Strategic, Competitive Professional Development: An Overview

Strategic, CompetitiveStrategic, Competitive
Professional Development:Professional Development:
An OverviewAn Overview
Presented by
Andrea L. AmesAndrea L. Ames
IBM Senior Technical Staff Member / Information Experience Strategist & ArchitectIBM Senior Technical Staff Member / Information Experience Strategist & Architect
UC Extension in Silicon Valley Certificate Coordinator & InstructorUC Extension in Silicon Valley Certificate Coordinator & Instructor
STC Fellow & Past President (2004-05)STC Fellow & Past President (2004-05)

About Andrea
 Technical communicator since 1983
 Areas of expertise
 Information architecture and design and interaction design for products
and interactive information
 Information and product usability—from analysis through validation
 User-centered design and development process
 Mentor
 IBM Senior Technical Staff Member
 UC Extension in Silicon Valley certificate coordinator
and instructor
 STC Fellow and past president (2004-05)
 ACM Distinguished Engineer
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 2

Agenda
 Professional development in today’s challenging
business climate
 Developing your professionalism
 Knowledge and skills for career success
 Managing your career like a business,
a project…and an athletic event?
 Bonus tips: Mentoring and networking
 Resources
 Backup: Emotional intelligence and personal branding
details

Key themes to be listening
for…in no particular order
 Value
 Strategy
 Communication
 Trust and respect
 Innovation and invention
 Responsibility and commitment

IS ADVANCEMENT DEAD?

Are we a commodity?
“When something becomes commoditized,
something else becomes valuable.”
– Tim O’Reilly, STC Summit 2011 opening session
What is our “something else?”

Are you a commodity?
Or a strategic contributor?

A commodity is…
A good or service:
 For which there is demand, but which is supplied without
qualitative differentiation across a market
 That is treated by the market as equivalent, or nearly so,
no matter who produces it
 Whose price is determined as a function of its market as
a whole
(Wikipedia)
 What is your qualitative differentiation?
 Rather than focusing on your “price,” focus on your value

“Not ideal” is the new climate 
 Take a look at the most recent US and global economic
situation 
 The days of the “gold watch retirement” career
are over
 Economic pressures push companies to
outsource and offshore more and more
 The competitive business landscape is not
just a corporate phenomenon—it changes
how businesses look at employees and how
we employees should look at ourselves

Your job (according to your employer/clients)
 Do more with less
 Faster
 Cheaper
 Better(well, maybe not so much)
 Innovate (in your spare time)
 Add value (which means what, exactly?)
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 10

Your job (according to me, and hopefully, YOU)
 Get where you want to go: Drive your career, not
the other way around
 Be “popular”: Become sought after for
your unique, competitive qualities
 Lead yourself and others
 Participate and give back
 Get connected: It really is who
you know
 Demonstrate your impact
 Not kill yourself along the way
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 11

DEVELOPING YOUR
PROFESSIONALISM
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 12

Where do you start?
 With yourself!
 Private
 Covey’s habits 1-3 and 7
 Goleman’s self awareness and
self management
 Maxwell’s approach to attitude
 Public
 Covey’s habits 4-6
 Goleman’s social awareness and
relationship management
 Maxwell’s approach to attitude and
360-degree leadership
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 13

Personal management through the
seven habits
Dependence  Independence  Interdependence
 Private victory:
1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
 Public victory:
4. Think win/win
5. Seek first to understand…
then to be understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw
Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1989.
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 14

Personal management through
“emotional intelligence”
Emotional intelligence is…
“the capacity for
recognizing our own feelings
and those of others,
for motivating ourselves,
for managing emotions well
in ourselves and
in our relationships.”
-- Daniel Goleman
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 15

Emotional intelligence domains
Source: Primal Leadership, by Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
Self Others
Self-
Awareness
Knowing what we feel at
the moment and using that
to guide our decision-
making
Self
Management
Handling our emotions
so that they enhance
rather than interfere with
performance
Social
Awareness
Sensing what people are
feeling, understanding the
perspectives of others, and
cultivating rapport
Relationship
Management
Handling emotions in relationships
well, being able to read social
situations accurately, and using
these skills to persuade, lead,
and negotiate
Actions
Awareness
1
2
3
3
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 16

