As I've said before, you should probably be making your mistakes faster (you're going to make them anyway, just get more effective at it). But, you should also try to make all of your mistakes BEFORE you deliver your end product. I can almost guarantee that you'll have to fix something or you'll miss something (that is why product versions are numbered and almost always have decimal points: 3.0, 3.1, 3.11...). However, having a huge capacity for paranoia will go a long way to help prevent "obvious" disasters.
A big part of being paranoid is testing. Test everything. You should always test your work product, whatever it is:
* Did you answer all of the specifications? If not, do you have approval for any variance? Reread the email/original request and verify your results match the request.
* Did you try all of the obvious functionality? (if you are writing a database web app, can you add, delete, and change the record? Do all the fields get changed?)
* Did you check for proper security?
* Did you put aside all of your assumptions and look at things from a clean perspective?
* Even though you feel you met the original specifications, are there new issues that haven't been anticipated?
* Did you ask any questions along the way? (If not, it isn't too late now to start. Honestly, you really didn't have any questions or make any assumptions?)
* Did anything change from the original specs and have you included those changes?
* Did you check your spelling?
* Did you proof read it?
* Did you have someone else look at the specs and compare your product to the specs? A fresh set of eyes does wonders.
* If you have the luxury of time, can you put it away for awhile and come back to it? A fresh set of eyes does wonders--even if their just yours.
A fresh set of eyes does wonders.
Be paranoid. Test your work. The quality of your work will stand out above everyone else's, including your own.
Failures, Mistakes, and Other Ways to Learn
Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
--George Santayana
Are you committed to life-long learning? I am.
Why? Because, to paraphrase George Santayana, "those that don't learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them."
How do you learn? Some might answer, "I'm a kinetic learner" or "I learn by reading" or "I am an auditory learner". And that would be true for them, to some extent. There are many learning styles, preferences, and methods, but there is only one common method that is makes such an impact that almost everyone learns something from it. I'm talking about FAILURE.
Many of the most memorable lessons I've learned have came from my failures, not my successes.
For instance, I've always been a bit of a fanatic about data backups. When I first started developing software and supporting computers, the media we used was very unreliable, when compared to what is available now, and yet we ran entire multi-million dollar businesses on this fragile stuff. Because of that, backups, safety copies, and offsite storage have been something I've pushed on my clients for years. Not just the regular rotational backups, but complete, audited, verified, and tested backups.
However, one time, when I was upgrading a RAID array for a client, all I did was check that the backup had run and that the archive was of a "reasonable" size. I went forward with the upgrade and ran into an issue. The vendor told me I needed to upgrade the BIOS on the array, but didn't mention that this would destroy all the data. Well, that was a setback, but I had my backup, right? Not quite. I had part of a backup. It seems a few months before, a user with admin rights had been "cleaning things up" and stripped the "BACKUP USER"'s rights from a key 2nd level directory entry. This meant only part of the server's files were visible to the backup system and so only about 40% of the business's data was recoverable.
I LEARNED MY LESSON. It was an expensive one, too. It cost me time and real money as we struggled over the next few weeks to piece together their client's information from email copies, local safety copies, etc.
So, yes... learn by reading, listening, asking questions and experimentation. But don't be afraid of your most important teacher, failure.
Analyze what happened and what caused the failure. Find out where you went wrong. Document your failures. Fix your policies and procedures. Then take what you've learned and move on.
Just don't stop trying and learning.
AFAS: Ask First, Answer Second
People who think they are smart tend to think that when they are asked a question, they should be able to immediately provide an answer.
Not so.
The problem with that is, because we are human, we tend to misunderstand the question and provide either the wrong answer to the right question or the right answer to the wrong question.
If you really want people to think you are smart, and you want to answer the actual question, first, ask some good questions. That way, you know what the question really is about, only then should you start answering the question. AFAS: Ask First, Answer Second.
