Field Guide To Personal Technical Leadership 2a

FIeld CuIde to Personal TechnIcal LeadershIp
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 1 of 78 7ersIon 2a


A guIde for customer facIng technIcal professIonals who are keen to become
recognIsed as TechnIcal Leaders.

ThIs guIde Is optImIsed for 8| UK /T SpecIalIsts at band 7, 8 or 9 who have
already achIeved recognItIon as Subject |atter Experts and don't want to
feel constraIned by theIr current role. TakIng the box as a metaphor for the
boundarIes that defIne theIr current role such specIalIsts wIll be lookIng for
more space eIther by scalIng the box up or scalIng It out. The CuIde lays
before the reader the mechanIcs of career progressIon and helps the engaged
reader further develop some of the softer skIlls and competencIes needed for
roles of Increased Influence and responsIbIlIty.

ThIs CuIde Is also for specIalIsts who are content wIth theIr role and
contrIbutIon but wIsh to be able to delIver more, more easIly and more
effectIvely and thus keep pace wIth IncreasIng standards wIthout further
ImpactIng the lIfe component of theIr work lIfe balance.

Author: Alan Freeland
freelaa@uk.Ibm.com, Notes: Alan F Freeland/UK/8|
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 2 of 78

Contents
FIeld CuIde to Personal TechnIcal LeadershIp........................................................................................ 1
Contents ................................................................................................................................... 2
1 ntroductIon......................................................................................................................... J
1.1 s thIs guIde for me: ......................................................................................................... 4
1.2 About the guIde.............................................................................................................. 4
1.J PrerequIsItes ................................................................................................................. 5
1.4 How to use the guIde........................................................................................................ 5
1.5 SharIng wIth colleagues..................................................................................................... 5
1.6 Feedback...................................................................................................................... 6
1.7 7ersIon Changes.............................................................................................................. 6
2 Scene SettIng ....................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Types of Leader.............................................................................................................. 7
2.2 Types of Career .............................................................................................................. 8
2.J CompetencIes ................................................................................................................ 9
J Career Advancement |echanIcs ................................................................................................ 1J
J.1 Career advancement fundamentals...................................................................................... 1J
J.2 The advancement process for technIcal leaders ....................................................................... 1J
J.J Career analogy .............................................................................................................. 18
J.4 Fole of the manager........................................................................................................ 18
J.5 What type of manager do you have: ..................................................................................... 21
4 CheckpoInt ......................................................................................................................... 24
4.1 CommunIcatIon SkIlls Assessment ....................................................................................... 25
5 The SkIll Accelerators ............................................................................................................ 27
ndex of Accelerators ................................................................................................................ 27
5.1 The To0o LIst and TIme |anagement .................................................................................. 28
5.2 Engage an ActIve Coach ................................................................................................... J2
5.J |akIng a 0evelopment Plan work for you............................................................................... JJ
5.4 ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng......................................................................................... J5
5.5 Three Level QuestIonIng TechnIque...................................................................................... J7
5.6 DbservIng EffectIve CommunIcatIon ..................................................................................... J8
5.7 ExplaInIng EffectIvely - Kolb learnIng cycle ............................................................................ 4J
5.8 WorkIng the Network....................................................................................................... 45
5.9 8ehavIour styles and Team Foles......................................................................................... 46
5.10 PreparIng for meetIngs .................................................................................................... 48
5.11 |anagIng your manager.................................................................................................... 49
6 Worksheets......................................................................................................................... 55
Progress chart......................................................................................................................... 55
6.1 The To0o LIst and TIme |anagement .................................................................................. 56
6.2 Engage an ActIve Coach ................................................................................................... 58
6.J |akIng a 0evelopment Plan work for you............................................................................... 58
6.4 ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng......................................................................................... 59
6.5 Three Level QuestIonIng TechnIque...................................................................................... 61
6.6 DbservIng EffectIve CommunIcatIon ..................................................................................... 62
6.7 ExplaInIng EffectIvely - Kolb learnIng cycle ............................................................................ 6J
6.8 WorkIng the Network....................................................................................................... 64
6.9 8ehavIour styles and Team Foles......................................................................................... 65
6.10 PreparIng for meetIngs .................................................................................................... 66
6.11 |anagIng your manager.................................................................................................... 66
7 Feference SkIlls................................................................................................................... 67
7.1 S.|.A.F.T ActIons........................................................................................................... 67
7.2 PInpoIntIng and Feedback ................................................................................................ 68
7.J The CFDW model ........................................................................................................... 70
7.4 The 7P |odel ................................................................................................................ 72
7.5 The SIx ThInkIng Hats ...................................................................................................... 72
7.6 EmotIonal ntellIgence ..................................................................................................... 74
7.7 Courses for CompetencIes................................................................................................. 75
8 Dther development ActIvItIes ................................................................................................... 76
9 8IblIography and further readIng ............................................................................................... 78

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1 ntroductIon

"Just the place for a Snark! the 8ellman crIed,
As he landed hIs crew wIth care;
SupportIng each man on the top of the tIde
8y a fInger entwIned In hIs haIr"

FIrst verse of "The HuntIng of the Snark" by LewIs Caroll

ThIs document Is a practIcal guIde to advancIng your career by developIng specIfIc soft skIlls through your normal
everyday actIvItIes. These soft skIlls are core competencIes that are requIred for technIcal leadershIp roles. t Is
entItled a "FIeld CuIde" because just lIke "The FIeld CuIde to 8Irds of 8rItaIn" or sImIlar guIdes, thIs guIde Is about
observIng, IdentIfyIng and becomIng profIcIent In the subject. t Is a practIcal guIde more In keepIng wIth a cookbook,
street guIde or 0otYourself (0Y) manual than an educatIonal document. n thIs fIeld guIde the subject Is TechnIcal
LeadershIp.

As In LewIs Caroll's epIc poem, our hunt Is for an elusIve creature, Is not wIthout some rIsk, and Is best undertaken
wIth others.

t Is aImed at Subject |atter Experts; technIcal professIonals who are wIdely respected as the person who knows, the
person whose expertIse can be trusted. Such professIonals wIll most lIkely be at band 7, 8 or 9. For many achIevIng thIs
recognItIon wIll have been hard work requIrIng contInuIng long hours of research and practIce; and thIs commItment
can mean that some of the softer skIlls necessary to move to the next level may not have been equally well
developed. For many of us acceptIng that others lIsten better, communIcate more effectIvely, buIld productIve
relatIonshIps more quIckly or Influence more convIncIngly than ourselves Is eIther a fact we choose to dIspute or one
we are resIgned to. ThIs guIde's aIm Is to demonstrate that mastery of these soft skIlls can be acquIred through study
and practIce. Treat thIs guIde as a Fedbook enablIng you to make that step change to the next level.

There are other ways of progressIng to more senIor levels such as achIevIng guru status or changIng professIon. ThIs
guIde Is for those wIshIng to maIntaIn theIr technIcal expertIse and are prepared to accept the responsIbIlItIes and
rewards of technIcal leadershIp.

The guIde has be wrItten for the customer facIng professIonal In the 8| /T SpecIalIst ProfessIon. The content Is
applIcable to a much wIder audIence but customer facIng /T SpecIalIsts wIll fInd the examples and contexts relates
dIrectly and unambIguously to theIr work.

The guIde Is also for |anagers of Subject |atter Experts - more of whIch later.

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 4 of 78

1.1 s thIs guIde for me:
f you agree wIth most of these statements, then thIs guIde Is for you:
belIeve do a good job and my peers and customers thInk do a good job.
am seen as the person to ask.
have mastered the technIcal challenges of my job and spend most of my tIme usIng my technIcal expertIse or
keepIng It up to date.
am too busy doIng a good job to spend tIme on admInIstratIve stuff such as careers.
expect my manager to do that.
use phrases lIke:
" told them It wouldn't work."
"There Is only one solutIon here."
"Who desIgned thIs then:"
"The facts speak for themselves."
"That's polItIcs; don't do polItIcs."
"n my opInIon.."
qualIfy statements wIth words lIke " thInk", "probably".
belIeve that decIsIons made by others are based on facts and merIt.
see people who once regarded as my peers as havIng more career success than me.

Actually thIs guIde stIll may not be rIght for you. There Is one more qualIfIcatIon requIred before It Is worth your whIle
readIng on. You must be motIvated to develop and be prepared to do some work, not a lot, and It wIll be fun. 8ut If
you start and then gIve up don't be surprIsed If your manager gIves up on you too. f you are thInkIng of gIvIng up
because you don't belIeve your manager recognIses your true worth then don't. ThIs guIde wIll help you get the
recognItIon you deserve. The above questIons are revIewed agaIn In sectIon 4.

Not every technIcal specIalIst wIll want to become a technIcal leader, and that's fIne. The Industry needs both the
gurus who know everythIng there Is to know about a subject, and the technIcal leaders who know, and have the
respect of, many gurus. The laws of supply and demand mean that the top gurus and the top technIcal leaders can
command the most fInancIally rewardIng roles. f the future seems hazy, then the examples Included In thIs guIde
from your peers as to how they took on new roles and the development plans they drew should help the mIst lIft.

f you are a manager of a Subject |atter Expert whose career Is stuck on a plateau and you have struggled to help
them develop, then thIs guIde Is for your professIonal.

As a manager there are a number of characterIstIcs of the guIde that should appeal. t:
Is free
does not requIre any courses
does not Involve any addItIonal costs
requIres mInImal management effort
wIll help you do your people management tasks better.

1.2 About the guIde

FollowIng thIs IntroductIon the guIde comprIses fIve maIn sectIons:
SettIng the scene and defInIng the scope of the guIde
ncludIng the dIfferent types of leadershIp, competencIes and approaches to careers.
Career Advancement |echanIcs
ExplaIns how professIonals get more senIor posItIons.
SkIll Accelerators
Personal development actIvItIes to help develop mastery of some soft skIlls.
Worksheets
AIds to help you perform the development actIvItIes that you do whIlst doIng your normal every day job.
Feference SectIon
ContaIns synopses of some key skIlls that you wIll need plus references to further readIng and development
actIvItIes.
Dtto 7on 8Ismark: "PolItIcs Is the art of the possIble."
1867 and "PolItIcs Is not an exact scIence" 186J
|Inds are lIke parachutes. They only functIon when they are open. James 0ewar

1.J PrerequIsItes
There are two standard technIques that you should be In tune wIth to make the actIvItIes work for you:
SettIng effectIve objectIves: e.g. usIng the S|AFT model
EffectIve decIsIon makIng: e.g. usIng the CFDW model.
A summary of these technIques Is Included In the reference skIlls sectIon.
1.4 How to use the guIde

nformatIon Is lIke food. |ostly we don't graze all day but consume It In dIscrete amounts such as snacks or meals
dIalogues or documents. 7ery often these packages are hIgh In comfort factor but low In nutrItIon and when It comes
to readIng documents and presentatIons we have adopted a style of skImmIng the content to fInd anythIng of value.
The hIgh proteIn food capable of sustaInIng us for longer takes longer to dIgest and In our rush we pass It by.
Those specIalIsts who were kInd enough to test out the guIde found It an excellent source of proteIn and far too rIch to
absorb In one sIttIng. Far better to dIp In frequently but attentIvely and to questIon and challenge the author when the
text lacks clarIty.

Some sectIons of the guIde may be famIlIar to you. These can be skIpped. would encourage you to read up to the
sectIon on SkIll Accelerators and then pIck and choose what Is most appealIng from the accelerators and worksheets. f
a partIcular career accelerator shouts out at you then prInt out the work sheet and try It out.
f you are not sure where to start, start wIth the fIrst accelerator and work through them In order; they are In a logIcal
sequence.
For some of the accelerators a suggested tImescale Is gIven. Although you can of course change the tImescales make
sure that the tIme perIod Is long enough to gIve adequate tIme to do the actIvIty yet short enough to keep focus and
momentum. 0evelopment actIvItIes are cumulatIve. Dnce you feel you have mastered one Accelerator, focus on the
next, but each month revIew progress on all Accelerators. Keep practIcIng untIl the skIlls become the way you work
wIthout conscIous thought.

As thIs Is a technIcal manual rather than a story book don't have the lIterary devIce of an IntrIguIng plot to push you
along from one enthrallIng chapter to the next; the only character development Is yours, and you won't see that
development on the page but only In real lIfe. Thus have trIed to use Imagery, IllumInatIng quotes, humour and have
even from tIme to tIme shaken hands wIth polItIcal Incorrectness, all to avoId the blandness that causes eye lIds to
droop and synapses to shut down. To help you keep track of where you are In the guIde the followIng way mark or sIgn
post wIll occasIonally appear. The fIrst row remInds you whIch sectIon you are In and the second row gIves a summary
as to progress through the sectIon.

1.5 SharIng wIth colleagues

f you thInk a colleague would benefIt from a copy of the guIde, please don't just forward your copy but get your
colleague to request a copy from the author. ThIs way can track Interest and encourage feedback and you get
updated and Improved versIons.
Why read
the guIde:
Feference
nformatIon
Why read
the guIde:
CompetencIes
to focus on
Career
|echanIcs
SkIlls 0evelopment
Theory
SkIlls 0evelopment
PractIce
We are almost done descrIbIng what the guIde Is about and why and how to use It. A lIttle more housekeepIng and then the
guIde proper starts.
"Share and Enjoy" the company motto of the hugely successful Sirius
Cybernetics Corporation Complaints division. Douglas Adams.
f you never change your mInd, why have one:
An Edward de 8ono thought

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 6 of 78

1.6 Feedback
We all need feedback In order to Improve. ThIs guIde can be more effectIve If you provIde feedback. All crItIcIsm Is
welcome. ConstructIve crItIcIsm wIth detaIled suggested Improvements even more welcome. Please let the author
know how you feel about the dIfferent sectIons, what modIfIcatIons you have made or would lIke made to the
worksheets and whIch accelerators you have used and what the outcome has been. f you do provIde feedback, the
author would very much apprecIate your copyIng and completIng the table below to further Improve the relevance and
usefulness of the guIde.

f you regIster your Interest wIth the author you wIll be notIfIed when updates are avaIlable.

Feedback to freelaa@uk.Ibm.com, Notes: Alan F Freeland/UK/8|

SectIon Felevance on scale
1 to 5,
1= least useful,
5=most
Usefulness on scale
5 to +5. 5= dId harm,
0= neutral or not trIed,
+5 extremely useful
1 ntroductIon
2 Scene SettIng
J Career Advancement |echanIcs
4 CheckpoInt
5,6 SkIll Accelerators:
.1 The To0o LIst and TIme management
.2 Engage an ActIve Coach
.J |akIng a development plan work for you
.4 ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng
.5 Three Level QuestIonIng TechnIque
.6 DbservIng EffectIve CommunIcatIon
.7 ExplaInIng EffectIvely - Kolb learnIng cycle
.8 WorkIng the Network
.9 8ehavIour Styles and Team Foles
.10 PreparatIon for meetIngs
.11 |anagIng your manager
7 Feference SkIlls
8 Dther 0evelopment ActIvItIes
9 8IblIography
1.7 7ersIon Changes
Changes In versIon 1b:
Some typographIcal errors corrected.
Changes In versIon 1c:
n 2004 followIng research and evaluatIon wIth 1000 TechnIcal Leaders 8| has redefIned the competencIes that
dIstInguIsh our corporate technIcal leaders. The 10 redefIned competencIes replace the 11 exIstIng competencIes
whIch were largely based on the managerIal leadershIp competencIes. ThIs guIde has been updated to reflect these
new competencIes.
Paragraph added on dress code to cultural norms sectIon.
Way marks added.
Changes In versIon 2a
FIrst update for InternatIonal audIence followIng Input from USA and Netherlands
ExpansIon of sectIon on ActIve LIstenIng
Further punctuatIon changes


2 Scene SettIng
2.1 Types of Leader
8efore delvIng Into the world of TechnIcal LeadershIp It would help to posItIon leadershIp wIthIn a technIcal
communIty wIth leadershIp In a sales or busIness communIty. ThIs wIll help Inform any decIsIon as to whether a
leadershIp role should be strIved for. have prevIously used the term Curu as somethIng dIstInct from a TechnIcal
Leader so let's fIrst defIne, for the purposes of havIng a shorthand way of descrIbIng a certaIn type of senIor specIalIst,
the term Curu:

A Curu: An expert wIth the hIghest level technIcal skIlls, almost InvarIably gaIned through hands on experIence and
knowledge of the orIgInal product specIfIcatIons and logIc. Has deep understandIng and reverence for the hIstorIc
context and evolutIon of theIr subject.

