10 ways to maintain your professional connections

I have been contract project manager for about five years and have made some great business connections. My hope is to use these people as professional references, job referrals, and potentially to rehire me for additional contract work. How can I keep in touch with these people without being annoying or looking only self-serving? Thanks for the question and I hope my answer is of value to you. To begin, you are very wise to want to maintain your previous business connections for references, referrals, and future work. Many businesses are made and careers are enhanced with the assistance of those with whom we have previously worked. To your question, the key for you is four fold; Touch base with your contacts enough that you will not feel uncomfortable reaching out to them for a favor or question If possible, find ways to provide them value and help, so their assistance to you does not feel like a one-way street Be thankful and respectful of those who provide you assistance Pay it forward by helping others as a thank you to those who helped you Listed below are various ways to accomplish the above criteria: Create a spreadsheet listing the people you would like to keep in touch with, the last time you connected with them, the reason for the contact, and notes from your last conversation. This spreadsheet will help you keep track of how long it’s been since you spoke with them and conversation starters based on the notes from [...]

By |2025-01-21T14:58:57+00:00January 21st, 2025|
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12 Tips when writing emails and business communication

Do you have any tips on how to enhance the emails and other written communications I’m sending to my team, other people inside IT, and my non-IT counterparts and vendors?  The ones I’m writing now seem to leave people flat and uninspired. Let’s begin by discussing the importance of written communication. The standard party line for this topic is that the quality of the emails you write, the presentations you display, and the documents you create are a reflection of your professional ability, attitude, and attention to detail. Yes, this is all true. Let’s, however, expand this statement into the virtual world we now live and work in. The advent of email, Microsoft Teams, blogs, discussion boards, and social media in general has caused a resurgence, if not a rebirth, of the written word by everyday people. In the workplace this is magnified by the popularity of virtual teams spanning across the street, around the country, and around the world. As a result, many of the people you work with today, maybe even including your boss, you may never meet in person causing your main interpersonal communication to be totally phone, Zoom, and email based. There have been various studies that have said that a relatively small percentage of the communications between people are based on the word and that the majority of the communication is based on body language and voice tone. These studies range from 93% body language and non-verbal queues by James Borg to studies by others ranging from [...]

By |2025-01-07T13:15:34+00:00January 7th, 2025|
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2 Very hard, but doable, steps to becoming a technical thought leader

What is an internal IT thought leader and how can I use it to accelerate my professional growth? One of the best ways to move ahead professionally is to be viewed by those at your company and those generally within your industry as a thought leader. This, of course, is not an easy task but is very doable with the right plan, a willingness to learn, and a willingness to share your hard-earned expertise with others. One advantage of being an IT professional is that you have the opportunity of becoming a thought leader in various areas including the following: In a specific technology, such as AWS, Azure, or Python In the use of a specific vendor’s software package, such as SAP, Microsoft, or Oracle In an IT area, such as datacom, cybersecurity, or AI In IT related practices and methodologies, such as Agile, Project Management, or ITIL In technologies related to a specific industry or profession, such as patient records, equity trading, accounting, manufacturing, sales, or social media If done correctly, from a personal branding and technical expertise perspective, becoming any of the above can help get you promoted, increase your income, get you a seat at the table when technical decisions are being made, provide you the opportunity to speak at professional conferences, get quoted in industry publications, and other similar activities and accolades. The first step in becoming a technical leader is to maximize your technical knowledge and truly become an expert: Get any formal credentials, such as certifications, [...]

By |2024-12-17T15:36:26+00:00December 17th, 2024|
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7 Ways to talk with business users

When my team and I talk with our business counterparts about our software development projects, they seem not to care.  How should I deal with this issue? As much as we love the technologies we use and how they work, most of our business users don’t.  Business users are, generally speaking, looking for solutions to their problems and not necessarily the behind-the-scenes technologies that make it work. That said, you will know you are talking too technically to your business users when: Their eyes glaze over and don’t seem to understand what you are talking about When they don’t ask you any follow-up questions regarding your articulately stated technical explanations When the users say “That sounds great, but what does this mean for me?” When the users just say “Great, thanks” with no added comment and then change the subject. Additional ways to know you’re talking too technically to your users is to: Watch the body language of the person you are talking to for visual cues that they are bored, uninterested, or totally lost Listen to their tone of voice to see if it sounds dismissive and they are trying to end the conversation The habit of speaking to business people too technically can be very career limiting.  From an IT management perspective, it’s great when the people in your group can communicate effectively with those outside of IT. Doing so, has the following benefits: Reducing the chance of miscommunications on an array of topics, including business requirements, resource planning, user [...]

By |2024-11-20T20:13:27+00:00November 20th, 2024|
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10 Questions that can help your IT department be more innovative

There has been a big push by our new CIO for our IT organization to be more innovative. What things can I do in my department to enhance our innovative culture? Innovation doesn’t always require the use of new leading technologies, such as AI. Within IT, innovation most often comes from innovative ideas on how to use technologies and equipment you already own. Below are 10 questions you can ask your staff, maybe one question per weekly staff meeting, that may help you drive innovation within your department: How are other industries using technologies that our company currently owns? What technologies are our competitors using that are giving them a competitive edge against our company? How can we combine two or more technologies our company owns in creative ways to solve business problems? What open-source software can be inexpensively integrated into our existing infrastructure in a secure way that helps IT or organizational productivity? If budget was not an issue, what could we do to enhance your technical environment? Then, how can we do it less expensively? Are there any technical or business processes that could be done more efficiently? If so, how? What technologies are we currently using that should be phased out to make budget dollars available for new innovative initiatives? What can we do to help foster an innovative company culture? Can it be started today? What measurements can we use to show the return on investment of our innovative ideas? If we knew we would not fail, what [...]

