Going out for a Curry or Tacos may do more for you than your hunger

I've coined the phrase 'Going for a curry or tacos' as a euphemism for getting out with your colleagues over dinner to 'socialise' ideas and problems.

It's really about getting out of the office environment where formal positions and behaviors are established and enforced, and getting together with colleagues (from various levels) to chew over some ideas or issues that might normally create too much conflict inside the office. I think this is particularly so with techies who vigilantly defend their faith in their technologies and methods and the way things get done. An old friend of mine used to take exception with being challenged in the office - he was a bit of an ass that way - but it paid off for him most of the time as his way and his technologies won over. In fact he proactively stamped out any challenges with rebuking any new ideas early on before they even reached his desk. However, I think this gunboat diplomacy damages colleagues confidence, creates too much conflict and politics, stifles innovation and doesn't really do the company the best service in the end.

Anyway the point is here that its valid for a team to take their issues or opportunities out of the office now and again and dealt with them in a safe but open environment. It's an application of the term 'socialising' (which I personally hate, but the point remains) which means that groundwork for decision-making is done outside of the formal channels, so the agent can sound out key influencers and find out who needs more persuasion and who might be hostile. It's not exactly espionage, but it could be construde that way. I think the differentiator is that it isn't malicious or overtly manipulative.

Simply put, going for a curry or tacos might result in issues or opportunities get dealt with on a level playing field and with everyone's interests represented. Many of them can be resolved with a full belly and a smile. In fact it was Freud who linked hunger and aggression, ie. the more hungry you are, the more aggressive you become. So get your enemies belly full and then bring up the point of contention, as long as it isn't about his eating habits :-)

It's also true that if you organize such a culinary outing, it gives you the chance to set the agenda and deal with the matters you want resolution to. Take the lead and you could see an end to your woes, at least know where you stand. If you do take this responsibility on, then make sure you invite all the people who have influence over the issues, whether you see them on your side or not. Getting full representation means you won't face another round of yapping back in the office. If your invite is rejected then make sure that person knows what could be discussed and see if they want to send someone else in their place.

To cap this off I will say give this a go. It will be a great way of dealing with stuff, you'll have something nice to eat, and quite possibly improve your social standing!

Are you at risk from Outsourcing?

My recent survey found that 30% of respondents were concerned that outsourcing will put your job at risk. This is a complex area and also a concern that has real grounds as its undeniable that outsourcing has been a huge source of change in business organization, management and economics. I've personally been involved in organizations that have undergone an outsourcing initiative, and I am perhaps lucky to have seen cases where the outsourcing has achieved success, and also cases where the changes have failed to meet the business objectives. In my experiences, successful and unsuccessful outsourcing initiatives were well structured, well organized, and the business reason for outsourcing was clear and justifiable and economical.
But my observation of outsourcing initiatives that have succeeded against thost that fail is the quality and quantity of the leadership practiced within the organization, starting at the top, and flowing right through the levels of the organization. Not just that, but if employees within an organization consider the outsourcing as something being 'done' to them, it has a much lesser chance of succeeding. Organizational change of this magnitude is a change for the whole organization, and everyone within it must be helped to feel responsible for its success. Bold words (yes literally I know) and easy for me to say, but I do feel strongly about them. Not the tough thing for the likes of us guys is if we are on the 'receiving end' of the outsourcing, ie. it's our jobs that will be moving. Does this mean we shouldn't play nicely? I say no, and I do so because a) you'd still be an employee of the organization and therefore have a responsibility to it, b) in most countries there are laws to protect your rights so you won't be forced out into the cold, and c) something very interesting and prosperous may come of your valuable input, particularly if in the area of leadership through the change. Point c is most poignant; case in point - Jon Miller is a lab technician who's role was suddenly being transferred into an outsourcing vendor by his pharmaceutical empoyer, but Jon didn't look at this as a crisis, but in fact rallied his colleagues and helped them look at the possible opportunities in their new employer. He unofficially became a team leader and spokesperson for his team and eventually transitioned to the vendor with no loss of his comrades, picking up a new role as a supervisor to boot. If you work with the change and make the most of it, at the very least you can leave with your head held high and a severence paycheck in your pocket, or possibly find a great job in the outsourcing vendor. Either way, I don't consider this as a personal 'risk'.
Folks I know this is complicated and effects us all in different ways, but I just wanted to get the message over that outsourcing is not always bad for you as an individual, and with a good attitude and an open mind, the change could yield something great for you.