Won't that annoy the person asking the question? Yeah, sometimes, but I'd rather answer the right question correctly than any of the alternatives.
There are many reasons why people ask the wrong question, but some of the ones I've run into include:
* They are trying to solve the wrong problem
* They don't understand the problem correctly
* They haven't really thought about it
* They only know a little, but don't want you to know that
* They've been working on the problem so long, they've lost track of the real issue
So, when someone comes and asks you a very specific question, what do you do?
Here's what I do:
* I'll usually answer the question directly, but only after asking a few questions. If that isn't appropriate up front (the person seems upset or frantic), I'll often answer the question, but follow up with some "well, that's probably the answer to your question, but what are you trying to do that for?"
* When possible, ask a few questions: what are you trying to accomplish? why?
* A lot of the time, I'll find they have talked themselves into a solution that doesn't mesh with how things are supposed to work. I'll gently guide them back to the standard way of doing things or a better approach.
For instance, let's say, Bob, an executive, is trying to organize his personal contact list in Outlook. He figures the best way to do this is to create a bunch of other Contact folders and drag his various "categories" of contacts to each of them. The problem is, these may or may not sync correctly to his smartphone because of limitations on the back end.
Bob walks up and pokes his head in my office and his question is, "how do I create new contact folders in Outlook". My answer would be, "that's pretty easy, just open Outlook and open the folder view, then scroll to the folder...", etc. But then before I lost his attention, I would ask, "why do you need multiple contact folders, we usually want just the one?" This gives Bob a chance to explain to me that he is reorganizing his personal contacts and... Well, Bob doesn't realize, any contacts in these other folders aren't going to pop up automatically any more when Outlook tries to address them OR he doesn't realize... etc.
So, I can give him a better solution--why don't you use categories in Outlook contacts to group different contacts by type?
The key is to:
* determine the real purpose
* verify your understanding
* answer the right question
You'll be much more helpful, more successful and people will think you are smart--a win/win.
Make Your Mistakes Faster
Everybody makes mistakes. Even I made a mistake once. One time I thought I was wrong, but it turned out I wasn't.
--Me (among others)
Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody.
Think about the people you know. Is there someone that stands out in your circle that you consider to be wise? If not in all things, I'm sure you know someone wise in a particular area of life or work. How do you think they acquired that wisdom?
Was it by reading what others were doing? Maybe a little...
Was it by hanging around watching smart people succeeding or others failing? Maybe some...
More than likely, though, the reason that person is wise is that they have experience and experience is really just another word for "made some mistakes". Probably a lot of mistakes. Maybe some real big mistakes. The difference between a wise man and a fool is that the wise man has learned something and the fool repeats his mistakes.
As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
--Proverbs 26:11
One cause of procrastination is the desire to make things perfect. Most people want to complete a project, or create something, that is completely free of mistakes. Most people would agree, though, that creating or doing something perfectly is impossible for us humans.
The problem isn't that people make mistakes, it is that they just don't make them quickly enough! Short of a truly "fatal error", during your daily work, it should be your intention to make your mistakes much more quickly than anyone around you.
Now, clearly, you can't just make mistakes and say, "oh well". You have to quickly fix the mistake with a reasonable solution. However, make it a point to always learn from your mistakes and quickly move on. The more mistakes you make, the more you learn from them. The more you learn, the less likely you are to make another similar mistake.
Important: you can't make the same mistakes over and over. No matter how quickly you do it, this is detrimental. It also shows you aren't learning from it.
No, what I'm talking about is accepting that you'll make mistakes, but concentrating on learning from the mistake, moving on quickly, and getting on with it!
A couple of do's and don'ts to get you started making mistakes faster:
* do accept that you will make mistakes
* do make your mistakes more quickly
* do learn from your mistakes
* do have a sense of urgency
* don't accept inaction because of fear of making a mistake
* don't wait until things are perfect
* don't dwell on your mistakes
Remember, most people are wise because of mistakes they've made, not because they have executed everything perfectly.
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