Let's compare the dIfferent cultural norms of the dIfferent leadershIp roles to some core busIness actIvItIes:
AttItude to: TechnIcal Leader Curu Sales leader 8usIness leader
WInnIng
|akes the rIght
decIsIon possIble
8eIng rIght Is more
Important.
WInnIng Is all there
Is.
WInnIng the war Is
more Important than
wInnIng the battle
Change
Change Is dIsruptIve
and resource IntensIve
Focus prImarIly on
product change
whIch Is welcomed
and Is often InItIated
Change drIves
busIness and Is
welcome
|akIng changes shows
am In control
Customer
SatIsfactIon
Prevent problems
arIsIng
AchIeved through a
change to a product
or changIng the way
the product Is used.
Any problem Is
solvable once you
have won the
busIness
What's affordable and
how wIll It affect
future busIness:
Career
am workIng towards
my next role
Tell me what should
look at.
0IrectorshIp or bust
Dnly the top job wIll
do
AuthorIty
AuthorIty buIlt on
reputatIon
Has some of thIs.. LImIted StrIves for even more.
FesponsIbIlIty
Has hIgh levels of
responsIbIlIty
..and Is most
comfortable wIth
lIttle of thIs.
HIgh levels of
accountabIlIty
ThrIves on It
Work - LIfe 8alance
Needs to be hIghly
responsIve to
ExecutIves
|ost opportunIty to
balance home and
busIness lIfe
8usIness tends to take
prIorIty
Work and LIfe are
Integrated
Knowledge
ActIvely seeks out
knowledge and shares
It
Focus Is on acquIrIng
over sharIng
t Is the use you make
of It that Is Important
"Knowledge and
human power are
synonymous". FrancIs
8acon

0oes thIs pIcture appear reasonable: 0o you know people, accepted as leadershIp role models, behavIng In these
dIfferent ways:

A word on accountabIlIty: As we become profIcIent In somethIng we are expected to be able to delIver wIthout error.
As Subject |atter Experts we are expected to provIde accurate InformatIon and solutIons that work. .e. we need to
avoId errors of commIssIon. SayIng that a product or solutIon had a partIcular feature or capabIlIty when It dId not, or
even not correctIng somebody else who was clearly dependIng on thIs capabIlIty are examples of thIs type of error. As
we take more of a leadershIp role the Issues become more of: are we doIng the rIght thIng, have we done as much as
we should have done, than errors of fact. I.e. we need to avoId makIng errors of omIssIon. Not speakIng out, not
organIsIng an event, not wrItIng Intellectual capItal would be examples of thIs type of error.

8| defInes a leader as someone at band 10 and above. SInce thIs guIde Is focused at specIalIsts aspIrIng to band 9 or
at band 9 wIll use the term FunctIonal LeadershIp to refer to leadershIp up to band 9 and Corporate LeadershIp for
band 10 and above If It Is necessary to make a dIstInctIon.
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2.2 Types of Career

A generatIon ago In corporatIons such as 8| success was lInked to your posItIon In the bureaucratIc hIerarchy. The
fewer managers between you and the corporate leader, the bIgger the offIce, the more superIor the class of aIr travel,
the more the prestIge. The flattenIng of these management hIerarchIes and global competItIve pressures have removed
many of these dIstInctIons. ThIs has forced us to rethInk what Is drIvIng our career and focus on what Is Important to
us. The lure of the large black leather chaIr In the spacIous corner offIce Is no longer there.

AgaIn a generatIon ago salary bands were much more prescrIptIve and your salary was much more determIned by your
band, tIme In band, and to a degree performance. Today It Is much more drIven by market rate and personal
performance. Consequently salary bands are broader and are there to Inform management of the market not to be
prescrIptIve. The bands no longer reflect 'n' rungs on the career ladder but map on to dIfferent roles and
responsIbIlItIes. The net of thIs Is, for example, a hIghly ranked Subject |atter Expert at band 8 can have a salary
sIgnIfIcantly hIgher than a lowly ranked specIalIst at band 9. Df course the opportunIty for IncreasIng salary Increases
wIth level. am not sayIng that If you take on a more responsIble technIcal leadershIp role where you are
accountable not just for your own success but IncreasIngly the success of your busIness and your customer's busIness
then you shouldn't expect and receIve more rewards, of course you should, when successful.

What does seem to be happenIng Is we, as IndIvIduals, companIes, and socIety, IncreasIngly accept that a successful
career can be measured In other ways than by endIng up at the top of a heap. Dnce we have the fInancIal resources to
meet our needs then personal Interest, job satIsfactIon, the opportunIty to learn, respect, recognItIon, and lIfestyle all
become acceptable measures of a successful career.
Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents
determinism; the way you play it is free will. Jawaharlal Nehru



2.J CompetencIes
8| defInes two types of competencIes or demonstrated behavIoural capabIlItIes that lead to success In 8|.
The fIrst set of nIne foundatIonal competencIes are the demonstrated behavIours that apply to every successful
employee. The second set of ten leadershIp competencIes are those demonstrated behavIours that dIstInguIsh the very
successful technIcal leaders from the rest. These competencIes are lIsted In the two tables below. The new TechnIcal
LeadershIp competencIes beIng Introduced durIng 2005 are a sIgnIfIcant Improvement In terms of relevance to a
technIcal communIty and because the tItles do not gIve a comprehensIve vIew of the competency urge you to read
the full competency descrIptIon.
2.3.1 FoundatIonaI CompetencIes
Adaptability Demonstrate flexibility in dealing with situations involving changing demands,
uncertainty, and stress; modify goals and direction as needed; maintain focus
despite conflicting demands.
Client Focus Understand internal and external client's business, needs and goals from the
clients point of view; build rapport with clients, anticipate clients needs and
respond appropriately to their concerns and problems.
Communication Speak and write in a clear, concise and organised way; communicate openly and
honestly; listen carefully to others to ensure understanding; match mode and
style of communication to situation and audience; understand and effectively
utilise available communication tools.
Creative Problem Solving Apply logical methods to solve problems; conduct thorough fact-finding and
appropriate analysis; anticipate potential problems and plan accordingly;
efficiently consider alternatives, creative solutions and identify the most
appropriate solution. (Authors note: Problem solving here does not refer to
technical expertise to fix technical problems but to the understanding of the
context and environment and what people will and wont do or accept and
identification and engagement of appropriate expertise.)
Drive to Achieve Accomplish challenging goals and look for ways to improve outcomes;
consistently overcome obstacles to produce high quality results; actively seek to
acquire new knowledge and improve skills.
Passion for the Business Display a level of enthusiasm for and pride in IBM and in ones own job/work
that inspires others.
Taking Ownership Proactively identify and take responsibility for tasks and decisions in a timely
manner.
Teamwork &
Collaboration
Collaborate and work effectively with individuals and teams inside and outside
IBM, respect and value others differences; build and strengthen relationships;
achieve win-win solutions.
Trustworthiness Demonstrate integrity and professionalism in dealing with clients and IBMers.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 10 of 78

2.3.2 LeadershIp CompetencIes
These are the ten new technIcal leadershIp competencIes as shaped by 1000 of our Corporate TechnIcal Leaders durIng
2004. The good news Is the competencIes are much more meanIngful to the technIcal communIty than the prevIous
eleven competencIes whIch were based on managerIal leadershIp. The bad news Is that the headIngs chosen to
descrIbe the competency are as about as representatIve of the competency as Spotted 0Ick and AmbrosIa 0evon
Custard Is of 8rItIsh desserts. For thIs reason have added my own, longer, one lIne headIng under the formal headIng.

Client Partnering
(Build lasting client partnerships built on trust and the realisation of business value from technology)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders establIsh strong and long lastIng partnershIps wIth theIr clIents (Internal and
external) based on trust, credIbIlIty, and relevance, and are energIzed by theIr clIents' success. They buIld clIent trust
through theIr technIcal breadth and expertIse and theIr reputatIon for technIcal excellence. They are able to establIsh
productIve relatIonshIps wIth all clIents by brIdgIng the communIcatIons gap between the busIness and technology
communItIes. These leaders know theIr clIents' Industry and busIness needs In depth and use thIs understandIng to
generate outstandIng technIcal solutIons. They also have a deep apprecIatIon of how to leverage 8| to contrIbute to
theIr clIents' success. They leverage theIr technIcal knowledge as well as theIr knowledge of the marketplace and
competItIon to buIld new partnershIps. 8ecause they lIsten deeply to what theIr clIents need, they have breakthrough
InsIghts that add sIgnIfIcant value to theIr clIents' success - and to 8|. These leaders establIsh trusted relatIonshIps
that foster healthy open dIalogues wIth theIr clIents and clIent groups, leadIng to solutIons that address the clIents'
ImmedIate busIness problems and create longterm value both for the clIent and for 8| as a whole.

Collaborative Influence
(Demonstrate cross business influence by nurturing and facilitating collaboration)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders actIvely create and promote crossboundary collaboratIon to do the rIght thIng for
8| and Its clIents-regardless of formal authorIty. These leaders facIlItate collaboratIon to address short and longer
term efforts by gettIng the rIght people together from across 8|, academIa, and the technIcal Industry, artIculatIng
and enforcIng norms of how the team wIll work together, defInIng the technIcal agenda and securIng organIzatIonal
support to enable a collaboratIve agenda. These leaders also use theIr technIcal knowledge to Influence and lead the
team toward a solutIon. They create genuIne Interdependence and commItment to a hIgher common purpose that
spans organIzatIonal, skIll, and dIscIplIne boundarIes. They do thIs by wInnIng the hearts and mInds of others In order
to pursue new and extraordInary opportunItIes. These opportunItIes may Include leveragIng and InfluencIng partners,
channels, technology and Industry leaders.

Embracing Challenge
(Simplify complexity, define risks, and confidently and positively address business and technical challenges)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders see opportunIty In complex and challengIng sItuatIons. They get energIzed by
complex and challengIng busIness and technIcal problems and take personal responsIbIlIty to ensure that they are
resolved. These leaders are able to do thIs by IdentIfyIng the central Issues In the complexIty, dIstIllIng the complex
technIcal detaIls Into a clear and concIse message that resonates wIth both technIcal and busIness audIences, and
gettIng themselves and others focused on addressIng the most vItal prIorItIes. n pursuIng complex technIcal problems,
they take accountabIlIty enthusIastIcally whIle accurately conveyIng the rIsk or dIffIculty Involved. These leaders'
enthusIasm and theIr strong technIcal confIdence In a posItIve outcome In dIffIcult sItuatIons InspIre others to belIeve
they can succeed and embrace the challenge themselves.

Thinking Horizontally
(See and act on connections that others miss)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders possess broad technIcal knowledge and perspectIve, and are able to pIece together
seemIngly unrelated facts, trends and data to see a larger technologIcal pIcture. They thInk creatIvely, consIderIng
Issues from multIple and potentIally dIvergent perspectIves from wIthIn and outsIde 8|. ThIs Includes thInkIng wIthIn
one's area of technIcal specIalty/domaIn and outsIde of It. They thInk horIzontally, begInnIng from the enduser or
clIent's customer and work across varIous parts of 8|, even IncludIng external technIcal communItIes and
supplIers/partners. They synthesIze these perspectIves, makIng connectIons across the enterprIse, and provIde theIr
new InsIghts to theIr peers and the technIcal communIty. As a result, they are able to leverage exIstIng 8| solutIons
and/or create new solutIons to Increase opportunItIes to grow 8| ahead of the market.

Informed Judgment
(Make recommendations based on a broad range of facts and tested theories)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders possess a level of objectIvIty and factual knowledge In makIng tImely decIsIons.
TheIr decIsIons are based on data, facts, and perspectIves gathered from a broad range of sources, both InsIde and

outsIde of 8|. They test theIr fIrst theorIes wIth other people, and use experIments, prototypes, facts, and data to
Inform and shape theIr decIsIons and subsequent actIons. They learn from mIstakes and IdentIfy lessons learned to
Improve theIr decIsIon makIng In the future. They Integrate the facts wIth theIr technIcal InsIght and theIr acquIred
expertIse and enlIst other experts to contrIbute to the solutIon. ThIs enables them to make superIor decIsIons, even
under pressure, wIth con,fIdence.

Strategic Risk Taking
(In the face of resistance drive through successful innovative solutions)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders recognIze and seIze opportunItIes for technIcal InnovatIon and busIness growth.
They focus on IdentIfyIng and drIvIng forward bold, relevant and strategIc opportunItIes from concept to realIty; and,
on comIng up wIth new technologIes and InnovatIons that benefIt 8| and the world. Together wIth theIr teams, these
leaders pIoneer new technIcal solutIons/applIcatIons and/or reconceptualIze exIstent technIcal solutIon frameworks
Into InnovatIve new ones. They do thIs In the face of sIgnIfIcant busIness and technIcal rIsk and despIte resIstance,
usIng theIr own determInatIon and resIlIence, collaboratIng to leverage resources wIthIn and outsIde 8|. They
balance costs and benefIts over the short and long term, takIng approprIate rIsk to drIve profItable and sustaInable
growth.

Earning Trust
(Be accountable, value everyone and develop relationships built on trust)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders respect dIversIty and the unIqueness of every person. They develop trustIng
relatIonshIps wIth all the people wIth whom they work, both InsIde and outsIde of 8|. They follow through on
commItments, hold themselves accountable for theIr actIons, and act wIth IntegrIty. They refraIn from cynIcIsm and
blamIng when problems occur. nstead, they apprecIate the unIque strengths, lImItatIons, and potentIal of people and
develop mutually benefIcIal relatIonshIps based on posItIve regard for the IndIvIdual and theIr organIzatIon, whether
InsIde or outsIde of 8|, and across human and technIcal cultural boundarIes. They do what Is rIght for the longterm
good of the relatIonshIp even at the rIsk of a shortterm or personal cost.