If you want to read more about Outsourcing, here is a good article on the businessballs.com website: http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm

And of course you can email me on the subject if you have questions: simon@commerce-savvy.com

Taking your first step as a manager of supervisor in technical teams

One of the most difficult moves on a technical career path is moving from technician and knowledge worker (i.e. a 'doer') from a manager of supervisor. I found this tough, as do many technical professionals who have this responsibility thrust upon them. Supervisors and managers of the 21st century will have broader responsibilities, taking charge of more projects and more people. In todays business climate, I'd say it was fair but inevitable that a lot of folk are given these responsibilities too early or without the necessary skills and moreover experience. I've seen many folks rise to the occasion and perform well in their new roles, making few mistakes, but I've also seen many cases where naivity has resulted in serious judgment failures leading the the crash-and-burn of the new manager.

Overcoming this isn't easy, but then again not impossible. It depends on how you view the risk to your confidence, reputation and position in your organization. The obvious fasttrack is to plunge yourself into the new role and learn from your experiences. If you're going with that route then you really should seek a coach and/or mentor to help you through and to give you feedback on your behaviors. You'll need someone experienced in management to give you pointers and to challenge you if you're going to wing it! This is a risky approach, but if you are a natural born leader or manager then it maybe the most effective route for you.

Then again, you could opt for more formal training based out of a classroom, which is done in a safe environment where you learn the theories and practices of management and supervision. These programs focus on the movement from technical professional and/or engineer to supervisor or team leader.
These programs also provide the critical skills that any manager may need regardless of level by providing simple, direct solutions to the most common problems managers face: how do I motivate people, what are the steps to coaching, how do I handle non-performance, how do I give people a strong message, how to develop people. They generally distil the most useful items in the behavioral sciences into a basic approach to managing people and teams.
I can't really say which route is best one way or the other; it depends on your personality and your personal tendencies, as well as your attitude towards risk in your current role. My advice though is to give it some careful thought first.

If you want to contact me to discuss your best route or if you have any related questions, please get in touch (simon@commerce-savvy.com)

Asking for a salary increase

Throughout my career working with people in technical roles, I've seen that many folks really struggle with asking for a payrise.
Technical roles typically pay higher salaries than average, but it's common for technical workers to have problems in engaging with their managers and paymasters to ask for an increase. I attribute this to the phenomena that (more often than not) technical professionals are not truly aware of the value they add to their organization, and (on the flipside) don't understand the true cost of their package to their employer. This is the essence of many discussions on the COMMERCE-SAVVY blog. Not to put too finer point on this, if you're going to successfully negotiate a rise, you need to know these things to a sufficient depth that you and your manager can talk openly and with trust.
Not exactly coincidentally, but a recent COMMERCE-SAVVY survey of technical professionals shows that the top third concern (49% of respondents) is that "Technical roles are undervalued by business leaders" and the seventh top concern (33% of respondents) is "Salaries/contract rates are slowing/reducing." To see the top ten concerns from this survey, click here.
Here is a link to a great article I found on the businessballs website, which covers the 'art' (or when you're an experienced negotiator, the 'science') of salary negotiation. I strongly recommend you take a look at it. I couldn't have written about the subject better myself!
The link: http://www.businessballs.com/payrise.htm

Results of survey of Current Concerns of Technical Professionals

A couple of days late getting this out whilst I compiled the stats, but here is the report on the survey I conducted in Dec 2007 of 200 IT professionals, actuaries, data analysts and other technical professionals. The survey aimed to find out the top 10 concerns of our sector of the workforce. Each respondent was asked to answer how concerned they were with a list of 25 current issues facing our profession. The top 10 issues are ranked in order below. A full report will be available from the COMMERCE-SAVVY.COM parent site in the next few days.