Attitude is everything
 Our attitude determines our approach to life
 Our attitude determines our relationships with people
 Often our attitude is the only difference between success
and failure
 Our attitude at the beginning of a task will affect its
outcome more than anything else
 Our attitude can turn our problems into opportunities
 Our attitude can give us an uncommonly positive
perspective
 Our attitude can reduce our stress and
make us happier
Source: Attitude 101, by John Maxwell, Thomas Nelson, 2003.
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 17

Lead in every direction
 Key lead-up principles
 Lead yourself exceptionally well
 Lighten your leader’s load
 Invest in relational chemistry
 Become a go-to player
 Be better tomorrow than you are today
 Key lead-across principles
 Understand, practice, and complete the leadership loop
 Put completing fellow leaders ahead of competing with them
 Expand your circle of acquaintances (network)
 Let the best idea win
 Key lead-down principles
 See everyone as a “10” (give them an “A”)
 Develop each team member as a person
 Model the behavior you desire
Source: The 360° Leader, by John Maxwell, Thomas Nelson, 2003.
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 18

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS,
AND EXPERIENCE FOR
CAREER SUCCESS(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 19

People Skills
Self-Management Skills
Motivation
Attitude
Team Facilitation
Communication
…
Tech Skill
Knowledge
Necessary for
top performance
but not sufficient
Easier to see
and develop
Characteristics
that lead to
longer-term
success
Harder to see
and develop
Technical skill and knowledge:
Just the tip of the icebergIceburg image from IBM technical leadership program materials
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 20

Table stakes: Tech comm skills
(snapshot: 5/16/2011, 3:30 pm PT)
Technologies
(less volatile)
 Topic-based writing
 Information experience
design and architecture
 Information strategy
 Web 2.0
 Visual communication
 Usability and user-
centered development
methods
Tools and infrastructure
(more volatile)
 DITA
 Web 2.0 tools and
infrastructure
 Your team’s UI
development technology
and tools, e.g., dojo, Flex,
Eclipse, MS Visual Studio
 Other applicable open
source technologies
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 21

Take your skills beyond
table stakes
 Technical/tool skills will only take you so far
 Develop transferrable skills, knowledge, and
experience
 Analytic and problem-solving skills
 Interpersonal skills—Leadership, teaming,
communication, political savvy,
value/leverage diversity
 Business skills—Project management,
negotiating, industry knowledge, selling skills,
customer relationships
 Participate in industry—Technical communities,
speaking at technical events, visibility, networking(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 22

BE A BUSINESS…A PROJECT
MANAGER…AN ATHLETE
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 23

Build your brandStairs image based on “You, Incorporated,”by Jamila Petite
1. Know, manage, and lead yourself
2. Make the most of your strengths
3. Find and leverage your passion
4. Demonstrate and articulate value
5. Continuously improve
6. Be visible; “brag” appropriately
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 24

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and
five minutes to ruin it.
If you think about that, you'll do things
differently.”
- Warren Buffet
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 25

Building your brand
from Career Warfare (D’Alessandro)
1. Look beyond your navel
2. Your boss is your brand co-author
3. Put your boss on the couch
4. Learn which is the pickle fork
5. Kenny Rogers is right
6. It’s always show time
7. Make the right enemies
8. Don’t get swallowed by the bubble
9. Fly higher, get shot at more
10. Everybody coulda been a contender; ensure you stay one
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 26

Develop and articulate
your value
 What’s valuable to your employer/client?
 Become strategic (to your employer/ client)—
business, competition, trends
 Prioritize around strategy: Think more…do less,
esp. by rote or “because we’ve
always done it”
 Results talk: Measure
them, and then talk
about them
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 28

Becoming more strategic
 Keep up with industry: Professional orgs—participate and network—
and their pubs
 Understand business strategy: What can your marketing and
business leaders tell you
 Understand technical strategy: Your architects and technical leaders
 Understand your functional strategy: Tech comm, product
development
 Focus: Select one or two things that you’re most passionate about
and contribute to those; don’t try to boil the ocean
 Schedule time with yourself to work on “important, but not urgent”
items
 When you feel that you’re not working on strategic items or
contributing to strategy through your “day job,” discuss with your
manager and leadership team; ask for clarification around the
relationship between what you’re doing and strategy
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 29