Enabling Performance and Growth
(Anticipate and remove obstacles even from influential people- and focus team to ensure a quality solution)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders focus on strategIc and tactIcal prIorItIes to provIde ongoIng clarIty to theIr own and
extended teams. They antIcIpate and remove obstacles that Interfere wIth the abIlIty of these teams to achIeve
objectIves and pursue technIcal and busIness growth. They demonstrate the courage to challenge InfluentIal people In
order to remove obstacles to performance. ThIs Includes supportIng others as they take sIgnIfIcant entrepreneurIal rIsk
and protectIng them from InapproprIate consequences. These leaders challenge prevaIlIng practIces to make lastIng
and systemIc changes that enhance 8|'s performance, technIcal InnovatIon and growth. They remaIn accountable at
every phase of the product/project cycle, and provIde InsIght and guIdance to theIr subordInates, peers and managers
In order to get the job done. They focus theIr teams on the Important detaIls of projects, communIcatIng the
methodology to get It done rIght the fIrst tIme and to ensure the qualIty of the delIverable.

Developing IBM People and Communities
(Commit effort to develop yourself other individuals and teams)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders proactIvely commIt theIr tIme and effort to develop themselves and other
IndIvIduals, teams, and communItIes In 8|. They set an example through theIr own personal growth and development,
as well as by coachIng, teachIng and mentorIng others. These outstandIng leaders create forums for developIng
technIcal and busIness capabIlIty In others and promotIng a sense of assocIatIon. They also proactIvely take
accountabIlIty for developIng the future technIcal leaders of 8| both InsIde and outsIde theIr own organIzatIons.

Passion for IBMs Future
(Be contagious in being passionate about winning and our technology)
DutstandIng 8| technIcal leaders are passIonate about 8|'s capabIlItIes and opportunItIes for makIng a posItIve
dIfference In the world. ThIs passIon comes from realIzIng that 8|'s values and herItage are consIstent wIth theIr
personal values, convIctIons, and aspIratIons as leaders. These outstandIng leaders not only want to wIn In the
marketplace, but also deeply belIeve In the qualIty and breadth of 8|'s exceptIonal technologIcal capabIlIty. 8ecause
of theIr passIon for technology and all of Its possIbIlItIes, they are able to generate enthusIasm, excItement and
commItment to theIr technologIcal vIsIon. TheIr enthusIasm and passIon energIzes others to achIeve 8|'s unIque
potentIal to transform busIness and socIety.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 12 of 78

2.3.3 ThIs CuIde's focus on CompetencIes
ThIs total lIst of nIneteen competencIes may seem somewhat dauntIng. However there Is a hIgh degree of synergy
between the two lIsts, and to a large part the technIcal leadershIp competencIes can be seen as hIgher levels of
mastery of the same topIcs rather than IntroducIng lots of new topIcs. Fortunately, at least at the level of functIonal
leadershIp, many of the competencIes are achIevable just by havIng the rIght mental attItude, ClIent Focus, PassIon
for the 8usIness, TrustworthIness for example. Even more fortunately thIs guIde Is targeted at Subject |atter Experts,
I.e. employees who have already proven themselves. ThIs means the guIde can be focused on achIevIng hIgher levels of
expertIse In just those few competencIes that experIence shows Subject |atter Experts could benefIt most from
developIng.

As defIned by 8| the competencIes, whIch If you developed further, are most lIkely to benefIt you and 8| the most
are:
CommunIcatIon (foundatIon competency)
Teamwork and CollaboratIon (foundatIon competency)
CollaboratIve nfluence (technIcal leadershIp competency)

feel am at rIsk of losIng some of you. What am InferrIng: That you can't communIcate, that you are not a team
player: Far from It. You would not be a recognIsed Subject |atter Expert wIthout a degree of expertIse In these
competencIes. You already understand that communIcatIng facts and InformatIon Is not the same as changIng what
people belIeve, and beIng supportIve of others Is not the same as buIldIng a network or effectIvely and proactIvely
sharIng Ideas. We can all Improve these skIlls.

There Is one other aspect of beIng a Subject |atter Expert that Is lIkely to make developIng these competencIes a
challenge and that Is the reactIve nature of the role means beIng proactIve Is dIffIcult and therefore effectIve tIme
management Is a prerequIsIte requIrement.

So from a competency focus the scope of thIs guIde Is CommunIcatIon, CollaboratIon, nfluencIng and TIme
|anagement.
1

f you wIsh to explore a more conventIonal learnIng currIculum or are Interested In focusIng on the other competencIes
check out the Courses for CompetencIes sectIon page 75 and the Further FeadIng sectIon page 78 In the Feference
sectIon.

FIchard Scase In hIs book "LIvIng In the Corporate Zoo" uses the followIng dIagram to show how personal skIlls lead to
busIness success and hence why they matter as much to a company as to an IndIvIdual.

1
ThIs focus Is supported by a study conducted by the E|EA Northern FegIon /T ArchItect professIon who surveyed 1JJ
/T ArchItects In Q1 2004 to IdentIfy the top 10 needed soft skIlls. Dne to one communIcatIon and lIstenIng skIlls were
the top two. Fef Alan HewItt's presentatIon to the E|EA Northern FegIon /T ArchItect nstItute July 2004.

Why read
the guIde:
Feference
nformatIon
Why read
the guIde:
CompetencIes
to focus on
Career
|echanIcs
SkIlls 0evelopment
Theory
SkIlls 0evelopment
PractIce
At thIs poInt you should have a clear Idea of the characterIstIcs of a technIcal leader and be startIng to form a vIew as to whIch
competencIes you want to focus on developIng. n the next sectIon you wIll be able to see how many aspects of these
competencIes show up In career advancement.
ntellectual ntellIgence
EmotIonal ntellIgence
SocIal ntellIgence
Corporate
ntellIgence
nventIon
and
nnovatIon
Corporate
CompetItIve
Advantage

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 1J of 78 7ersIon 2a
J Career Advancement |echanIcs

CompanIes can become quIte shy at explaInIng how they IdentIfy, develop and recognIse theIr leaders. ThIs Is
surprIsIng sInce on the surface companIes need good leaders to be successful and many IndIvIduals want to be leaders.
You would thInk therefore companIes would be much clearer at defInIng what Is requIred. n wrItIng thIs next sectIon
feel some degree of trepIdatIon as If am breakIng some equIvalent of a management HIppocratIc Dath In puttIng Into
prInt the formula for advancement.

There are two parts to the formula, personal attrIbutes and process. The personal attrIbutes part Is InvarIant at least
In most commercIal sales drIven organIsatIons. The advancement process varIes sIgnIfIcantly both In level wIthIn the
organIsatIon and the degree of formalIty wIth whIch It Is Implemented. The advancement process gIven here relates to
functIonal technIcal leaders I.e. nonexecutIve technIcal leaders.
J.1 Career advancement fundamentals
The magIc formula for career advancement (I.e. the personal attrIbutes you need to demonstrate) Is:
1. Adopt cultural norms
2. ContrIbute consIstently at a level more senIor than current posItIon
J. 0emonstrate a wIllIngness and capabIlIty to take on Increased responsIbIlIty
4. Ensure that those that can move your career forward understand your capabIlItIes and contrIbutIon In the fIrst
three attrIbutes. I.e. be vIsIble.
5. Have a real desIre for more responsIbIlIty and the abIlIty to be able to handle the Increased stresses.
6. 8e low maIntenance

SIx not so small steps.
J.2 The advancement process for technIcal leaders
There are just two ways forward:

DptIon 1.
Your manager understands your true worth and recommends to the management team that further opportunItIes be
gIven to you to contrIbute at a hIgher level. ThIs can be through addItIonal responsIbIlItIes, assIstance on projects or
task forces, assIgnments, or promotIon to a more responsIble job. 8ecause you have been successful In personal
attrIbute 4, your manager gets the necessary support to gIve you further opportunItIes.

DptIon 2.
Another manager recognIses your worth and eIther offers a more senIor role or creates the addItIonal opportunItIes as
descrIbed In optIon 1, and convInces your manager to make you avaIlable.
0Ifferent functIons or busInesses wIll need people wIth dIfferent levels of senIorIty. t Is quIte possIble that you are
lookIng for levels of responsIbIlIty, authorIty and leadershIp that don't exIst wIthIn your functIon or busIness. n thIs
case advancement, In terms of career levels, requIres a change of functIon or busIness. The professIons gIve very good
guIdance as to the levels of senIorIty wIthIn a competency and these can be used to valIdate whether what you are
lookIng for exIsts wIthIn your busIness.

See sectIon J.4.1 on "0o you need a manager to advance your career:" for more on workIng wIth other managers.

Let us explore each personal attrIbute In more detaIl.

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 14 of 78

3.2.1 Adopt cuIturaI norms
n 8| we expect our leaders to
8e results orIentated
Have drIve , enthusIasm and flexIbIlIty
Show InItIatIve and creatIvIty
8uIld and lead teams and motIvate others
Have a posItIve attItude
8e focused on delIghtIng all theIr customers - external and Internal
Take just the rIght amount of rIsk
8e excellent communIcators - attentIve, clear, dIrect and honest
0ress the part
Embrace change and act wIth urgency
PosItIvely support company InItIatIves and work constructIvely to Improve those InItIatIves or the value derIved
from them.

Cultural norms change over tIme and vary subtly throughout a company. 8elow are some examples of how they change.
PrIor to Lou Cerstner joInIng 8|, success for a senIor 7Ice PresIdent was assessed by the success of theIr busIness
empIre. t dId not matter that that thIs success may have been at the expense of another part of 8| or the
corporatIon as a whole. Cerstner changed the cultural norm to be that team work was as Important as wInnIng and
now the culture Is such that whIlst wInnIng Is stIll Important, how you wIn Is just as Important. |any senIor execs left
8| durIng thIs renormalIsatIon.

Second example: Up to around 1990 a manager (eIther your lIne manager, or someone called a career manager) was
prImarIly responsIble for your career. Today each IndIvIdual has responsIbIlIty for theIr own career.

Around the same tIme the reward system changed from rewardIng effort to rewardIng results. expect when you read
the fIrst cultural norm lIsted above," 8e results orIentated", you dIdn't gIve It a second thought. t seemed self
evIdent. ThIs was not always the case. Then when the P8C system was Introduced our personal success was lInked
more closely to our busInesses success. n a year when a busIness achIeved fantastIc results we put that down to the
success of the IndIvIduals In the busIness and a hIgher percentage of the IndIvIduals wIll have a hIgher P8C ratIng than
If the busIness does poorly. Clearly there could be all sorts of other factors such as what the market Is doIng that
affect the busIness as well as personal performance. However workIng on the, keep It sImple stupId (kIss) phIlosophy
the corporatIon lInks employee success to busIness success and busIness success to employee success.

Also durIng the 1990s the dress code was changed. The code for men was an almost unIform blue suIt and whIte shIrt,
and for women a skIrt and jacket, and these codes changed to a more Ill defIned and Informal "busIness casual" style.
Employees or eIther sex could now enjoy the same opportunItIes every mornIng In decIdIng what to wear based on
what message they wanted to convey and to whom. WIth dress code there Is stIll, and always has been, lots of
opportunIty for self expressIon. Just check that your carefully selected outfIt chosen to create an ImpressIon of
unashamed confIdence, outstandIng creatIvIty, and trend settIng Isn't seen by those you are tryIng to Influence most as
arrogance, unrelIabIlIty, and self rather than customer focused.

Lastly In 2004 the P8C was changed agaIn to take Into account performance relatIve to your peers not purely an
absolute measure.

What about the cultural norm "Have a posItIve attItude:" How do you feel about that: s It a statement you feel you
can argue agaInst or would that be seen as negatIve: The abIlIty to say "yes and If we do It thIs way we can avoId thIs
other dIsaster" Is, at fIrst, harder to express than just "t won't work".

|ore recently In an Internal book called "Dur 7alues at Work, on beIng an 8|er" the corporatIon has defIned our core
values as:

0edIcatIon to every cIIent's success.
8|ers are passIonate about buIldIng strong, long-lasting client relationships. This dedication spurs us to go above
and beyond on our clients behalf.
8|ers are focused on outcomes. We sell products, services and solutions, but all with the goal of helping our client
succeed, however they measure success.
8|ers demonstrate thIs personal dedication to every client, from the largest corporation and government agency to
the start-up and neighbourhood market.

every 8|er, no matter where he or she works, has a role in client success. It requires the full spectrum of IBM
expertise.

InnovatIon that matters- for our company and for the worId.
8|ers are forward thInkers. We believe in progress, believe that the application of intelligence, reason and science
can improve business, society and the human condition.
8|ers love grand challenges, as well as everyday improvements. Whatever the problem or the context, every IBMer
seeks ways to tackle it creativelyto be an innovator.
8|ers strIve to be fIrst- in technology, in business, in responsible policy.
8|ers take Informed rIsks and champion new (sometimes unpopular) ideas.

Trust and personaI responsIbIIIty In aII reIatIonshIps.
8|ers actIvely buIld relatIonshIps with all the constituencies of our business including clients, partners,
communities,
investors and fellow IBMers.
8|ers buIld trust by lIstenIng, following through and keeping their word.
8|ers rely on our colleagues to do the right thing.
8|ers preserve trust even when formal relationships end.

sn't It a bIt scary that as one of our fundamental values we have "8|ers ... lIsten": |akes you thInk the skIlls we are
developIng here are In wIdespread short supply.

f you have other examples of cultural norms please help wIth sharIng them wIth a wIder audIence by sendIng them to
the author for InclusIon In the next release of thIs document.

Is Sex Important!
AmbIguIty In communIcatIon Is rarely helpful. However before leavIng the subject of cultural norms It Is worth
touchIng on what thIs sectIon should more unambIguously be called "0oes gender matter:"

As a total asIde accordIng to Anthony 8ogaert , a psychologIst at 8rock UnIversIty , St CatherIne's Canada, who
analysed a survey of 18,000 people In the UK, about 1 of the populatIon Is asexual havIng no sexual drIve. ThIs Is not
a good thIng or a bad thIng, It Is just the way thIngs are. t Is outsIde our CIrcle of nfluence. (more on thIs In sectIon
6.9 8ehavIour styles and Team Foles)

ScIentIfIc research Is IncreasIngly of the opInIon that the female braIn and the male braIn are wIred dIfferently and thIs
leads to some behavIours beIng on average stronger In men (e.g. hIerarchIcal logIcal thInkIng) and other behavIours
beIng on average stronger In women (e.g. web or synthesIs thInkIng). The prevaIlIng culture In 8| Is that both types of
thInkIng are requIred In our leadershIp teams and sInce women tend to be underrepresented there Is addItIonal
encouragement gIven to suItably qualIfIed women to consIder posItIons of leadershIp. However there are no short cuts,
no, bye Into the next round, all career advancement fundamentals must be met. f women do have an advantage It Is
one of beIng more vIsIble, and beIng hIghly vIsIble Is somethIng both men and women aspIrIng to technIcal leadershIp
need to work at to be successful. QuotIng FIchard Scase agaIn: "Through theIr genderrelated socIalIsatIon
experIences, women have acquIred advantages over men for personal success In future corporatIons. TheIr personal
socIalIsatIon gIves them empathy, the capabIlIty to share tacIt knowledge and the abIlIty to cooperate to share Ideas
wIth others." That's not to say men can't have 'gender related socIalIsatIon experIences' or that some women may be
as empathetIc as a gearbox wIthout synchromesh but let's not go there.

Summary: Success Is much more about what you achIeve and how you achIeve It than just how hard you work.
3.2.2 ContrIbute consIstentIy at a IeveI more senIor than current posItIon
ContInued career advancement depends on a track record of success, not near mIsses. Your contrIbutIon wIll be most
effectIve If It Is alIgned wIth your organIsatIon's prIme busIness objectIve. So If you work for a sales busIness whose
prIme measure of success Is revenue then an abIlIty to relate your personal contrIbutIon to revenue wIll be the most
persuasIve.

