Adapt or Die - Keeping Skills Up to Date

Most business professionals realize that it is absolutely necessary to keep abreast of their industry and keep their skills up to date to remain relevant. For technical professionals this is also very true and very challenging. Many of my colleagues are amazed at how up-to-date I am on my technical and business skill set and often ask how I manage to keep them so topical. The answer is simple: adapt or die.

At first glance this statement seems a bit dire but it does tend to simply capture the essence of what anyone who loves what they do. If you are passionate about what you are doing, then no matter what you find a way to keep yourself motivated to do better. That means doing more, learning more, and making what you do more valuable and enjoyable. 

So that may be a great say mental motivator but what about the nuts and bolts? Basically that is nothing more than plain old hard work. For many technical professionals that I coach, I often ask what they would like to know more about and then go about working out a plan of action for them so that they can improve.

In one case someone wanted to know a little bit more about cloud services and the difference between relational and non-relational data stores. They had been trying their own form of learning and research yet wanted a bit more to help them cement what they had gained. Since the individual was still fairly hands-on, we worked out a plan for them to create a simple "To Do List". Yet rather than building it on relational technology, I thought it would be better for them to sign up for the free Amazon Web Service tier and work with the S3 service instead. S3 was a great way to get them to see how a non-relational data store could be used and at the same time give them some practical exposure to using cloud services to solve a faily simple problem. Within a couple of weeks they had not only solved their smaller problem but they also began to work on larger problems with different services. In a matter of a few months the individual had not only improved in their overall understanding, but had gained the attention of their manager at work which resulted in being involved in a more strategic and valuable project at work.

Simply being aware of a concept is not always enough for people to cement an idea into a key learning. Often times practical application  helps reinforce the concept so that the individual can carry it forward in their career. 

Many times keeping skills up to date is very difficult yet I find with enough effort, dedication, perseverance and planning keeping skills up to date is fun and engaging!

Being Concise - A Lot Harder Than It Looks

Recently I have been involved in a lot of discussions with a variety of technical professionals who are transitioning. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing which most people conjure up when they hear that term. Mostly because they think of "being released" or "being fired". In truth many technical professionals are finding themselves being promoted or pursuing new avenues that had not been available before.

Regardless of whether positive or negative, going through a transition is often times a period of significant change for the individual. They are leaving what they knew behind as they embrace something new. At this point one of the key things that changes is communication. Specifically being able to communicate in a manner that many would call "being clear and concise". I would argue that such a phrase is actually what I call being able to communicate effectively.

Now this sounds reasonable enough however many technical professionals are very close to their specialities. As a result their typical conversation includes many terms that are unfamiliar to most general audiences. When people do not have a common understanding they often times have a resentment about the conversation feeling that they are being purposely left out. However more dangerous than resentment which is a form of engagement, is actually being tuned out and ignored.

For the professionals that I mentor and coach communication is often times a matter of mindset and habit. After all changing how you communicate is not something that comes naturally and takes practice to accomplish. Generally speaking the rules for effective communication are pretty simple:

• Know your audience. Specifically know who your audience isn't; they will typically not be technical. Sometimes they will be in which case things go more smoothly. However most encounters will be of a more general nature resulting in a pattern of using less technical lingo and more common phrases. For example instead of using "high-speed RISC computing" just say "faster computers". Yes there are a lot of technical details being missed but in exchange for better understanding in the conversation.


• Get to the point. Often times we want to get tell a story. However there are times that simply do not allow for this. One way of looking at this is imagine yourself having to rush to an urgent appointment in say 5 minutes. Imagine what you need to convey to people you and then say it. A common comparison I use is the "Do not forget the <..important item..> at the store dear!" example. Being able to get your point across immediately brings the conversation to more important topics.


• Engage. I always emphasize to people I mentor that they want to leave an impression with whom they are speaking with. For that to happen they have to engage them with their communication. However a lot of the communication is more than just words, it involves gestures, tone, eye contact, etc. Being able to be engaging takes a lot of practice for most but well worth it.

Like anything else understanding and mastering the basics helps professionals in their communication styles. Also the next thing is practice. Being able to communicate effectively with others is a strength that is an absolute asset as a professional transitions in their career.

Career Planning - Expectations and Realizations

One of the more popular topics in recent conversations has been about careers. Now this is not a new topic. Everyone has been involved in this conversation for any number of years. However there are a lot of challenges especially now in the marketplace. For example if one looks into academia, a recent post brought to my attention brings attention to the many challenges that professionals in academia face. (NOTE: Thanks to Florine Church for bringing this up! Excellent item!)

The reality of the economy has forced quite a few changes to many organizations and consequently the career seekers. Also many organizations are still into a "cost cutting" mindset without an equal mind towards "growth opportunity". These among others create even further complications. However the most basic impact of such conditions happens to be around expectations. Generally speaking expectations tend to be both a boon and a bane to one's career in that they tend to be both not always based on reasonable experience however they do provide insight if one is careful as to how to approach a conversation.

First off a basic expectation is about length of career. There are basically 4 general categories that most professionals will fit into:

• Little to no experience. This can be college graduates, professionals pursuing new career paths, etc.
• Experienced. Typically an individual who has 3-5 years of experience in their chosen profession.
• Senior. This is an individual with considerable experience typically 6-9 years in their chosen profession.
• Leader. This is an individual with 10+ experience in their chosen profession.

This sort of expectation looks pretty basic at first glance but can yield additional insight if some time it taken to do some research especially about what organizations and professionals say about such expectations.

In my experience, the expectations break down into some generalized thought patterns when looking for individuals to fill positions:

• Little to no experience. Generally speaking companies look for bright, energetic, fresh thinking individuals. They would be able to effectively separate themselves from the perception of "needing work" to actually understanding/believing in the organization they are pursuing. Additionally such individuals are expected to have little practical understanding of the work involved but compensate with attitude and aptitude to pick it up quickly. The majority of organizations are actually very positive of new hires hoping to use them to spread by word-of-mouth the positive influence of their products and services.
• Experienced. Organizations expect these individuals to have mastered the basics, so to speak, and are capable of handling assignments with supervision. These would be the backbone of an organization, such that they are relied upon to get things done. Additionally these individuals are expected to start showing traits of leadership in their respect areas.
• Senior. These individuals are expected to have gone well beyond the basics and in fact to have repeatedly demonstrate that they can provide value to the organization in key areas based on their experience. Such individuals are routinely tapped to lead initiatives, lead personnel, and achieve goals that have some significant meaning to the organization.
• Leader. These individuals are expected to be the leaders of their areas. To help drive and explore ways to achieve significant value and assuming significant risks and rewards for doing so. Such professionals are well versed not only in the hands-on details of their chosen profession, but are capable of interacting, communicating and collaborating with others throughout the organization.

Please note that these are generalities subject to significant variations. For example a larger more established organization is certainly more inclined to see individuals with this same mindset. However, startups or smaller organizations usually do not. They see individuals who are more flexible, adaptable, and capable of doing multiple things without any real or clear definition of what to do. These individuals can think on their feet and deliver something that can be of immediate value to the organization.

However a good way to look at one's career is from a basic personal perspective that should focus on a core set of questions:

• What do you enjoy doing?
• What do you do?
• Who are you?
• What are you about?
• What are you able to do?

If one looks at these questions it can certainly help to focus your efforts at looking at opportunities only at certain organizations and how to effectively communicate your value towards them.

Often taking the time to understand what certain expectations people and organizations have, can be highly effective in addressing their concerns and addressing one's strengths for new opportunities. Additionally the realizations from such expectations can be of tremendous value in making decisions on how to plan next career moves.