Professional development
roadmap
Discover your strengths
and passion
Manage your:
• Time
• Attitude
• Interpersonal
relationships
Think strategically: What
does your boss, org,
company/client need?
How can you leverage
that for your career? Don’t forget to
leverage your great,
strategic work to
give back! STC, etc.
Discover the work that will
have the greatest impact
on your boss, org, or
company/client!
Develop a vision,
mission, and goals
Develop a task list:
• Skills to develop
• Technologies to
learn
• Tools to learn
• Work to complete
Manage it all like a
“real” project!
Determine
transferrable skills
to support your
goals:
• Analytic/problem
solving
• Interpersonal
• Business
Determine
necessary
technologies and
required tools to
support goals
PACE YOURSELF!
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 30

Pace yourself
 Check out a marathon training program…the
curve is fascinating
 Athletes do not train 5-7 days per week, 10-
15 hours per day!
 Nutrition
 Exercise
 Rest and recovery
 Build mental capability
The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, Free Press, 2004.
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 31

A FEW LAST SUGGESTIONS…
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 32

Get a mentor
 In fact, get several…
 Technical mentor
 Business mentor
 Promotion mentor
 “Opportunity” mentor
 Take time to connect
 Give and take
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 33

Network, network, network
 Bring and exchange business cards everywhere you go
 If you’re shy, practice!
 Connect at...
 Conferences
 Professional society meetings
 Professional networking
meetings—yes, they
actually hold these!
 Social work
gatherings
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 34

Resources
Personal management
 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People, Stephen Covey
 Emotional Intelligence, Daniel goleman
 Attitude 101, John Maxwell
 The Power of Full Engagement: Managing
Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High
Performance and Personal Renewal, by Jim
Loehr and Tony Schwartz
 Now Discover Your Strengths, Marcus
Buckingham
General career
 Career Warfare, David D’Alessandro
 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last
Career Guide You'll Ever Need, Daniel Pink
 The Hard Truth about Soft Skills :
Workplace Lessons Smart People Wish
They'd Learned Sooner, Peggy Klaus
Brand
 Brag! Tooting your Own Horn Without
Blowing It, Peggy Klaus
Communication
 Talking from 9 to 5, Deborah Tannen, Ph.D.
 Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott
 Crucial Conversations, Kerry Patterson,
Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al
Switzler
Leadership
 360-Degree Leadership, John Maxwell
 Principle-Centered Leadership, Stephen
Covey
 The 8th
Habit, Stephen Covey
 The One Thing You Need to Know, Marcus
Buckingham
Mentoring
 Mentoring 101, John Maxwell
 Power Mentoring, Ellen Ensher
Networking
 Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets
to Success, One Relationship at a Time,
Keith Ferrazzi
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 35

Questions?
Contacting Andrea
aames@pobox.com
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 36

BACKUP
Details of Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence model
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 37

Components of emotional intelligence
Definition Hallmarks
Self-Awareness • The ability to recognize and understand
your moods, emotions, and drives, as well
as their effect on others
• Self-confidence
• Realistic self-assessment
• Self-deprecating sense of humor
Self-Regulation
(Self management)
• The ability to control or redirect disruptive
impulses and moods
• The propensity of suspend judgment—to
think before acting
• Trustworthiness and integrity
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Openness to change
Motivation
(Self management)
• A passion to work for reasons that go
beyond money or status
• A propensity to pursue goals with energy
and persistence
• Strong drive to achieve
• Optimism, even in the face of failure
• Organizational commitment
Source: “What Makes a Leader?” Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec 1998.
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 38

Components of emotional intelligence (cont.)
Empathy
(Social awareness)
• The ability to understand the emotional
makeup of other people
• Skill in treating people according to their
emotional reactions
• Expertise in building and retaining talent
• Cross-cultural sensitivity
• Service to clients and customers
Social Skill
(Social awareness)
• Proficiency in managing relationships and
building networks
• An ability to find common ground and build
rapport
• Effectiveness in leading change
• Persuasiveness
• Expertise in building and leading teams
Source: “What Makes a Leader?” Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec 1998.
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 39

Components of emotional intelligence (cont.)
Influence
(Relationship management)
• Finding the right appeal for a given listener
• Knowing how to build buy-in from key sponsors
• Building a network of support for an initiative
• Very persuasive
• Engaging when addressing a group
Developing Others
(Relationship management)
• Understanding goals, strengths and weaknesses
• Providing timely and constructive feedback
• Show genuine interest in others
• Natural mentor or coach
Source: Primal Leadership, by Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 40