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 16 of 78

0o you know what the boundarIes of your current job are: Almost certaInly not. Any job requIrIng InItIatIve and
creatIvIty wIll have fuzzy boundarIes. Charles Handy In hIs thought provokIng book "The Age of Unreason" Introduces
the concept of job roles beIng lIke Inverted doughnuts. The doughnuts are the AmerIcan sort wIth holes In the mIddle
and by "Inverted" Charles Handy means: InsIdeout wIth the centre now solId and the former mass of dough now
empty space. The centre, where the hole was, defInes the core of the job, It Is clearly defIned and If you do not
perform here then you wIll have faIled at thIs role. Job specIfIcatIons, P8Cs and the ProfessIons help defIne thIs part of
the job. The dough round the hole (whIch becomes space In the Inverted doughnut) defInes the space round the core
whIch Is open for you to move Into. To quote Charles Handy " n any job of any sIgnIfIcance the person holdIng the job
Is expected not only to do all that Is requIred but In someway to Improve on that, to make a dIfference, to show
responsIble and approprIate InItIatIve, to move Into the empty whIte space of the doughnut and begIn to fIll It up."
3.2.3 0emonstrate a wIIIIngness and capabIIIty to take on Increased responsIbIIIty
There may be senIor technIcal leadershIp posItIons that don't come wIth Increased levels of responsIbIlIty but haven't
found them and expect any Incumbent In such a posItIon keeps very quIet on the subject. For the rest of us IncreasIng
levels of technIcal leadershIp comes wIth Increased level of responsIbIlIty. Your judgements wIll affect whether
busInesses prosper or wIther and how other people contInue theIr careers. No matter how mundane or orthogonal to
your career aspIratIons, an opportunIty to take on Increased responsIbIlIty should never be dIsmIssed wIthout careful
thought. You don't need to sIt and waIt for Increased responsIbIlIty. Where there Is a vacuum you can just step Into It -
do take a deep breath fIrst.

How do you feel If you manager asks you to be responsIble for, for example: the recruItment and InductIon programme
for new employees, organIsIng team meetIngs, representIng the department at a cross functIonal meetIng, drIvIng
through the IntroductIon of a new polIcy or process, or drIvIng the development of Intellectual capItal: Your fIrst
reactIon may be, "0on't have enough to do already:" Dr "How does thIs relate to my P8Cs or bonus plan:" t may be
that your manager Is lazy or knows you wIll do a much better job of It than they would. However wIth the rIght sort of
manager (see: What type of manager do you have:) It Is even lIkely that your manager Is gIvIng you a development
opportunIty. rrespectIve of your manager's motIves, consIder how helpIng out In thIs way can be used to:
ncrease your vIsIbIlIty wIth other managers or senIor technIcal people.
8uIld trust and credIbIlIty by delIverIng on your commItments
CaIn new contacts.
CaIn or Improve skIlls.
AcquIre new knowledge
0emonstrate gIve back.
PractIce your coachIng, delegatIng or project management skIlls.

As an example of IncreasIng vIsIbIlIty, CavIn Kennedy In hIs practIcal EnglIsh , not AmerIcan, book "nfluencIng for
Fesults" tells the story of a bank manager who had seen all hIs peers move on to more glamorous roles whIlst he had
been consIstently overlooked. He was moved agaIn from Head DffIce to a small branch offIce at Futford (try googlIng
"Futford LeIcestershIre" to see quIte how depressIng that must have seemed, and apologIes to any resIdents of
Futford). HIs new job was mostly admInIstratIve. Dur bank manager fInds that one of hIs responsIbIlItIes Is to allocate
tIckets for the 8ank's twelveperson box at |anchester UnIted. Although not Interested In football our grey bank
manager uses thIs to proactIvely Increase hIs vIsIbIlIty In the 8ank whIch results In a radIantly vIsIble bank manager and
a happy endIng. The story Is more entertaInIng In the book. The poInt of the story Is that we all have skIlls,
responsIbIlItIes, assets that we can use as reasons to be vIsIble.

For example, you are asked to organIse a communIty meetIng. Why not use thIs to go and call on someone senIor and
InfluentIal to see If they would be a suItable presenter and at the same tIme use the call as a way of expandIng your
sphere of Influence. ThIs could lead to them becomIng a coach for you.

3.2.4 Ensure that those that can move your career forward understand the above
You are doIng a terrIfIc job. How does your management team know thIs: You need to make sure your manager Is
hearIng of your successes, eIther from you or from people whose opInIon your manager wIll value. ThIs good news
should be results related not effort related to conform to our culture. ThIs can be a challenge as for many of us sIngIng
our praIses does not come naturally. For thIs reason It Is covered later In thIs guIde as a SkIll Advancement ActIvIty.

The prIce of greatness Is responsIbIlIty.
WInston ChurchIll.

f your work Is prImarIly customer focused your wrItten output may only be seen by your customer. 8uIldIng on thIs
experIence and customer InsIght you have, you could create whIte papers, references, poInts of vIew, etc. Why would
you want to do thIs gIven the effort and tIme Involved: FIrst Is the altruIstIc motIve of sharIng good practIce, helpIng
others and helpIng 8| become more effectIve. Second, and more selfIshly, the dIscIplIne of producIng a qualIty
delIverable that wIll stand up to peer revIew Is a valuable skIll In Itself. |ost Importantly however, Is that these
delIverables wIll act as ambassadors for you. They may lead to senIor people In parts of 8| you dIdn't know exIsted
wrItIng to you thankIng you for the value of the delIverable - how much tIme It saved them or how much busIness It
helped brIng In. The delIverable may lead to requests to present at conferences or partIcIpate In workshops, or lead to
relatIonshIps wIth the InfluentIal. Whether you decIde to engage In these addItIonal actIvItIes Is up to you but ImagIne
how It would feel beIng able to tell your management team how the paper you laboured over has helped wIn a major
deal In ChIna or that you have been asked to speak at a conference In HawaII.

n summary, be hIghly vIsIble.
3.2.5 Have a reaI desIre for more responsIbIIIty and the abIIIty to be abIe to handIe the
Increased stresses.
|any of us enjoy what we do, most of us are concerned by change. f we get that more senIor role our
decIsIons wIll be more vIsIble, the Impact of our mIstakes larger and more obvIous and the pressure to respond to
urgent requests greater. For a moment ponder the lIfe of a hIgh flyIng 8usIness Exec and consIder two scenarIos. FIrst a
multImIllIon dollar sales opportunIty has just arIsen. We have tIll |onday to respond ( don't need to tell you what day
of the week It Is today, as a Subject |atter Expert you wIll have been there already) the ExecutIve demands the "A"
team to gIve us the best chance. WIll you welcome the phone call: Second, to be a successful ExecutIve you need to
be able to antIcIpate and to demonstrate you are always In control. have a suspIcIon that part of the fun of beIng an
ExecutIve Is beIng able to upstage or wrong foot your peers. A peer Exec gets wInd of some proposal or project your
Exec Is workIng on and says: "ThIs sounds lIke a great Idea; have asked the chaIrman If you could brIng us up to
speed on It at the board meetIng next week." What does your Exec do: ExplaIn that It Is not fully worked out: FIsk
havIng the other Exec take the thought leadershIp: Dr say "Sure thIng" and get the A team on the case straIght away
to prepare a presentatIon. 0o you want to be In the "A" team:

|any years ago a post sales support specIalIst had a sIgn on theIr desk that read "FaIlure on your part to plan ahead
does not make It a crIsIs for me". A totally understandable attItude, but It doesn't fIt the cultural norm of beIng a
TechnIcal Leader.

Enough of the concerns. You feel you are copIng well wIth the demands of the current job, you have managed change
before and you know all about FrIday afternoon panIcs. Sounds lIke the work lIfe balance Is no dIfferent to today, the
stresses are no dIfferent but the pay prospects are better, opportunItIes to Influence are greater and the recognItIon
hIgher. You know you wIll be expected to contrIbute more and wIll be assessed agaInst a more senIor team of people,
but you have studIed what they delIver and know that you delIver at least as much. All you need to do now Is translate
these thoughts Into actIon.
3.2.6 e Iow maIntenance
Your management have many functIons to perform such as ensurIng busIness goals are met, provIdIng
InformatIon to hIgher levels of management, managIng change and motIvatIng and developIng theIr team. |any
managers are also "player managers" who are expected to perform In a professIonal capacIty as well as a management
capacIty. |anagers therefore have to pay a lot of attentIon to tIme management. The more senIor the manager, the
more the potentIal tIme pressures. A professIonal:
Whose work needs to be frequently checked,
Who leaves loose ends or does not complete all aspects of a task,
Whose communIcatIons to customers or senIor managers need to be revIewed,
Who needs to be chased to complete corporate processes or admInIstratIve tasks necessary for the effectIve
runnIng of the busIness; e.g. P8C, 0P, tIme recordIng, skIlls acquIsItIon, attend revIews, attend meetIngs etc.

wIll at some poInt In theIr career become too tIme consumIng to manage and theIr career wIll have reached a plateau.

A word of cautIon, don't be so enthusIastIc In beIng low maIntenance that you never communIcate wIth your manager,
If your manager was psychIc he would more lIkely be workIng In the fInance or gamIng IndustrIes than T.

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 18 of 78

J.J Career analogy
As a mInor dIversIon the followIng may IllumInate the career approaches you, your manager or your colleagues are
adoptIng.
3.3.1 hIIItary anaIogy
CruIse |IssIle Knows where they are goIng , wIll get there fast, causIng mInImum casualtIes on the way
Cluster 8omb Not sure In whIch dIrectIon to go and causes lots of collateral damage on the way
Tank Knows It's goIng to be rough ,doesn't look back and not worrIed by crushIng a few bystanders
|Ine Happy not goIng anywhere but don't try to move them or dIg away at theIr foundatIons

3.3.2 Dr another anaIogy
|anagIng a career Is lIke makIng a sponge cake:
You use only the best and freshest IngredIents,
you stIr them together In just the rIght proportIons
you put It In the perfect envIronment
for just the rIght amount of tIme
you practIce and practIce and practIce
and only then does It rIse as much as you hoped.

J.4 Fole of the manager

3.4.1 0o you need a manager to advance your career!
The answer to thIs questIon Is yes. However the questIon wasn't "0o you need your manager to advance your career:"
As we dIscussed In the sectIon on the career advancement process you wIll need management sponsorshIp because It Is
managers that assIgn roles and make appoIntments. t wIll be much easIer wIth support from your own manager and It
Is worth revIewIng whether you have met the sIx personal attrIbutes requIred to advance before wrItIngoff your
manager as a sponsor. However If your manager Is a Nobel PrIze wInner but wIthout people promotIng skIlls, or a
career tank that Is only lookIng after number one, or for whatever reason Isn't goIng to be a champIon for you It Is
down to you to fInd other management sponsors.

n today's matrIx management organIsatIon fIndIng another management sponsor Is not as hard as It fIrst may appear.
You have a number of optIons.
Peer managers
Your manager's manager
A manager from outsIde your current management lIne.
Each has theIr pro's and con's but In each case you wIll need to have somethIng to offer the sponsorIng manager to
make the relatIonshIp work. ThIs could be shared knowledge, InsIght, contrIbutIon to a pet project, technology
assIstance, mentorIng for hIs people etc. How you use these other managers depends on your game plan and how
transferable your talents are. You could start wIth the sImple dIrect approaches: get another manager to be one of
your mentors, or persuade another manager to offer you a posItIon In theIr team. You could progress to ensurIng all
your manager's peers know your contrIbutIon and aspIratIons and In return for your support are wIllIng to support your
further development at the HF board (see next sectIon).
Why read
the guIde:
Feference
nformatIon
Why read
the guIde:
CompetencIes
to focus on
Career
|echanIcs
SkIlls 0evelopment
Theory
SkIlls 0evelopment
PractIce
So far In thIs sectIon we have looked at what Is requIred of you In addItIon to technIcal leadershIp competencIes In order for your
contrIbutIons to result In career advancement. Next, after an Interlude, we focus more on InteractIon wIth |anagement.
Cood management Is the art of makIng problems so InterestIng and theIr solutIons so
constructIve that everyone wants to get to work and deal wIth them. Paul Hawken:
CrowIng a 8usIness


3.4.2 How do managers decIde who to promote or offer a new roIe!
The maIn tool managers have to help them assess an IndIvIduals' performance and performance relatIve to peers Is the
Personal 8usIness CommItments (P8C) revIew process. n some countrIes, especIally In Europe an addItIonal tool called
the ContrIbutIon FankIng process Is used. They help to brIng levels of objectIvIty to a process whIch can be very
subjectIve. The management forum where P8C standards are set and agreement on rankIng, and Indeed promotIons,
pay and development opportunItIes, Is made Is often called the HF 8oard. HF 8oards exIst at all levels of the company.
The Important factor to take away from thIs Is, the more senIor you are the more vIsIble you are expected to be to the
8oard members and the more you need theIr support for your rewards and recognItIon.

The P8C process prImarIly assesses performance agaInst a job level whIlst the contrIbutIon rankIng process Is
conducted Independent of job level and wherever possIble wIthIn sImIlar job famIlIes. The P8Cs are by defInItIon,
"personal" and hence specIfIc to an IndIvIdual. ContrIbutIon rankIng uses a common set of crIterIa for a populatIon.
Where contrIbutIon rankIng Is not used as a separate process then the local management team would revIew the P8C
crIterIa between teams to ensure common assessment standards.
Ranking
For the rankIng exercIse to be useful the smallest sIze of group Is around 15 and for It to be practIcal the largest sIze
Is around 100. f rankIng Is beIng conducted at for example a second lIne manager level then all the fIrst lIne managers
would rank theIr people agaInst the common crIterIa and then all the results would be consolIdated. The management
team then normalIse the results to take account of the dIfferent InterpretatIons of the rankIng crIterIa. ThIs rankIng
process works best when managers Ignore the IndIvIdual's job level, pbc ratIng and salary. Dnce the rankIng exercIse Is
complete the results are cross referenced to job level, pbc and salary and It Is then easy to see If there are any
InconsIstencIes. FankIng Is based on current performance not hIstorIc performance. Thus an IndIvIdual's posItIon can
vary quIte consIderably from one rankIng exercIse to the next, especIally In any category lInked to revenue
contrIbutIon.
Thus the rankIng exercIse helps to IdentIfy:
anomalIes In job level,
anomalIes In pay,
people who are contrIbutIng sIgnIfIcantly more, or less, than the last tIme they were ranked.

ThIs helps to Inform where management tIme should be focused on developIng people and how any salary Increases
should be allocated.

ContrIbutIon FankIng Is not a scIence and therefore an IndIvIdual's rank posItIon Is not dIscussed or made use of
outsIde the rankIng exercIse. nstead the ranked populatIon Is dIvIded Into quartIles. We are all entItled to know If we
are In the top, bottom or mIddle two quartIles.

The way the process works, by defInItIon, a quarter of the populatIon wIll be In the bottom quartIle. An IndIvIdual
beIng In the bottom quartIle Is not In Itself a cause for concern. |anagement wIll seek to understand why someone Is
In the bottom quartIle. f It Is because they are junIor, new Into the company, new Into the department, have recently
changed responsIbIlIty, or have had a prolonged absence, then theIr posItIon may be as expected. However a senIor
and experIenced person consIstently beIng ranked In the last quartIle would be a cause for concern.

