No this ain’t some odd sexual reference. (If you thought it was, what does that say about you? And what does it say about me for thinking you might?) Fudging in this context is manipulation which goes against standard, e.g. changing a value of something ‘illegitimately’ to see if you get the result you’re looking for. […]
Are you OK with fudging? Read More »
Did you know that organizational shape and behavior tends to reflect it’s company’s products?
The Implications of the Product Life-Cycle (Part One) Read More »
Nobody has the monopoly on good ideas. You may find yourself in a situation where you have a good idea that can revolutionize your organization, if only ‘management’ could see it. You’re bursting at the seams to speak to someone who can sponsor the idea and make it happen. For the bright technical professionals who
Brilliant Basics: Converting ideas and opportunities in technology to business value Read More »
The Internet has brought unprecedented access to information, and to each other. Using email, we are now able to contact friends, family and colleagues worldwide at the same time and from the same place, at low cost and effort. The trouble is, (for the same reasons) other people can contact us, often unsolicited. Spam is
Brilliant Basics: Getting the Most from Email Communication in Business Read More »
This is a continuation of the topic of Lightworkers and Darkworkers currently buzzing around on a few blogs; I wrote about Darkworkers here. Lightworkers, as defined by Steve Pavlina here, believe their primary role is to serve the greater good of humanity, and act in general terms selflessly. This doesn’t mean Lightworkers will starve to
Are there Lightworkers in your department? Read More »
The concept of Darkworkers and Lightworkers is buzzing on a couple of blogs I favor at the moment. In essence, Darkworkers align themselves to the needs of themselves, i.e. they are selfish individuals who live only for personal gain. On the flipside, Lightworkers align themselves to the needs of humanity. It’s important at this time
Are there Darkworkers in your department? Read More »
Information is the basis of the modern world. It’s the Information Age (wasn’t that Oracle who had that in their strapline in the 90s?) Information is power, so they say. But how do you get your information? This article covers how we get information from external sources, i.e. it isn’t about the coffee-machine chat. I’m
Build an Information Catalog Read More »
Frequently, I’ve felt my boss (in a number of organizations) is on another planet. Have you?
The ‘mystery’ boss: why your bosses behavior may occasionally look strange Read More »
Career development isn’t just about doing a great job (although mastering your craft is a solid way to build a career to the greatest of heights), it’s also about building, maintaining and developing your profile inside and external to an organization. You can build your profile as I’ve just mentioned, by doing a great job
Finding niche causes to raise your profile Read More »
Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) are often the ‘unsaid’ requirements of a new product or system. NFRs should describe an important business context. Organizations who express new requirements of an IT system or a product tend to be much better at describing how something should work rather than the conditions in which it should work. For IT departments,
NFRs: The mysterious requirements of a business Read More »
Developing and improving your public speaking skills is a sure fire way of improving your personal confidence. On a similar vein, research and experience tells me that people who can demonstrate a grasp of language succeed better in the workplace. It’s similar to the psychological phenomenon that overweight people are perceived as less intelligent (with
How to Articulate Better Read More »
I doubt many of us can answer this question Yes or No outright, but the answer maybe lurking there if you consider how frustrated you might be about not achieving your (realistic) desires. Career success, for example, is dependent on other folks supporting you and recognising your achievements. But I’d say in most cases, it’s
Are you restricting your own Success? Read More »
Technical professions require precision in language. We can’t express computer program code in slang, as much as we can’t express an insurance illustration without being exact. So in our profession, you’d expect all articulation and use of language to be unambiguous and precise, wouldn’t you? Well research has shown that technical professionals can still lack
How to Tune Into Language as a Technical Leader Read More »
If as you’ve felt that your meetings haven’t had the right spark of energy, or actually resulted in anything but a room full of hot air, then read on.
The ‘art’ of Opening and Closing meetings Read More »
A number of emails led me to write this article on communicating ‘Bad News’. This is a common issue in business, particularly in the western world where short-term results are king. Passing on information that is considered to be unwelcome fills a lot of people with angst and dread, so I want to address this
Communicating ‘Bad News’ Read More »
I’m constantly reminded how a dynamic of argument and debate is in the wrong place. A recent issue cropped up where a colleague was pushing back to a technical supplier because insufficient information had been provided against a change request. The problem though was that the phrasing of the pushback was principle-based, i.e. he argued
Principle vs Specific arguments Read More »
This might resonate with you if you’re a technical professional: how many times have you been asked to do a piece of work (often portrayed as a ‘small’ job) which disrupts planned activities and means one of both slip or are done with compromise? A study in 2002 found that IT departments can be spending
The impact of Unplanned Work Read More »
This is a debate I often see in technical circles, mostly between technicians and their less technical managers or stakeholders. It’s a debate that often leads to conflict or a reduction in morale or motivation in each party. It has career implications too; as technical leaders aiming to build a career, its something we need
Perfectionism vs Pragmastism: Career Implications Read More »
Where does a leader get power from? A leader can use 5 types of power: here’s advice on when these powers should be used, and perhaps when not
The Five Types of Power, and how (and how not) to use them Read More »
In the previous installment of this series I discussed the impact of boredom on motivation, setting yourself aggressive targets and selecting some short term goals. I’ve received some good feedback on the series so far, and I welcome further comments. In this post I would like to offer a practical and implementable tip to create
Creating positive energy in yourself (3) Read More »
