“The Necessary Art of Persuasion” Good evening! I just finished reviewing an article in the Harvard Business Review magazine called OnPoint, dated Winter 2006. These are selected articles from the Harvard Business Review, and the title on the cover is "The Art of Middle Management." It's an interesting magazine with a variety of articles and as the weeks go by, I'll be reviewing some of the articles in my blogs. One of the major articles … [Read more...] about #24 Art of Persuasion
Soft Skills for Technologists
#23 Radio Head
"Being real doesn't get it" Good evening! I was listening to a radio show just before the new year to an interview with the lead member of band Radio Head. Now Radio Head has been called one of the best bands around and at times the best band playing anywhere. I don't much listen to them, but I found the interview interesting and there is a connection between what I heard and technology management. At one point, the lead member of Radio … [Read more...] about #23 Radio Head
#22 Being Understood #2
Being Understood #2 “Imagine Being Understood - Again” Good evening! I want to spend one more blog entry on the topic of "context." In the last blog I introduced you to the phrase "I didn't steal your wallet." and I showed you how if you repeated the phrase several times with emphasis on different words each time, you could convey different meanings. For example, below I've written the same phrase over and over again. I've made one of … [Read more...] about #22 Being Understood #2
#21 Being Understood
Being Understood ”Imagine Being Understood” Good day! Imagine… imagine what it would be like if whenever you communicated with anyone, you were… completely understood. Imagine what it would be like to say something to someone face-to-face, and… be completely understood. Imagine writing a memo or speaking on the phone and always being clearly and… totally understood. In fact, imagine the unthinkable… imagine sending an email and always, … [Read more...] about #21 Being Understood
#11 Micro-Management or Bust!
Managing for results AND empowerment Good evening! It seems lately that everywhere I turn, much of what I read about management and leadership keeps pointing to the same set of management deficiencies. It may be the major issue of managers and leaders; not just technical managers and leaders, but all managers and leaders. And quite simply it’s the inability of managers to manage so as to achieve results. Do any of the following three … [Read more...] about #11 Micro-Management or Bust!
#9 Your Only Tool Is…
Communication Good evening! Today I conducted a training class at a customer site. The topic focused on being a technical individual contributor and a technical manager at the same time. This is typically what happens when a technical person is promoted to management of a small team or a small project. In most cases a technical person is simultaneously a part-time technical individual contributor and a part-time technical manager. During … [Read more...] about #9 Your Only Tool Is…