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 20 of 78

The PankIng CrIterIa
0Ifferent busInesses may use dIfferent rankIng crIterIa. The example gIven below Is typIcal,
There are J areas each wIth a number of subareas as defIned below. |axImum poInts from all areas Is 100.

For each sub area there are also descrIptIons of the characterIstIcs whIch would lead a manager to rate an employee
low, medIum or hIgh (or poInts In between). |anagement judgement Is used In the applIcatIon of these crIterIa and In
settIng the overall score for each area.

A. Personal
Energy, 0rIve, EnthusIasm, FlexIbIlIty
LeadershIp, nItIatIve
Prof expertIse / skIlls, potentIal
15 poInts
10 poInts
20 poInts
8. 8usIness
Customer SatIsfactIon (nternal and External customers)
ContrIbutIon to Fevenue, |arket Share, ProfIt
(for clIent and servIce roles)
or
ContrIbutIon to EffectIve and EffIcIent FunnIng of the busIness
(for support roles wIthIn the 8usIness)
15 poInts
J0 poInts

J0 poInts
C. QualIty
CF| Process Adherence 10 poInts



J.5 What type of manager do you have:
CIven that It Is essentIal to have a manager sponsor and someone to encourage your career development It Is
worth reflectIng on what type of manager you have. f your manager encouraged you to read thIs guIde, then that's a
good sIgn. t IndIcates that your manager belIeves you can contrIbute more and advance your career.
Dther posItIve sIgns that your manager thInks you can develop further:
Encouragement to develop and execute a meanIngful and effectIve 0P.
CIves you tasks and projects to work on that are not dIrectly related to your day job.
FacIlItates you workIng wIth hIs peer managers,
FacIlItates you workIng wIth more senIor managers.

The value of your relatIonshIp wIth your manager as far as furtherIng your technIcal leadershIp aspIratIons depends to
a large degree on whether you both have the same vIew of what stage you are at In your technIcal leadershIp career.

Stage Your 7Iew Your |anagers vIew of you Fecommended outcome
1 do not want any more
responsIbIlIty
You are doIng a good job and would
not delIver agaInst a more senIor role
as hasn't demonstrated all sIx
advancement characterIstIcs.
8oth have same shared vIsIon; focus should
be on contInuIng to provIde a stImulatIng
role at current level and that development
and contrIbutIon keeps pace wIth
IncreasIng corporate expectatIons.
2 do not want any more
responsIbIlIty
0oIng a good job and could take on a
more senIor role.
|anager provIdes perIodIc coachIng and
encouragement to see If you wIsh to move
to stage J. DtherwIse outcome as stage 1.
J do want more
responsIbIlIty
You are doIng a good job and would
not delIver agaInst a more senIor role
as have not demonstrated progress In
all sIx advancement characterIstIcs.
You need to provIde evIdence agaInst the
sIx advancement characterIstIcs and
IdentIfy where you dIsagree; then agree on
a plan to demonstrate achIevement
4 do want more
responsIbIlIty
You are doIng a good job and could
take on a more senIor role.
0emonstrates progress In meetIng
the sIx career advancement
fundamentals
You need to work wIth your manager to
produce a personal development plan wIth
opportunItIes to stretch you. Then go
execute.
5 do want more
responsIbIlIty
0oIng a good job could take on a
more senIor role,
consIstently meets the sIx career
advancement fundamentals
f an opportunIty exIsts for a more senIor
role In the busIness then a plan to acquIre
the new role should be agreed. f such a
role doesn't exIst then you wIll need to
look outsIde the busIness, wIth or wIthout
management support.

(There are other permutatIons not covered In the table above but they don't relate to TechnIcal LeadershIp whIch Is
all we are coverIng here)
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 22 of 78

3.5.1 Competence versus ConfIdence
WhIlst dIgestIng the personal ImplIcatIons of the above table It may also be worth reflectIng on the balance of
competence versus confIdence on thIs short safarI of an IntermIssIon.

Some of us enjoy a surplus of confIdence over competence always wIllIng to take on challenges for whIch we are not
equIpped to meet. The Injured and bereaved wIll be found besIde the jungle path where such of our colleagues walk.
Some of us are far more able then we let ourselves know and are capable of successfully meetIng greater challenges.
Such colleagues are not as easy to see as they are so often hIdden by the long grass.
And a very few of us are blessed wIth competence and confIdence In balance. Df these many wIll look out over the
savannah satIsfIed wIth all before them. Dthers wIll see the rIsIng hIlls In the dIstance and contInue to journey on.

The questIon Is: WhIch are we, and Is our Internal vIew the same as other peoples' vIew:
A suggestIon:
WrIte down In one sentence how you would descrIbe your expertIse, purely In technology terms, not In terrItory,
geography or management.
WrIte down the names of three people In your busIness that you don't work closely wIth but know of your
exIstence. Choose people from dIfferent parts of the busIness.
Now ask someone from outsIde your busIness to phone these three people and ask them the followIng questIons:
Q1: " am lookIng for someone wIth the followIng skIlls [as you have wrItten down]" Who would you suggest:
Q2: "f they are not avaIlable Is there anyone else could try:"
QJ: "How does the expertIse of the second name gIven compare wIth the fIrst name gIven:
Your contact needs to share thIs InformatIon honestly wIth you and no one else.
For the exercIse to be valuable you need to be honest wIth yourself In defInIng your skIlls and selectIng suItable
people.
Are you wIllIng to try It: f not, why not: What do you fear:

3.5.2 Career moves and how they happened
8elow are real examples of how specIalIsts changed roles. The words are theIrs. All have done Is remove some detaIls
whIch mIght IdentIfy them to theIr colleagues.

Also check out career profIles at http://wJ5.Ibm.com/emea/uk/wJuk.nsf/pages/technIcalcareersuk

f you have a good example of how a role change came about then please share It wIth your colleagues by sendIng to
the author for IncludIng In the next versIon of the guIde.

couldn't fInd anyone as a specIalIst In a partIcular area so decIded to become a specIalIst In that area. took 1/2 a
day a week out of my day job and added at least 1/2 a day a week of my own tIme to become skIlled. When started
to become In demand for my new skIlls then approached one of the requestIng managers for a job whIch he offered
me.

To cut down on some of the old chestnut (perennial) problems I wrote out best practices and other procedures, and
emailed them in response to the same old queries. After a while I had quite a list of hints and tips. I saw a residency
announcement for a Redbook in this area and my manager agreed I could apply. I sent the ITSO the hints and tips
document which impressed them and I was accepted. Some time later I used the Redbook to good effect when applying
for another position in another business.

CettIng Involved In a new product In early customers led to me beIng InvIted on the resIdency to wrIte the PlannIng
Cookbook, whIch led to me beIng InvIted to go on assIgnment to an E|EA centre. That put me In a new E|EArole at
the bleedIng edge, whIch gave me confIdence and InsIght to push the envelope and never assume that there was an
expert somewhere wIth all the answers.....often the lab people don't understand what customers actually 0D wIth the
products or how customers thInk and behave.

After a whIle felt could do the job wIth my eyes shut so repeated the JP |organ experIment and started workIng at
90 capacIty. The rest of the tIme started workIng for myself. wrote up my ProfessIons case just as well, at every
subsequent job IntervIew was questIoned about whether was a member. wrote a Jcolumn lIst of everyone In 8|
just outsIde of my normal contacts that knew, wIth theIr current job tItle and contact number. n the thIrd column
made a few notes about what they were doIng, whether they lIked theIr work and so on. Then called them. ThIs led to
another job offer.


saw the nternatIonal New Technology Centre launched and thought....thIs Internet stuff looks InterestIng and
strategIc....If only could get Into that group; It would be a dIffIcult transItIon from tradItIonal hardware, but a great
strategIc career move. A clear goal somehow leads to actIon...wIthIn 6 months was offered the move....whIch was
hard, (hardware expert Internet software expert) but grew faster than at any prevIous poInt In my career.

As a presales specIalIst, became Involved In a 0ata Centre consolIdatIon and dIsaster recovery ImplementatIon
project for a 8ank where was Lead ArchItect for the solutIon. was later InvIted to joIn the E|EA ATS.

spent fIve years gettIng a good technIcal groundIng workIng wIth varIous platforms (AS/400,FS/6000 and ntel) and
network technologIes. prImarIly worked In FInancIal ServIces for Investment banks, so also developed specIfIc
Industry skIlls. moved on to be a Team Leader, and then took on more responsIbIlIty for desIgn work. moved Into
archItecture as an nfrastructure ArchItect through a recommendatIon to a ChIef ArchItect by my Account |anager, as
a result of my technIcal knowledge and Industry experIence.

Your career to date may not have gone as you Intended In whIch case some phIlosophy from 0ouglas Adams may help
" may not have gone where Intended to go, but thInk have ended up where needed to be."
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 24 of 78

4 CheckpoInt

At the begInnIng of thIs fIeld guIde you revIewed the followIng questIons before decIdIng whether thIs guIde was
relevant to you:

belIeve do a good job and my peers and customers thInk do a good job.
am seen as the person to ask.
have mastered the technIcal challenges of my job and spend most of my tIme usIng my technIcal expertIse or
keepIng It up to date.
am too busy doIng a good job to spend tIme on admInIstratIve stuff such as careers.
expect my manager to do that.
use phrases lIke:
" told them It wouldn't work"
"There Is only one solutIon here"
"Who desIgned thIs then"
"The facts speak for themselves"
"That's polItIcs; don't do polItIcs"
"n my opInIon..":
belIeve that decIsIons made by others are based on facts and merIt.
see people who once regarded as my peers as havIng more career success than me

Why dId we ask these questIons: As a summary of these openIng sectIons we wIll look at some responses. don't thInk
there wIll be anythIng too unexpected here but for completeness let's revIew each questIon In turn.
I believe I do a good job and my peers and customers think I do a good job.
LeadershIp Is buIlt on success and competence. You are hardly lIkely to be gIven Increased responsIbIlIty If not
currently perceIved as performIng well.
I am seen as the person to ask
8y focusIng on technIcal specIalIsts who are Subject |atter Experts the content of the guIde can be taIlored to your
needs. A Project |anager who had mastered the dIscIplIne of project management or a competent marketIng specIalIst
Is lIkely to need to focus on dIfferent skIlls to become a leader In theIr busIness.
I have mastered the technical challenges of my job and spend most of my time using my technical
expertise or keeping it up to date.
t's at thIs stage In your career when, If you want to do somethIng dIfferent, you need to change the way you do
thIngs.
I am too busy doing a good job to spend time on administrative stuff such as careers
0oes thIs make you low maIntenance: f the company has Implemented a set of processes and provIded tools to enable
effectIve performance, your manager Is unlIkely to welcome the very uphIll battle of advancIng your career wIthout
thIs support. t Is also the cultural norm that you own your career and the executIon of the development actIvItIes that
support your career; after all you should be the person most motIvated to make It successful.

I use phrases like:
" told them It wouldn't work"
ThIs does not fIt wIth a cultural norm of havIng a posItIve attItude, enthusIasm and flexIbIlIty.

Why read
the guIde:
Feference
nformatIon
Why read
the guIde:
CompetencIes
to focus on
Career
|echanIcs
SkIlls 0evelopment
Theory
SkIlls 0evelopment
PractIce
How has the guIde been so far:
n the next sectIons It wIll be tIme for you to take a more actIve role, so before we start on the SkIll
Accelerators, let us just reflect on why you are readIng thIs guIde.


"There Is only one solutIon here"
Apart from the fact that thIs Is rarely true, (there Is often the optIon of doIng nothIng for a whIle or changIng
somethIng, e.g. budget) It Is not a very effectIve way of InfluencIng people - part of the foundatIon competency of
communIcatIon - people lIke to feel they have a choIce. t makes hard decIsIons easIer to make knowIng the other
optIons were even less approprIate.

"Who desIgned thIs then"
SpreadIng fear uncertaInty and doubt (fud) Is best left to the competItIon. Df course people make mIstakes,
eIther through lack of understandIng or through havIng too lIttle tIme to keep up to date or fully research the
ImplIcatIons of a desIgn. LeadershIp Is not about dIstancIng yourself from the problem but takIng ownershIp for the
resolutIon and then seekIng to fInd the cause of the error and gettIng It fIxed. As we shall see later It Is about focusIng
your energy In the CIrcle of nfluence not the CIrcle of Concern. (ref: 6.9 8ehavIour styles and Team Foles). Also
reread TechnIcal LeadershIp competencIes "EarnIng Trust" and "0evelopIng 8| People and CommunItIes".

"The facts speak for themselves"
f you belIeve and trust your set of facts thIs may well be true. Just makIng thIs statement doesn't make them
any more belIevable to the non belIever. 8y usIng thIs type of statement we are lookIng at the sItuatIon from the
object's perspectIve not from the perspectIve of the person we are tryIng to convInce - back to the need to advance
our communIcatIon skIlls.

"That's polItIcs; don't do polItIcs"
8elIevIng thIs means we are stIll focusIng on what Is rIght as opposed to what Is possIble. Leaders make thIngs
happen. You can only make thIngs happen that are possIble to make happen, thIs Is called polItIcs. Feread technIcal
leadershIp competency "EnablIng Performance and Crowth".

"n my opInIon."
Let's put asIde any hostIlIty thIs may provoke due to perceptIons of arrogance by your lIstener. Are you quIte
sure your lIstener recognIses you as a mInor deIty: Are your credentIals sound: Are your motIves perceIved as pure:
Femember beatIfIcatIon happens after death not before.

You could possIbly thInk about maybe readIng thIs guIde It mIght help.
I believe that decisions made by others are based on facts and merit.
Why do some people smoke, get drunk, expose theIr bodIes to the noon day sun and know more people more
IntImately than Is wIse: 0o people make decIsIons based on frIendshIps, perceIved rIsk, career opportunItIes, and
prevIous Irrelevant experIence: Df course. We all know decIsIons are not based on fact and merIt alone but as Subject
|atter Experts we often behave as If they were.
I see people who I once regarded as my peers as having more career success than me
Look at In what ways your peers have embraced the career advancement fundamentals and you have your
answer.

Are you ready to take responsIbIlIty and ownershIp for your career and how and when you wIll further your leadershIp
competencIes: f your not quIte convInced developIng your soft skIlls Is Important try the followIng communIcatIons
skIlls assessment.
4.1 CommunIcatIon SkIlls Assessment
Dn the next page Is a table that seeks to posItIon dIfferent levels of communIcatIon skIlls expertIse. You can use thIs
table to eIther asses your relatIve communIcatIon strengths or better stIll, ask people you normally communIcate to do
the assessment as well and compare agaInst your own assessment. The results could be a learnIng experIence.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 26 of 78

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5 The SkIll Accelerators

t Is tIme to change gear. The fIrst few sectIons of the guIde have set the context for personal development towards a
technIcal leadershIp role. Hopefully thIngs that you were aware of but dIdn't apprecIate the value of, lIke leadershIp
skIlls, career plannIng, and managers, are much clearer. f you are wIth me so far then stIck wIth It. t Is tIme to leave
your comfort zone and step on to the accelerator.