BACKUP
Build your brand
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 41

Know, manage, and lead
yourself
 Seven habits
 Emotional intelligence
 Attitude
 360-degree leadership
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 43

Strengths vs. weaknesses
“Discover what you don’t like doing
and stop doing it.” -- Marcus Buckingham
 Now, Discover Your Strengths
 The One Thing You Need to Know
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 45

Why passion?
 Think about the last time you did something
you really enjoyed…
 Was it difficult to get started?
 To finish
 When was the last time you did something
you really enjoyed at work?
 How does your list of passions compare with
what your business needs?
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 46

Develop and articulate your
value
 What’s valuable to your employer/client?
 Become strategic (to your employer/ client)—
business, competition, trends
 Prioritize around strategy: Think more…do less,
esp. by rote or “because we’ve
always done it”
 Results talk: Measure
them, and then talk
about them
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 48

Tips for becoming more
strategic
 Keep up with industry: Professional orgs—participate and network—and
their pubs
 Understand business strategy: What can your marketing and business
leaders tell you
 Understand technical strategy: Your architects and technical leaders
 Understand your functional strategy: Tech comm, product development
 Focus: Select one or two things that you’re most passionate about and
contribute to those; don’t try to boil the ocean
 Schedule time with yourself to work on “important, but not urgent” items
 When you feel you’re not working on strategic items, or contributing to
strategy, through your “day job,” discuss with your manager and
leadership team; ask for clarification around the relationship between
what you’re doing and strategy
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 49

Continuously improve
 Take new risks – or educated steps toward a new goal
 Take developmental courses (grad school, community centers,
etc)
 Take your professional development very seriously – schedule it!
 Take on high visibility projects – look for ways to leave your
comfort zone
 Distinguish your work from others’
 Seek honest feedback
 Never compromise your self respect
 Expect setbacks and mistakes – always keep moving forward (or
laterally when necessary)
 Don’t be afraid to reinvent your brand; it’s your brand
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 51

Build your brand
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 52

Appropriate visibility
 Do “the right people” know who you are, what
you do, and the value you add?
 Do you have a reason to keep in touch?
 What is your reason for staying visible and
keeping the right people current?
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 53

Bragging myths
from BRAG! (Klaus)
1. A job well done speaks for itself
2. You only brag during performance reviews
3. Humility gets you noticed
4. People will brag for you
5. More is better (quality over quantity)
6. Good girls don’t brag
7. Brag is a four-letter word
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 54

Successful bragging requirements
from BRAG! (Klaus)
1. Bore no more
2. Bring your best self forward
3. Recognize the importance of first impressions
4. Act like your best self (even when you don’t feel
like it)
5. Convey excitement about your work and
accomplishments
6. Schmooze (network)
7. Take the emotional temperature of your listeners
8. Leverage the power of humor, stories, and
anecdotes
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 55

Bragging tips
from BRAG! (Klaus)
1. Be your best, authentic self
2. Think about who you’re bragging to
3. Say it with meaningful and entertaining stories
4. Keep it short and simple
5. Talk with me, not at me
6. Be able to back up what you say
7. Know when to brag
8. Turn small talk into big talk
9. Keep your content current and fresh
10. Be ready at a moment’s notice
11. Have a sense of humor
12. Use it all: your eyes, ears, head, and heart
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 56

BACKUP
Moving from “Commodity” to “Strategic Contributor”
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 57

The “four modes”
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 58

Commodity
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 59
 Cheap
 Writers in low-
cost-of-living
areas are even
cheaper
 Deliverables are
formulaic
“documentation”
 Nearly clerical
 Oh, and…
“anyone can
write”

Communicator
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 60
 Understands
 Humans, in general
 Audience for product
 Information
architecture, design,
and usability
 Designs solutions to
communication
problems, not
standard deliverables
 Develops user
assistance, not
documentation

Profit maker
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 61
 Communicator, who also
understands
 Product development
process in depth
 Tools used to develop
product in depth
 Technologies associated
with product, in depth
 Designs product solutions,
not just communication
solutions
 Contributes to
product usability

Strategic Contributor
(c) 1996-2011 Andrea L. Ames 62
 Communicator and profit maker
 Understands business,
customers, and competition
 Contributes to strategy and
business process improvement
 Ensures customers/users are
successful
 Can demonstrate financial
impact of information and
usability on bottom line
 Can make business case for
new initiatives
 Visionary; leads
multidisciplinary teams
to improve customer/
user experience

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