Using your technical skills in charity work

No don’t look away! I have here a potential valuable opportunity for you to use your core technical skills in order to gain more experience in the commercial space, and probably feel good about it in the process.

Charities are non-profit organizations, but they are organizations and they are commercial. Actually many are profit-oriented organizations, but their stockholders are the people they serve, be it homeless, sportsman or schoolkids. Charities are always in need of skilled workers who offer them value. They are not, if you’re under the impression, a workforce of the 2nd-grade. Charities are becoming increasingly professional and the work more challenging. Anyway, enough semantics.

My idea for you is that charity work has a huge potential for exposure in other business functions other than your own. Charities are generally small (but not always) and require it’s workers to get involved in more than their niche. It is in this way that offering yourself to a charity for gainful employment could give you engagements you may never have found yourself in. You won’t just find a more diverse business environment to learn from. You’ll probably find a higher degree of social and cultural diversity, leading to greater self-confidence and self-esteem. Your work will add to your society, culture and community.

Charity work is also an excellent way of meeting potential new contacts and future employers as well as opportunities to be publicized in the media. A number of my colleagues in previous jobs were brought in at senior levels because they were associates of senior managers and executives involved in the same charity. And I’m not talking about nepotism; I’m saying that they were respected hard workers who could demonstrate their worth and apply skillset in a meaningful and ethical way. Working for a charity is a statement of your personal values.

Lastly, charity work is a sound way of balancing you work-life. This isn’t easy when you’re entrenched into the guts of an organization. It will give you perspective. I strongly recommend you search for opportunities or organizations in the googleplex as soon as you can. I personally involved myself in a charity helping disadvantaged children find hobbies and interests in computing. I enjoyed it so much it spurred me to looking at personal development in technical professions as a career, and hence COMMERCE-SAVVY.COM!

10 Childhood Favorites of Technical Professionals

315 technical professionals were surveyed in November 07 (from IT, Insurance Actuaries, Architects and Civil Engineers) and I discovered the following favorites from their childhood’s (aged 5 – 15).

Favourite Film: Star Wars: A New Hope
Favourite Music: The Muppet Show Album (What? - Simon)
Favourite Book: The BFG by Roald Dahl
Favourite Toy: Lego
Favourite Bicycle: BMX
Favourite Home Computer: Commodore 64
Favourite Games Console: Atari 2600
Favourite Arcade Game: Donkey Kong
Favourite Food: French Fries (No surprise! - Simon)

How many of these are your favorites?

The Five Sources of a Leader’s Power, and how (and how not) to use them

I've published a new article in the Self-Aware series on the main COMMERCE-SAVVY.COM website. This piece discusses the five different forms of power available to a leader, with the usual COMMERCE-SAVVY slant on technical professionals and leadership.

Abstract

Power is a force of influence and authority. Where does a leader get power from? Or do a leader’s followers give it to them? Well it’s both. In this paper we’ll be looking at the five different sources of power a leader can use, with some advice on when these powers should be used, and perhaps when not. The paper covers Expert Power, Positional Power, Reward Power, Coercive Power and Personal Power.

Link: http://www.commerce-savvy.com/resources/SelfAware/selfaware4.htm

Of course I welcome feedback by emails or by comment.

Average salary rates against skills

I'm posting this to add context on the pursuit of career progression, and the perceived benefits such as salary. Jobstats.co.uk have published figures showing average salaries against skillsets. It's interesting to see that management rates are not that much greater than specialist skills, with SAP being the highest paid skill overall. It goes to show that specialists are gaining in value to organizations. To see it in a different light, a leader who possesses strong technical skills and management skills has a great chance of reaching their desired salary bracket!

View the report here: Jobstats.co.uk

Note: The rates are in UK Pounds Sterling, but they should indicate relative rates in other countries.

If your job isn't working for you, get the hell out...

All posts I have made have been positively biased, i.e. I've offered advice to constructively deal with issues and challenges that one typically faces when climbing the greasy pole of an organization. I've had a number of conversation recently with folks who feel they are stuck in a groove and can't get out, but not for the want of trying, but rather their boss or organization has them locked into their role. This time is no different (it's still positive, that is) but I'm taking a harder view today (except maybe offer this article for the fainter-hearted).

If your job sucks and no matter what you do to progress you face a brick wall, get the hell out. Move on. Take another role somewhere else - the technical market is buoyant at the moment anyway. As long as you can put food on your table and a roof over your head for a week or so, then the risk is low.

I don't advocate burning bridges, but if your boss stifles your growth then tell him/her so, and go. Be honest, say why you're leaving, and stick by it. You should disregard any attempts by your boss to keep you in the organization - consider offers only from other departments or sections. Dissuaded by your pile of stock options? (How many people do you know have made a killing on them?) Put off by your work-buddies? (Unless you go you'll be miserable and bored, and you'll lose your buddies anyway). Don't procrastinate - resign.

I'm also not advocating being obstructive once you've made your decision. This kind of coercion is frowned upon. See my upcoming paper on the use of power (due Dec 17). Remain professional - remember you want a reference! Your reputation is a valuable asset.

Over 90% of people who leave jobs because they can't enjoy opportunities for growth don't regret it. In fact over 60% of these people say its the best thing they have ever done!

You should experience AA – Assuming Authority, that is

One of the first mistakes I made when promoted to a department head for an IT consultancy firm was asking my boss what authority I had. I was rebuffed with the response that told me “You have as much authority as you think you have.” It was if I was asking for authority to be handed to me in a bundles package with a ribbon on. I was naïve. It doesn’t work like that.
Authority is not something that can be handed over easily, and isn’t zero-based. Authority is a function of trust and competence, as it is influence and gravitas. Authority is earned.

Of course, taking on a new role in the upper echelons of management gives one accountabilities, and one must ensure that they can fulfil them. Whether you have the authority to, is up to you. One wise manager of mine once said (and probably still does) “Assume authority until told otherwise.”

So to end this snippet, I say you must want authority, and if you do, you have it. If you think you are an authority on your technical area in its application to business, then take it. If you think you have authority to lead change in how technology is delivered, its yours.

Creating positive energy in yourself (3)

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 the positive energy you'll need to achieve your objectives, be it to move your career forward or whatever. Mustering real motivation to begin the changes is a skill you can easily master, and I can point you in the direction of How.

The main concept is to put yourself in a mental state where you can visualize your goals and see yourself actively achieving them. This should have effects deep inside you which will compel you to act positively.

There is a wonderful method to begin this process, and it is written by the Personal Development expert Steve Pavlina on his own blog. Here is the link:

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/12/how-to-take-action-consistently/

Take time to read this article and try out the technique. For example, if you desire career progression then visualize yourself in your new job, at your new desk, enjoying new influence and financial benefits.

Steve's method for doing this has grounds in a practice known as NLP, or Neuro Linguistic Programming, which is a psychological technique for goal achievement. Whether you're interested in the underlying mechanisms in your brain, or not, this is a credible and proven system. I have used it. Thousands (if not millions) have too to great success.

These techniques can be developed by yourself, and if you're guided, you can be successful in their application quite quickly (and painlessly I should add!). It might not happen straight away, but with a small amount of practise you will start seeing early benefits. You should find that the power to achieve is in yourself - you are all you need.

Below is a link to a book available on Amazon which I have personally read and used. I am thoroughly recommending it here as I think that if the technique I have discussed here appeals to you, you should consider purchasing it to learn more and develop this skill. Its quite a large tome, but it is easy to read and you don't need a science degree to do so!


[You can use this link and be directed to the book on your local Amazon site]