Career advancement fundamental number two was "ContrIbute consIstently at a level more senIor than current
posItIon." Your technIcal career today has been largely buIlt on IncreasIng levels of technIcal profIcIency and workIng
hard. SImply workIng harder Is unlIkely to be very effectIve In further development. You wIll need to thInk, behave and
act dIfferently to move to the next levels of competency In CommunIcatIon, CollaboratIon, nfluencIng and TIme
|anagement. These changes can be hard to accomplIsh. ThIs Is where the SkIll Accelerators come In. n thIs sectIon we
defIne practIcal thIngs to do that wIll help you make that change.

|any of these SkIll Accelerators are based on well developed and proven technIques and have a whole lIterature and
traInIng courses devoted to them. For example: ActIve LIstenIng and EmotIonal ntellIgence. t Is not the purpose of
thIs guIde to enable you to become an expert In these fIelds. The author has trIed to dIstIl some essence from these
technIques and present It In a format that allows practIcal experIence to be gaIned easIly In the context of a technIcal
professIonal's daytoday work. From fIeld trIals all of the accelerators wIll work for some, but all of the accelerators
won't work for everyone. For the more complex accelerators there Is a correspondIng worksheet to help you perform
the actIvIty.

For many of the accelerators, partIcularly those focused on communIcatIons, It Is well worth dIscussIng your fIndIngs
wIth a colleague or coach as they wIll have a dIfferent perspectIve and gIve you dIfferent InsIghts. f possIble consIder
fIndIng a buddy In a dIfferent professIon, say Sales, |arketIng or Project |anagement as what Is Important to them
may be very dIfferent from what Is Important to you. You could also consIder askIng HF LearnIng for the names of
people enrollIng on relevant personal skIlls development courses, or for the names of experIenced professIonals goIng
through Sales School as possIble sources of buddIes who would be Interested In your learnIng experIences.

HeaIth WarnIng
You don't get fIt sIttIng In a comfy chaIr readIng get fIt books. You have to take the exercIse. Dur braIns are no
dIfferent. f you don't do the exercIses the world won't appear any dIfferent.
ndex of Accelerators
1 The To0o LIst and TIme |anagement
2 Engage an ActIve Coach
J |akIng a 0evelopment Plan Work for You
4 ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng
5 Three Level QuestIonIng TechnIque
6 DbservIng EffectIve CommunIcatIon
7 ExplaInIng EffectIvely - Kolb learnIng cycle
8 WorkIng the Network
9 8ehavIour Styles and Team Foles
10 PreparatIon and |eetIngs
11 |anagIng your |anager

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Muriel Strode, American Author "At the Roots of Grasses"
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 28 of 78

5.1 The To0o LIst and TIme |anagement

ThIs Is the sImplest and most Important task and an excellent one to start wIth. t Is also the one that the revIewers of
the guIde saId was the hardest to do because of the demands on our tIme. 8ob |c0onald and 0on Hutcheson In theIr
book "0on't Waste your talents, The 8 crItIcal steps to dIscoverIng what you do best" say that beIng domInated by
short term focus, status drIven goals, other peoples prIorItIes, and beIng forced Into reactIve decIsIon makIng, leads to
stress. HavIng long term focus, goals that are personally meanIngful, beIng able to set one's own prIorItIes and decIsIon
makIng based on long term vIsIons leads to a much more balanced mental outlook. Sounds lIke good reason to try and
get tIme under control. We touch on the "vIsIon" thIng In sectIon 5.J on development plans. Dnce you have completed
that sectIon you may wIsh to revIsIt thIs accelerator, but let us start wIth the basIcs:

1. 0o you have a todo lIst:
2. 0o you actIvely maIntaIn a weekly or monthly planner as well as a daIly to do lIst:
J. f not, how do you make sure you do what Is Important as well as what Is urgent:
4. What crIterIa do you use to assess Importance:
5. Have you wrItten the crIterIa down somewhere vIsIble, lIke at the top of the todo lIst:
6. s progressIng personal development actIvItIes, or sImIlar, on your todo lIst:
7. f not, does thIs mean It Is not Important:
8. You are readIng thIs guIde therefore It must be Important to you; therefore It Is on your lIst. Correct:
9. s It at the top of your lIst:

And fInally are you happy wIth your answers to the above questIons: f yes, you can skIp the next sectIon whIch gIves
tIps on how to take control of your tIme.
5.1.1 TIme hanagement TechnIques.
Why Is thIs accelerator Important: 8ecause leaders are proactIve, and by not managIng tIme we become reactIve and
therefore exclude ourselves from leadershIp roles.

Anyone who has experIenced or wItnessed the bIrth of a chIld must agree there are some serIous desIgn flaws In Homo
SapIens. And don't buy the spIn that says that the paIn Is necessary for bondIng. However Cod, or Nature, dependIng
on your belIefs, clearly belIeves thIs fInal route to market Is good enough. The project Is tImeboxed. You have nIne
months to gIve It your best. We should follow thIs example. am usIng the phrase "good enough" In Its lIteral meanIng
that the work Is of hIgh enough qualIty to achIeve all the desIred aIms and defInItely not In the sense that It Is
sometImes used meanIng " am not really happy wIth It but It wIll have to do".

TIp 1: Allocate each actIvIty an amount of tIme suffIcIent to do a good enough job. Note thIs Is dIfferent to: contInue
to work on the top prIorIty Item untIl the whIstle blows.

Thought: n two weeks tIme a proposal has to be submItted, a report wrItten or a pIece of work completed. How much
of your tIme does It take to complete the work: Would you have less or more tIme If It were a paId / non paId
engagement:

TIp 2: PrIorItIse actIvItIes Into:
1. Important and urgent,
2. Important and not urgent,
J. not Important and urgent,
4. not Important, not urgent but fun, and
5. not Important not urgent and not fun
You have to do (1), you don't need to do (5). The conflIct Is therefore between 2, J, and 4 wIth J usually wInnIng. We
wIll come back later to how to handle the 2,J,s and 4s.

So lIttle done, so much to do. CecIl Fhodes, founder of the de 8eers
mInIng Company and PrIme |InIster of Cape Colony on hIs death bed at
age 48 In 1902.

DbservatIon 1: n a sales envIronment It Is better to be resource constraIned than opportunIty constraIned. f there Is
more work to do than people to do It thIs Is a good sIgn for the sustaInabIlIty and growth of the busIness. f the
opposIte applIes you should be focusIng your energIes on acquIrIng some new transferable skIlls.
DbservatIon 2: f you are perceIved as beIng good you wIll be In demand. Corollary, what If you are not In demand:
|ay be It Is tIme for some serIous reflectIon and change.

Net of thIs Is If you are good you wIll keep beIng asked to do work untIl you say no. t Is up to you when you say no.
After 40 hours, 50 hours 60 hours a week: t Is also up to you how you say no takIng Into account our cultural norms.

TIp3: You can't prIorItIse your actIvItIes and chose whIch to work on wIthout regularly allocatIng yourself tIme to do
thIs.

TIp4: We progress by ImprovIng and changIng the way we do thIngs. ThIs requIres reflectIon.

Conjecture: FeflectIon requIres tIme to reflect.
AssumptIon: 8| would lIke us to be more effectIve and productIve.
Corollary: 8| would lIke us to reserve tIme for plannIng and reflectIon.
How to prIorItIse
TIp5: 0on't allow yourself to do any prIorIty 4 (not Important not urgent but fun) actIvItIes untIl you have progressed
your Important non urgent Items to your satIsfactIon. ThIs Includes progressIng your personal development actIvItIes.

Edward de 8ono suggests assessIng each task wIth a plus/mInus and ImplIcatIons value and only doIng the task If the
posItIves outweIgh the negatIves. To do thIs:
LIst all the posItIve thIngs about doIng the task:
e.g. the busIness benefIts, how It mIght save tIme or money, convenIence.
LIst all the negatIve thIngs about doIng the task:
e.g. would Involve more people, take longer, Increase costs, be dIsruptIve.
LIst all the ImplIcatIons of doIng the task:
e.g. Improved relatIonshIps, Increased stress, enhanced career prospects, job satIsfactIon etc.

You then allocate a weIghtIng between say 1 and 10 for each plus mInus and ImplIcatIon, allocatIng posItIve
weIghtIngs for posItIve thIngs (IncludIng posItIve ImplIcatIons) and negatIve weIghtIngs for negatIve thIngs and
negatIve ImplIcatIons. You then add all the weIghtIngs together and If the answer Is posItIve you allocate tIme to the
task If It Is negatIve you don't.

TIp6: If you decIde that you need to get some more InformatIon consIder what Impact the InformatIon could have on
your actIons or on the actIons of the people the InformatIon Is destIned for. f you decIde that IrrespectIve of what the
InformatIon says the same actIon wIll be taken, then you don't need to spend tIme gettIng It.
How to aIIocate tIme for prIorItIsIng, pIannIng and refIectIon.
You allocate tIme for plannIng and reflectIon the same way as anyone else reserves your tIme. t goes In your dIary. f
you don't feel comfortable puttIng It In your dIary In prIme workIng hours then put It In at the start or end of the day.
8ut be dIscIplIned reserve It for yourself. ConvInce yourself and those that demand your tIme that It Is only by doIng
thIs wIll you be able to sustaIn your popularIty and contInue to provIde ever IncreasIng contrIbutIons. Choose a tIme
that Is the least lIkely to come under pressure from others but Is also at a good tIme of day for reflectIon and
plannIng. f your organIsatIon skIlls are best fIrst thIng then do It early In the mornIng. f you don't really get goIng tIll
your thIrd cup of coffee then do the plannIng In the evenIng. You should also dIary a repeatIng weekly appoIntment
wIth yourself for prIorItIsIng and plannIng on the comIng week and for reflectIon of the past week.

0o you attend lots of meetIngs or calls where you pIck up actIons: And does the call normally take at least as long as
the allocated tIme:
TIp7: When you schedule meetIngs or calls make them start and fInIsh on quarter hour boundarIes. ThIs Isn't at all
natural. |ost people wIll contInue to go for hourly or half hour start tImes. ThIs wIll buy you 15 mInutes wIndows
between calls or meetIngs to get control of your new actIons and even dIscharge some of them.
TIp8; Encourage those arrangIng meetIngs for you to make them last 15 mInutes longer than Is needed (or even than
they are avaIlable for) but make sure the meetIng fInIshes on the orIgInal end tIme. ThIs has the same effect as tIp 7.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page J0 of 78

PrIorItIsIng ContInued
So, comIng back to our prIorIty 2, J, and 4 actIvItIes, by schedulIng yourself thInkIng tIme and categorIsIng you can
decIde how much tIme to gIve to these dIfferent categorIes In the comIng week. Schedule In your dIary tIme for the
Important non urgent Items (2) and reward yourself wIth the fun ones when you have completed the Important ones.

TIp: Dne way to IdentIfy what Is Important to you Is to consIder: 'f had an extra 2 hours thIs week what would do
wIth It:' Then prIorItIse to ensure you create the tIme thIs week.

Example:
Sunday evenIng: revIew work, personal and famIly commItments for followIng week. 0ecIde that you wIll start work at
8:J0am each day and need to fInIsh work at 6pm |onday and Tuesday 7pm Wednesday and Thursday and 5pm FrIday.
|onday 8:J0 9am Plan allocatIon of week's tIme. 0ecIde you must spend 20 hours on known Important and urgent
tasks and wIll reserve another 10 hours for urgent and Important tasks that you don't yet know about. Df the
remaInIng 15 hours half you wIll spend on non Important non urgent and fun and half on Important non urgent
IncludIng 1 hour on personal development.

TIp 10: CooperatIon and team work - we all need support from other people from tIme to tIme so we should support
others In return. Just keep It In balance. As long as you say yes sometImes It Is fIne to say no on other occasIons.
ConsIder trackIng what you actually do rather than what you thInk you do. Dnce you have some objectIve facts It
should be easIer to see how to reprIorItIse. There are at least two ways to do thIs, eIther by actual measurement by
recordIng what you do mInute by mInute or the good enough approach of samplIng say every J0 mInutes. As well as
recordIng what you were doIng you need to categorIse why you were doIng It. The followIng categorIes for 'what' are
suggested:

usIness ActIvItIes
|y comms: |akIng a phone call, creatIng an emaIl or InItIatIng a face to face conversatIon
FespondIng to a planned phone call, answerIng an emaIl relatIng to one of my exIstIng work Items or
respondIng to a face to face conversatIon related to one of my exIstIng work Items.
nterruptIons: FespondIng to InterruptIons vIa phone, emaIl, Instant messagIng or face to face.
Customer: AttendIng a customer meetIng
8|: AttendIng an Internal meetIng
ThInkIng: ThInkIng and plannIng
PreparatIon: PreparIng for a meetIng or call.
Travel
SocIaI actIvItIes
SocIal: .e. beIng human, sharIng experIences, gossIp, reactIng to news and T7 etc.
PersonaI actIvItIes
Personal: Personal calls, calls of nature, takIng sustenance

And the followIng four categorIes for 'why' are suggested.
Core: ThIs Is a core actIvIty for my job - It Is what am paId to do
|e: ThIs contrIbutes prImarIly to my career rather than my job today by for example developIng contacts,
buIldIng relatIonshIps or helpIng my management team.
Notme: ThIs Is probably good for the corporatIon but shouldn't be doIng It
Waste: can see no value In thIs task what so ever.

f you do thIs exercIse over three days you should have around 50 data poInts to analyse.

A worksheet Is avaIlable to help wIth thIs exercIse. Dnce complete put some tIme asIde to consIder your learnIng
poInts. You may wIsh to revIew your conclusIons and 'why' categorIsatIons wIth a colleague to see If they have the
same vIews.

FemInder: Focus on what Is goodenough. As technIcal professIonals we are often not satIsfIed untIl we have achIeved
perfectIon. Hardly anyone Is prepared to waIt for perfectIon or can afford to pay for It. So try to determIne what Is
good enough to achIeve the objectIve well.

For more Ideas on managIng tIme try http://www.davIdco.com/Index.php 0avId Allen, whose sIte thIs Is, also offers a
free newsletter of Ideas and have Included one of hIs books In the bIblIography.


0ate 21/04/2005 Page J1 of 78 7ersIon 2a
hanagIng EmaII

f you have addItIonal suggestIons that work for you please contact the author so these Ideas can be shared wIth
others. SuggestIons for managIng emaIl are categorIsed Into suggestIons on helpIng to reduce the total number of
emaIls, managIng the emaIls you receIve and some creatIve Ideas to be used wIth care.
PeducIng the voIume of emaIIs
1. Dnly send emaIls "to" people when they need the InformatIon or you expect an actIon from them
2. Dnly copy people on emaIls (usIng the cc address fIeld) when you do not need them to do anythIng but It Is
Important for them to have thIs InformatIon In whIch case make It clear why It Is Important.
J. ThInk twIce before usIng "reply all" only reply to those that need to know.
4. Dnly respond to emaIls that don't dIrectly Involve you If you want to get Involved and have the tIme to do so.
However remember to respond to requests from your network of contacts.
hanagIng receIved emaII
1. Femove yourself from dIstrIbutIon lIsts for emaIls that you never read.
2. ConsIder ImplementIng automated Notes rules to:
J. FIle notes wIth certaIn subject lInes, e.g. newsletters, wIn reports. You could read these notes whIle waItIng
for conference calls or meetIngs to start.
4. ClassIfy senders Into groups, e.g. peers, managers you know, your network contacts, other Internal contacts.
Use a dIfferent colour to dIfferentIate the maIl from each group of user.
5. f you are goIng to be unable to use emaIl for a more than a day use the out of offIce facIlIty to let people
know and add one extra day to your out of offIce notIfIcatIon to gIve yourself catch up tIme wIthout settIng
any expectatIons that a reply wIthIn 24hours should be expected.