1. The 'credit crunch' will have widespread impact on all markets, causing a recession and economic downturn - 72%
2. Projects/initiatives will be cancelled or postponed until the economy stabilises - 65%
3. Technical roles are undervalued by business leaders - 49%
4. My work is creating even more demand on my personal life - 48%
5. I won't be able to find another job/contract if I choose to leave my current position - 39%
6. Training and skills development available to me won't be sufficient to meet the demands of future roles and opprtunities - 34%
7. Salaries/contract rates are slowing/reducing - 33%
8. Outsourcing puts my job at risk in the immediate future - 30%
9. My income will remain the same whilst living costs are increasing - 28%
10. Global political instability makes me concerned for future jobs - 22%

Do you agree with these concerns? Are you personally affected by them? Please feel free to contact me (simon@commerce-savvy.com) for a confidential discussion.

Commerce-Savvy Survey: What technical professionals are most worried about

A Commerce-Savvy survey of over 200 technical professionals has found that over 60% of respondents are worried about the consequences of the 'credit crunch' on their jobs. The effect of the current crisis in world markets has created nervousness in technical sectors, particularly that projects could be pulled or whole departments laid off.

Full results of the survey will be published next week (20 Feb 08)

Developing a Helicopter Mind - how technical managers can improve their success

The Helicopter Mind is a concept of thinking and questioning that allows managers to interweve abstract and specific thoughts, and to have the ability to switch between the two modes of thought appropriately and skilfully. An extensive study has shown that managers who have these abilities are more successful and perform better in their roles than those that do not.

How does the Helicopter Mind work? Well if you can hold an image of a helicopter in your mind that moves up (towards abstract) when a WHY question is asked and moves down (towards specific) when a HOW question is asked. A manager who asks WHY questions will be reviewing an activity in terms of its purpose, value and desired outcome. A manager who asks HOW questions will review activities in terms of their method, process and skills involved.

So if you have grasped the concept, its application is simple. Asking a WHY question allows managers to think more laterally about a given task and reconsider the methods in which they use to achieve it. In my experience, technical managers do not do enough of this, and are generally more interested in the task and optimising it. But asking WHY one performs an activity before HOW the activity is completed allows a technical manager to consider the objectives and outcome and challenge them.

To illustrate:

WHY? Maximise company profits

WHY? Efficient production and increase customer satisfaction

WHY? Produce quality widget

ACTIVITY: Run quality checks on each widget

HOW? Inspect each widget by hand

HOW? Staff visually checks each widget as it comes off the production line

HOW? Staff applies a checklist according to the spec of each widget

In the above example, asking HOW questions about the activity take you into specific solutions to the problem. But asking WHY questions consider what is the desired outcome of the activity, which may lead you to consider a different activity to achieve the same result. In this example, desiring the production of quality widgets could be achieved by quality checking the production process rather than checking the quality of the final product, i.e.

WHY? Maximise company profits

WHY? Efficient production and increase customer satisfaction

WHY? Produce quality widget

ACTIVITY: Run quality checks against the production process

HOW? Check items at each stage of the process periodically

HOW? Take a sample of every hundredth product when it leaves a stage of production

HOW? Staff applies a checklist according to the spec of each production stage

The above example aims to illustrate that by using WHY and gaining height in your helicopter opens up the mind of you and your colleagues to alternative ways of achieving your goals. By considering the Produce Quality Widgets objective, you've been led to think about ensuring you have a quality process (which should in turn produce a quality product) rather than just ensuring you produce a quality product.

In summary, exhibiting a Helicopter Mind where one asks WHY something is done as well as HOW can lead you to consider alternative strategies to achieve a technical activity. Business leaders like this. This is how innovation is achieved and new ideas concerning products, operations and other business benefits are stimulated. It's also a way for a manager to make their mark in their organization. Developing a Helicopter Mind should offer you personal development benefits as well as career benefits.