By |2024-11-05T15:22:07+00:00November 5th, 2024|
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6 ways to help influence your manager

My boss is a great person, but sometimes I can’t seem to get his attention and support for the things I think are most important for my department. Any suggestions on how influence my manager in this way? The first thing you must do to gain the support and ear of your manager is to be the best employee you can be. You must: Do quality work Embrace company values Meet your deadlines Play well in the organization’s political sandbox . . . and generally, be a true asset to your company With these things now in place you can influence your manager. That said, when reading these suggestions, note that you should choose your tactics wisely, based on your relationship with your manager, your department’s role within IT, and the culture of your organization in general. When you bring issues to your manager, also provide potential solutions and your suggested recommendation. With a well thought out recommendation in hand, you will very likely be able to correct the issue in the manner you wish. Try to view the world from your manager’s perspective. This will not only help you better understand your manager’s needs and wants, it will also help your professional growth should you wish, in time, to attain your manager’s position. Be transparent with your manager. Be equally willing to tell them about the good news as well as the bad news. This approach of sharing both good and bad news has many advantages including the following: It develops [...]

By |2024-10-22T14:27:38+00:00October 22nd, 2024|
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Change is a four-letter word: “Gold” and 6 great ways to get some

Wow, what an industry we’re in, technical mega-trend after mega-trend. There’s gold in them there trends for the techies that can identify a unique niche, application type or business need, or job opportunity. These industry-changing trends can be of great career and financial benefit to you, as an individual contributor, IT manager, or even as an IT senior executive. To take professional advantage of these trends, consider the following: Do your research and find job openings at companies that you think will grow dramatically because of current industry trends and changes. All ships rise in high tide. If you work for a growing company, chances are that you can grow with it; not to mention the potential value of stock options and stock purchase plans if available. If you are at a company you love, try to discover ways that your company can take advantage of new and evolving technologies. This has two advantages for you; first, it can help you become an internal company thought leader, second, using these technologies will enhance your professional marketability. If your company is moving toward new technologies, such as implementing AI, try to get involved. It can help establish your role as a participant in the company’s new technical direction. Also, if your company’s plan is to replace older technologies with newer ones, working on these newer technologies could save your job. If you are entrepreneurial by nature, your skill set is aligned with one of these new technologies, and your personal situation allows it, [...]

By |2024-09-25T19:27:31+00:00September 25th, 2024|
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Pro-Actively manage your career

People early in their career say “If I work hard, one day I’ll be a THIS.” THIS could be a CIO, Systems Architect, Senior Programmer, or any other professional goal you desire. Then, one day, years later, you look up from your day-to-day activities and realize one of the following . . . Wow, I am now a THIS and I love it! Wow, I am now a THIS and I hate it! I have tried my best to be a THIS and can’t quite get there, but I have done my best I’m not a THIS, and don’t think I’ll get there, because I didn’t really put together a plan to become one. If you are early in your professional career, one of the above four scenarios will most likely come true. If you are further along in your career, like me, one of these four scenarios may already be at play. If you fall into Category #1, you probably either planned well or were very lucky. If fact, maybe it was a little of both. Congratulations, you are in the minority and should be very proud of both your achievements and for creating a plan that helped you get there. If you fall into Category #2, congratulations are still in order. Well done. You have reached a goal in your working career that you fought hard and long to attain. You should appreciate your achievement. The trick for you now is to decide how you can use your past experiences [...]

By |2024-09-18T15:23:13+00:00September 18th, 2024|
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It’s ok to say “No”

I’m a software development manager who is continually being pushed by my business users to do more and do it faster, better, and cheaper. I can’t keep up with their demands and I think it’s putting my job in peril. Could I please have your advice on how to deal with this issue? This is a great question. My bet, is that because of the nature of IT’s role and the reduction of resources because of general economic conditions that this issue is on the minds of many IT professionals, tech leads, and managers around the country and around the world. I think this issue can be addressed in a number of ways, including the following: Provide transparency to your business users regarding what your group’s current projects and workload are Once transparency has been achieved, work with your users to prioritize your team’s work in a way that makes sense for both them and you Find creative ways to say “No” to your business users in a way that they understand and accept The remainder of this blog post will discuss this third point. Sometimes it’s not what you say; it’s how you say it. Learning to say “no” in an acceptable and positive way is one of these cases. Also, as an aside, learning to say “no” effectively is more than a tool for the workplace, it is also a life-skill that can potentially help you in all aspects of your life. This trick to say “no” effectively is to [...]

By |2024-09-10T16:01:40+00:00September 10th, 2024|
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Does working virtually make you invisible?

I work within a large IT organization and the people in my department have been given the opportunity to work from home. If I do, does it reduce my opportunities for promotion or increase my chances of getting laid off? In short, the answer to your question regarding the effect of working virtually on promotions and layoffs is that it depends on the following: Your company’s culture and norms regarding working virtually The percentage of people at your company that work remotely How visible you can be on a day-to-day basis to your boss and others How effectively you can perform your job remotely Now let’s discuss these items one at a time. Your company’s culture Companies, like people, have specific values, strengths, weaknesses, prejudices, and, dare I say, personalities. That said, consider the following questions when deciding if you want to work virtually: Is the company technically equipped with conference room speakers, remote computer access, and tools needed to facilitate efficient work from outside the office? Does your company conceptually support working virtually or does it simply tolerate it? Can you remotely participate in important department discussions? Is there an out-of-site-out-of-mind mentality for those working out of the office? Is your boss supportive of working virtually or begrudgingly providing the option because it’s company policy? Are virtual teams at your company managed well or managed poorly? Percent of people working remotely The reason I ask this question is that if a high percentage of people work from home or business groups [...]

By |2024-08-30T01:20:45+00:00August 30th, 2024|
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