CreatIve Ideas to be used wIth great care
1. Feply to notes where you are on the copy lIst and the sender Is someone you don't know wIth a standard reply
of: sender Thank you for thIs emaIl. Unfortunately am swamped wIth emaIls at the moment so have fIled It
In a specIal folder and set asIde one day a month to go through all emaIls In thIs folder. f you need me to
actIon somethIng then please send a note just to me explaInIng wIth a brIef descrIptIon, what need to do,
please put the word ACTDN In the subject lIne. ThIs reply has been sent by an automated agent.
2. f you are workIng on partIcular projects when you expect to get such emaIls then you need to put a hIgher
prIorIty rule In place to actIon these emaIls fIrst.

Dther emaII etIquette
EstablIsh a reputatIon for qualIty emaIls. Structure the emaIl so the subject lIne makes It clear what the emaIl Is
about. ConsIder structurIng approprIate emaIls so that:
ActIons are summarIsed at the top of the emaIl whIch then Is structured
Why the subject Is Important to the recIpIent,
What the detaIls / sItuatIon Is.
How we move forward - who Is doIng what or needs to do what
Assume the recIpIent deletes maIl, wIthout openIng It when It has a subject lIne they are not Interested In. Use
thIs both ways - to facIlItate the recIpIent to do thIs when thIs Is acceptable to you and to ensure they don't delete
It when you need them to read It.
Put actIons and tImescales In the fIrst few lInes of the emaIl. Assume the reader wIll only read the fIrst paragraph.
Keep maIl short, less than one screen of must read InformatIon. f you expect the recIpIent to take actIon consIder
puttIng the word "actIon" In the subject lIne.
HIghlIght the name of the person whose actIon Is requIred so It stands out on a quIck scan of your emaIl.
Are you labourIng under the ImpressIon that read those
memoranda of yours: can't even lIft them. FranklIn 0 Foosevelt
0ate 21/04/2005 Page J2 of 78

5.2 Engage an ActIve Coach

f you are actIvely plannIng to advance your career you wIll now have a todo lIst wIth Item 1. Personal 0evelopment.
f you have not done thIs then you are only passIvely engaged and are readIng the guIde lIke a novel.
Success does not lIe thIs way, and the entertaInment value Isn't hIgh.

ChangIng the way you vIew the world Is not easy. As well as your own wIll to succeed, support from a coach and
mentors can keep you on track and provIde encouragement. Choose someone whose IntegrIty and opInIons you trust
and agree wIth and schedule a monthly meetIng or call to:
0Iscuss experIences from the actIvItIes In the prevIous month.
FevIew planned actIvItIes and focus for the comIng month.
SummarIse any key learnIng poInts.

0on't try to be too ambItIous. Focus on one development actIvIty at a tIme.

What's the dIfference between a coach and a mentor:
A mentor has experIence and expertIse In the specIfIc Issue and shares thIs wIth you.
A coach provIdes expertIse only In the process of helpIng you understand how to achIeve what you want to achIeve.
CoachIng can help In any sItuatIon. |entors are sItuatIon specIfIc whIch Is why you often have more than one.

t Is up to you to fInd a mentor or coach and drIve the relatIonshIp. You can have as many coaches and mentors as you
can develop mutually benefIcIal relatIonshIps. You also need to be clear on what the prIme focus of the relatIonshIp Is
for.
t could be:
To help you achIeve professIonal certIfIcatIon - CertIfIcatIon mentor or
To help you determIne and achIeve career goals - Career coachIng. (No mentor wIll have experIence In your career
goal)
To help you get up to speed In a new role - nductIon mentorIng.

t Is worth beIng clear wIth yourself and your coach what the prIorIty Is, and of course you can ask dIfferent people to
focus In dIfferent areas.
Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? Asked Alice. ''That
depends a good deal on where you want to get to' Said the Cat. I don't much care
where. Said Alice. Then it doesn't matter which way you go, said the Cat.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll

0ate 21/04/2005 Page JJ of 78 7ersIon 2a

5.J |akIng a 0evelopment Plan work for you

s a mInor pIece of self congratulatIon In order: You have started on your development. n a months tIme someone
who's opInIon you trust and probably whose frIendshIp you value Is goIng to ask you what you have done to further
your career. Turn your dIary pages over and look at the entry for thIs revIew. magIne how the revIew wIll go. Cood
chance It wIll go well If you have some actIvItIes you plan to do and can report progress agaInst them. Even better If
those actIvItIes are S|AFT actIvItIes. Perhaps If you do faIl on one or two of the actIvItIes your coach could use the
CFDW technIque to help you understand why the actIvItIes were not S|AFT enough. See sectIon 7.1 S.|.A.F.T ActIons
and sectIon 7.J The CFDW model.

At Its most basIc then your development plan Is sImply the lIst of actIvItIes you plan to do to Improve yourself.
And one of the benefIts of the actIvItIes In thIs guIde Is you don't need anyone's permIssIon or fundIng to do them.
There Is only one person that can stop them happenIng You.

TIme for another asIde. deally a development plan would support your lIfe ambItIons. ThIs Is a topIc outsIde the scope
of the guIde but the book shops are full of self help books In thIs area and some of the books In the bIblIography, e.g.
The Seven HabIts of HIghly EffectIve People have sectIons on career plannIng. Steven Covey uses the phrase "all thIngs
are created twIce". The mental fIrst creatIon gIvIng the vIsIon or plan and the physIcal realIsatIon gIves the second
creatIon. WIthout a plan there Is nothIng - or accordIng to the Japanese a nIghtmare.

The bIg pIcture approach Is therefore:
Dne: 0efIne lIfe goals.
Two: 0evelop strategIes for career, socIal and prIvate lIfe.
Three: 0efIne current job career plan.
Four: 0efIne development plan to support gettIng the next role.

As far as thIs guIde Is concerned a bottom up approach Is fIne:
Dne: know what Is Important to me.
Two: want to keep developIng
Three: f there are new opportunItIes want to be In a good posItIon to be chosen
Four: 0efIne development plan to support gettIng the next role.

n eIther approach It Is Important that unlIke AlIce when you come to a fork In the road you know whIch turnto take.

f you stIll need help gettIng started wIth a development plan, try one of the followIng to get the Ideas flowIng:

Plan 1: enjoy doIng what am doIng. just want to do It more effectIvely and easIly so don't have to work so hard.

Plan 2: am stIll not sure quIte what want the next role to be, but want to be sure that If there are any InterestIng
opportunItIes then |anagement wIll thInk of me fIrst. |y plan Is to be offered somethIng dIfferent wIthIn two years.

Plan J: have seen the job want and want It at the end of the year.

Plan 4: am goIng to work for my self doIng xxx In ten years tIme. To do thIs need to have saved x amount, learnt
the followIng skIlls and have the followIng contacts. ThIs means need the followIng job In 8|..

Plan 5: Technology Is changIng so fast know In a few years tIme wIll struggle to keep up. |anagement, Sales or
Project |anagement could be alternatIves that buIld on my experIence. need to fInd out whIch enjoy and whIch
am any good at before decIdIng whIch professIon to swItch to. (ThIs challenge of havIng to stay up to date was very
nIcely expressed by an AmerIcan wrIter, Stewart 8rand: "Dnce a new technology rolls over you, If you're not part of
the steamroller, you're part of the road.")
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a
nightmare." -- Japanese Proverb
0ate 21/04/2005 Page J4 of 78

Plan 6: 0IstInguIshed EngIneer (0E) by 50.

These are reasonable startIng poInts for "goals" but they are not S|AFT enough - you need to taIlor them.

FecappIng:
HavIng aspIratIons or lIfelong goals Is the best startIng poInt for a career plan.
HavIng goals that mark the major steppIng stones to meetIng your aspIratIons keeps the focus on what Is
achIevable short term.
ActIvIty plans are good even wIthout goals - as long as you complete the actIvItIes.

What the process of producIng a development plan has done for you Is convert vague thoughts Into actIons. SInce the
startIng poInt for thIs actIvIty Is just thInkIng It can be done anywhere quIet enough to thInk - e.g. the car.

You may decIde that to meet your goals or aspIratIon does requIre some formal educatIon, or an opportunIty to do
another role for a few weeks or to work on a project outsIde of your area of responsIbIlIty or work wIth people you
don't normally meet. These actIvItIes wIll cost tIme and or money or requIre Influence you don't have. t Is at thIs
poInt that you need the support of your manager. Even If you don't need any of thIs support, sharIng your plan wIth
your manager Increases the vIsIbIlIty of the plan, makes you more lIkely to follow It, demonstrates to your manager
that you are organIsed, and may result In your manager suggestIng thIngs you were not aware of and offerIng
opportunItIes that you would not otherwIse have receIved. A development plan shared wIth your manager Is a good
thIng.

Some |anagers have two reasons why you should have one, some only one.
0evelopIng people Is part of the 8| culture and 8| managers are assessed on theIr abIlIty to develop theIr
people. Dne way thIs Is measured Is by how many of theIr staff have actIve development plans.
They belIeve you wIll be more productIve and generate more busIness for 8|.

The way 8| documents the development plan Is usIng the 0P tool:
https://wJ1.Ibm.com/hr/Idp/Index.jsp

You can update and revIse your 0P as often as you lIke. t Is a good Idea to update It at the same tIme as your P8C to
try and get some lInkage between the two. E.g. your department has a new mIssIon to support another department or
busIness. You want to Increase your understandIng of 8| and network of contacts so you agree to go and work In the
other department for a couple of weeks to gaIn a better understandIng of theIr Issues and to buIld relatIonshIps.

Here are some actIvItIes taken from real 0Ps.

DbtaIn two senIor consultIng or senIor |entors by end of Q2
dentIfy area where thought leadershIp wIthIn SC can be establIshed by Q2
Produce a PoInt of 7Iew area of thought leadershIp by end Dctober.
0evelop and deploy level 4 product skIlls In the new to me technology area of x by end Q4
JoIn the steerIng commIttee for the educatIon currIculum for Systems Croup world wIde annual conference
Read book on Influencing for results by Gavin Kennedy by end of July
mprove knowledge and experIence of an ndustry Sector by attendIng Industry workshop by end 1Q04
mprove solutIon desIgn skIlls wIth product x to be able to desIgn unaIded a customer solutIon by end2Q04
Attend mandatory educatIon for ConsultIng T SpecIalIst by end JQ04
0evelop ConsultIng T SpecIalIst package wIth mentorshIp by end 4Q04
8ecome a mentor (gIveback) and Instruct 8| staff on technIcal specIalIsm by end 4Q04
8uIld creatIve wrItIng skIlls requIred for a PoInts of 7Iew by end Q1
8uIld eServer value proposItIon around WIn200J/A0/Exchange200J by end 1Q
WrIte one PoInt of 7Iew In Q2 and QJ
0evelop executIve support for band 10 case wIth x and y by end of 2005
ContrIbute to an Academy Project In 2H 2004

0on't forget you can Include executIng all or some of the worksheets In thIs guIde on your development plan.
For further Ideas on what sort of thIngs you can put In an 0P checkout the lIst of Dther 0evelopment ActIvItIes In the
reference sectIon.


Now that the framework for managIng your development Is In place you could select any of the subsequent
accelerators as a development actIvIty. The next one, ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng, Is recommend as the fIrst
actIvIty as It wIll enable you to gather much more InformatIon from every person you speak to.

5.4 ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng

ThIs SkIll Accelerator Is about extractIng more useable InformatIon from what people tell us.

AccordIng to the US 0ept of Labour of the tIme we spend communIcatIng, 22 Is spent readIng and wrItIng, 2J
speakIng and 55 lIstenIng.
2
t Is therefore a skIll worth practIcIng

As Subject |atter Experts we tend to be very focused on tangIble facts and well practIced at qualIfyIng vague
adjectIves and adverbs relatIng to scale (large, fast, complex) and to tIme (soon, quIckly). WIth so much InformatIon In
every sentence It can be challengIng wIthout practIce to pIck up other meanIngs. ThIs development actIvIty Is desIgned
to encourage actIve lIstenIng. Let's take an example. Spend a few mInutes actIng as Sherlock Holmes on the followIng
sentence. I.e. deduce as much as you possIbly can from It:

We cre lookny ]or cn clternctve suppler.

What assumptIons mIght be worth testIng for as a result of a potentIal new customer usIng thIs sentence:

Please don't read on untIl you have gIven thIs some thought.
Please.

Dne way to tease addItIonal meanIng out Is to try and paraphrase the sentence. How do the followIng dIffer from the
orIgInal:

need another supplIer.
We have agreed to fInd another supplIer
We want to replace our current supplIer.
The company wIshes to have a dual supplIer polIcy.
An addItIonal supplIer Is to be found.

Here Is one analysIs. How much of It do you agree wIth: What other InterpretatIons dId you make:

We: don't have any authorIty here. am rIsk averse and won't proceed wIthout support. We have strIct and lengthy
procurement procedures here, expect to negotIate for months.
are IookIng: lIke to stay In the present, there Is no compellIng reason to act and work better wIth my vIsual sense
than verbally, so show me a pIcture. am process orIentated rather than goal orIentated so may relate to a roadmap or
ongoIng relatIonshIp rather than a sImple transactIon.
an aIternatIve: s thIs In addItIon to or to replace a current supplIer(s). How many supplIers do they have: How many
do they want: What Is drIvIng thIs need: 0oes "an" mean they are lookIng for only one addItIonal supplIer:
suppIIer: Nouns tend to come wIth sIgnIfIcant cultural baggage so alternatIves such as "partner" or "vendor" may not
be approprIate. t Is therefore harder to deduce hIdden meanIng. However a very useful technIque Is sImply to clarIfy
what the person means when usIng the noun. E.g. What are you lookIng for In a supplIer: t Is hIghly lIkely that thIs Is
the lIne of enquIry that gets pursued.

2
Workplace 8asIcs: The skIlls Employers Want, AmerIcan socIety for TraInIng and 0evelopment 1989. expect wIth the
growth of emaIl and Instant messagIng the above ratIos wIll have changed. ThIs wIll be balanced by the extensIve use
of conference calls.
When use a word, Humpty 0umpty saId In rather a scornful tone. t means
just what choose It to mean neIther more or less. LewIs Caroll
0ate 21/04/2005 Page J6 of 78

Note that the word "supplIer" could have been replaced wIth almost any noun, e.g. book, and the analysIs and
questIons are stIll meanIngful.

To translate thIs theory Into practIce use the actIve lIstenIng worksheet to quIckly capture an Introductory remark
made at a meetIng and perform some analysIs. f you can do thIs In real tIme that Is excellent, but you mIght want to
practIce the skIll offlIne fIrst. WhIlst you are doIng thIs analysIs In real tIme the dIscussIon wIll have moved on but wIll
probably only have consIdered part of the meanIng of the sentence. At a convenIent poInt e.g. whIlst summarIsIng, or
seekIng to clarIfy take the dIscussIon back to explore some of the other angles.

UsIng adjectIves Is one of the easIest ways of expressIng feelIngs. WIth some people It Is obvIous to tell what they feel
strongly about, especIally If you are on the receIvIng end of loud abuse. For other, more mIldly mInded, It can be
harder. The ActIve LIstenIng work sheet also helps you assess feelIngs through adjectIves. The more adjectIves used
the stronger the person feels and hence the more compellIng your reason to acknowledge the Issue.
5.4.1 ActIve uestIonIng
FollowIng on from ActIve LIstenIng Is the abIlIty to relate the questIon to all the InformatIon receIved In ActIve
LIstenIng. ThIs skIll Is also developed In the worksheets and Is explored further In the Three Level QuestIonIng
TechnIque.


5.5 Three Level QuestIonIng TechnIque

The ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng accelerator wIll have helped us ask questIons In a way and usIng terms that the
person we are askIng relates to most easIly. ThIs actIvIty Is about askIng questIons on three dIfferent levels In order to
get to the core reason why the person belIeves what they belIeve, or wants what they want. At Its most superfIcIal
level It adopts the questIonIng style of a normal three year old. Just keep askIng Why. Why: Why: Why: At the more
sophIstIcated level It allows us to fInd someone's core values and belIefs.

The actIvIty Is deceptIvely sImple but requIres practIce to be able to do well wIthout appearIng lIke the host of The
Weakest LInk game show or the SpanIsh nquIsItIon.

The fIrst level Is askIng questIons about the facts of the sItuatIon, the what, where, who, and how questIons:
The second level seeks to fInd out what those facts mean to the person.
The thIrd level, what Is Important to the person about these meanIngs.

And that's It.

An example.

What dId you do last nIght: We went for a meal
Where dId you go: We went to the new Nepalese.
The fIrst level of questIonIng Is to gather InformatIon and facts and wIll often use questIons based on who, what, when
where. ThIs type of InformatIon does not normally requIre a strong relatIonshIp and hIgh levels of trust between the
partIes.

0Id you lIke It: 7ery much so.
Why dId you chose Nepalese: We were Interested In meetIng some Churkhas.
The second level seeks to fInd out what they mean to the person. Note that meanIng Is personal. 0Ifferent people wIll
put dIfferent meanIng on the same facts. |ore trust Is requIred to get honest answers to these questIons.

What made you Interested: We saw a documentary on how Important the Churkhas
have been to the 8rItIsh Army and how they are not
treated equally.
Why Is that Important to you: belIeve In treatIng people faIrly.
Why do you feel that way: |y grandfather dIed In a concentratIon camp.

The thIrd level requIres the hIghest levels of trust and seeks to understand why we do or feel thIngs - what makes It
Important to the person. What our values and attItudes are.

ThIs example probably over exaggerates the speed of the technIque but you can see how by drIllIng down you can get
to what makes the person tIck. TypIcally you wIll get more than one answer, certaInly at the fIrst level and often at
the second. n these cases the three level technIque would focus on what Is most Important to the person.

The three levels are:
EstablIsh the facts,
0etermIne what those facts mean to the person (not you), and
FInd out why that Is Important.

The Important thIng Is not to stop questIonIng. Albert EInsteIn.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page J8 of 78

5.6 DbservIng EffectIve CommunIcatIon

ThIs development actIvIty Is about observIng the Impact people have when they speak; how people Influence each
other. Apply thIs technIque when someone Is tryIng to Influence someone else. The technIque Is not very InformatIve
If used for observIng general conversatIon.
The technIque can be applIed equally well to meetIngs and conference calls. ThIs actIvIty focuses on how effectIve
Subject |atter Experts are at puttIng theIr poInt across. t works best when a technIcal opInIon Is beIng challenged.

n part of the meetIng or conference call where your actIve contrIbutIon Is unlIkely to be needed:
For the fIrst fIve mInutes dentIfy an attendee who Is there as a technIcal expert. f you have a choIce select the one
that Is contrIbutIng most or seems best to typIfy a TechnIcal Leader. We wIll refer to thIs person as "the fellow".

For the next 5 mInutes document everythIng thIng the fellow says Into the followIng three categorIes:
1. Forceful statements expressIng an opInIon or gIvIng an InstructIon
2. Factual statements or questIons gIvIng or seekIng InformatIon wIthout opInIon
J. FeelIng statements expressIng an emotIonal state or dIsagreement.

0ocument thIs as follows:
A forceful poInt Is documented as "\"
A factual poInt Is documented as ""
And a feelIng poInt Is documented as "/"

For each comment record the response underneath usIng the same codIng system.
And underneath that your assessment of the effectIveness of your fellow In movIng theIr case forward, establIshIng
theIr reputatIon, or wInnIng an argument.

Use "+" for posItIve contrIbutIon
"" for negatIve contrIbutIon
"0" for neutral contrIbutIon

After 5 mInutes stop notIng the dIalogue and make a brIef note of the subject of the dIscussIon to help jog your
memory later.
Fecord your learnIng poInts from the observatIon on the worksheet.

Not necessarIly at the same meetIng but repeat the exercIse, say three tImes, and then net out your personal learnIng
poInt. What are you goIng to do dIfferently as a result of thIs InsIght:
ConsIder dIscussIng wIth your coach or mentor.

The accompanyIng worksheet can be used to capture thIs InformatIon.
ThIs technIque Is loosely based on the Parent, Adult, ChIld model of Thomas HarrIs In hIs book 'm DK You're DK.

The followIng example demonstrates the process. n the text that follows have heavIly edIted the responses from
Noam Chomsky for brevIty. ThIs does means some of the detaIl and specIfIcs he gIves to support hIs argument are lost
and the arguments are less persuasIve because of It. n assessIng the contrIbutIon the statement makes to the
dIscussIon It Is fIrst necessary to agree on what the purpose of the dIscussIon Is. There are at least two optIons here.
EIther It Is prImarIly a pIece of entertaInment or It Is to Inform us as to what Noam Chomsky's vIews are on
propaganda. t Is of course both but the analysIs gIven assumes It Is prImarIly to Inform us and my assessment Is based
on how effectIve Andrew |arr Is beIng In gettIng us InterestIng InformatIon or convIncIng Noam Chomsky of hIs vIews.
I.e. the analysIs treats Andrew as the expert. You may wIsh to prInt out eIther the analysIs or the text so you can
compare. have numbered the statements made for ease of cross referencIng; you don't need to do thIs.

Extracts from - The Ig Idea - IntervIew wIth Noam Chomsky
rItIsh roadcastIng CorporatIon, 16 transcrIbed by 0aragh hc0onneII
The following is a transcript of "The Big Idea" - a half hour interview between Noam Chomsky and British
journalist Andrew Marr, first aired by the BBC in February, 1996.
n 1969 publIshed a small book on HumIlIty. t was a pIoneerIng work whIch has
not, to my knowledge, been superseded. Lord Longford.

Professor Chomsky, could we start by listening to you explain what the "Propaganda Model", as
you call it, is. For many people, the idea that propaganda is used by democratic, rather than merely
authoritarian governments will be a strange one.
2Chomsky: Well... the term "propaganda" fell into disfavour around the Second World War, but in the
1920's and the 1930's, ..... but the agenda-setting media, the ones that set the framework for
everyone else (like the New York Times and the Washington Post, and so on), these are the major
corporations ...Their market is advertisers, that is, other businesses; their product is relatively
privileged audiences, more or less...
3So they're selling audiences to...
4They're selling privileged audiences - these are big corporations selling privileged audiences to other
corporations. Now the question is, what picture of the world would a rational person expect to come out of
this structure? Then we draw some conclusions about what you would expect, and then we check, and yes
- that's the picture of the world that comes out.
5And is this anything more than the idea that, basically, the press is relatively right wing, with some
exceptions, because it's owned by big business - which is a truism, it's well known?
6Well, I would call the press relatively liberal. Here I agree with the right wing critics. So, especially the
New York Times and the Washington Post, which are called, without a trace of irony - the New York Times
is called the "establishment left" . but what's not recognised is that the role of the liberal intellectual
establishment is to set very sharp bounds on how far you can go - "this far, and no further".
7Give me some examples of that...
8Well, let's take say, the Vietnam War - probably the leading critic . is Anthony Lewis of the New York
Times, who did finally come around to opposing the Vietnam War about 1969 - about a year and a half
after Corporate America had more or less ordered Washington to call it off, and his picture from then on is
that the war (as he put it) began with blundering efforts to do good, but it ended up by 1969 being a
disaster and costing us too much - and that's the criticism...
9So, what would the "non-propaganda model" have told Americans about the Vietnam War at the same
time?
10Same thing that the mainstream press was telling them about Afghanistan. The United States invaded
South [Vietnam]... had first of all in the 1950s set up a standard Latin American-style terror state, which
had massacred tens of thousands of people, but was unable to control local uprising ... and when
Kennedy came in, in 1961, they had to make a decision, because the South [Vietnamese] government
was collapsing under local attack, so the U.S. just invaded the country. In 1961 the U.S. air force started
bombing South Vietnamese civilians, authorised Napalm crop destruction... then in 1965 - January,
February 1965 - the next major escalation took place against South Vietnam, not against North Vietnam -
that was a sideshow - that's what an honest press would be saying, but you can't find a trace of it.
11Now, if the press is a censoring organisation, tell me how that works - you're not suggesting that
proprietors phone one another up, or that many journalists get their copy "spiked", as we say?
12It's actually... Orwell, you may recall, has an essay called "Literary Censorship in England" .. in which
he points out "look, I'm writing about a totalitarian society, but in free, democratic England, it's not all
that different", and then he says unpopular ideas can be silenced without any force, and then he gives a
two sentence response..: He says, two reasons - first, the press is owned by wealthy men who have every
interest in not having certain things appear but second, the whole educational system from the beginning
on through gets you to understand that there are certain things you just don't say. Well, spelling these
things out, that's perfectly correct - I mean, the first sentence is what we expanded...
13This is what I don't get, because it suggests - I mean, I'm a journalist - people like me are "self-
censoring"...
14No - not self-censoring. There's a filtering system that starts in kindergarten and goes all the way
through.. - it selects for obedience and subordination, and especially...
15So, stroppy people won't make it to positions of influence...
16There'll be "behaviour problems" or... if you read applications to a graduate school, you see that people
will tell you "he doesn't get along too well with his colleagues" - you know how to interpret those things.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 40 of 78

17I'm just interested in this because I was brought up, like a lot of people, probably post-Watergate film
and so on, to believe that journalism was a crusading craft, and that there were a lot of disputatious,
stroppy, difficult people in journalism, and I have to say, I think I know some of them.
18Well, I know some of the best... best-known investigative reporters in the United States - I won't
mention names - whose attitude toward the media is much more cynical than mine. In fact, they regard
the media as a sham. ... If they see a little opening they'll try to squeeze something in that ordinarily
wouldn't make it through. And it's perfectly true that this is a crusading profession, adversarial, "We stand
up against power", very self-serving view. On the other hand, in my opinion, I hate to make a value
judgement but, the better journalists, and in fact, the ones who are often regarded as the best
journalists, have quite a different picture and, I think, a very realistic one.
19How can you know that I'm self-censoring? How can you know that journalists are...
20I don't say you're self-censoring - I'm sure you believe everything you're saying; but what I'm saying
is, if you believed something different, you wouldn't be sitting where you're sitting.
...
21Let me come up to a more modern war, which was the Gulf War which, again, looking at the press in
Britain and watching television, I was very, very well aware of anti-Gulf War dissidence...
22Were you?
23The "no blood for oil" campaigns, and I have the...
24That's not the dissidence...
25"No blood for oil" isn't the dissidence?
26No. Saddam Hussein's attack on Kuwait took place on August 2
nd
. Within a few days, the great fear in
Washington was that Saddam Hussein was going to withdraw and leave a puppet government. ...
29.....One more example, which will have some resonance in Britain and Europe, is the great
argument over the North American Free Trade Association - the NAFTA argument - where...
30This is an interesting one.
31... if there is something which one could describe as a global opposition movement, that is, trade
union-, environmental-, community-based, then it was certainly present in the anti-NAFTA...
32Shall I tell you what happened?
33Well...
34Shall I tell you what happened?
35What I was going to say is that...
36Never reported...
37... those arguments were well... we were well aware of those arguments.
38No! That is flatly false. They were not permitted into the press, and I documented this. I'll give you
references if you like.
39We read all about it in Britain is all I will say.
40No you did not; for example...
41I'm sorry, but we did...
42Well, let me ask you: Did you read the report of the Office of Technology Association of Congress?
43Well...
44Sorry - did you read the report of the Labour Advisory Committee?
45Well, I don't get these reports, but I read...


Analysis
Force full statement expressIng an opInIon or gIvIng an InstructIon coded a "\"
Factual statement or questIon gIvIng InformatIon wIthout opInIon coded as ""
FeelIng statement expressIng an emotIonal state or dIsagreement. Coded as /

After each response record what contrIbutIon thIs exchange has made to the experts case
PosItIve: +, Neutral 0, or NegatIve -

Number 1 J 5 7 9 11 1J 15 17 19 21 2J 25 29 J1 JJ J5 J7 J9 41 4J 45
Sentence
type
\ \ \ \ \ \ / \ \ \ \ \ \ / / \
Number 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 J0 J2 J4 J6 J8 40 42 44 46
Fesponse
type
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ / \ \ \ / /
ContrIbutIon + + + + + + + + 0 0 + + 0
Notes:
2.Chomsky Is a recognIsed authorIty In thIs area so gIven It Is hIs opInIon that Is beIng sought we should see lot's of
these responses
J. |arr tests understandIng and gets clarIfIcatIon - he hasn't quIte understood
4. and we learn more as a result
5 s thIs an opInIon or a statement of fact: Chomsky treats It as opInIon
6 and gIves a dIfferent vIew. s |arr delIberately takIng a counter posItIon to encourage Chomsky to gIve hIs vIews:
7 and 8 classIc open questIon seekIng InformatIon, whIch elIcIts a lot of InformatIon
9. another open questIon, wIth more facts
11. ThIs sounds lIke a rhetorIcal questIon, I.e. an opInIon
12. whIch Chomsky doesn't go along wIth but agaIn we get more InformatIon, so posItIve response. f thIs was not an
IntervIew thInk Chomsky would be startIng to get IrrItated by |arr's vIews and the contrIbutIon turn negatIve.
1J and 14 the same as 5 and 6 , Chomsky counters |arr's assessment.
15 and 16 an opInIon from |arr but It could be a factual response gIven the reference to graduate applIcatIons. 8y the
way do you agree wIth these assertIons:
17 ThIs Is |arr's most forceful statement to date. He Is settIng hImself up as an expert wIth dIfferent vIews
18 and do we get much out of the reply:
19 am ImagInIng the tone here In order to make an assessment that thIs Is a feelIng statement.
20 whIch elIcIts a personal response whIch doesn't add much to what we already know.
21 personal vIews from |arr whIch get Interrupted before the questIon
22 and now Chomsky Is askIng the questIons
2J and 24 and challenges |arr's statements
25 and 26 |arr's dIsbelIef does provIde more InformatIon. ThIs could be coded as eIther a questIon or an emotIonal
statement of dIsbelIef.
27 and 28 |arr's facts are agaIn dIsputed but elIcIt a full response. Would the same be true In a customer sItuatIon:
29 and J0|arr moves to another area to the obvIous delIght of Chomsky, so have rated thIs + as we are clearly goIng
to get further InsIght.
J1 however |arr contInues wIth hIs vIews and Chomsky Is frustrated In beIng unable to gIve us the InterestIng
InformatIon.
J2 to J7 and although thIs Is posed as a questIon It Is really a statement - "Let me tell you what happened" and |arr
trIes to push on. The use of "Well" meanIng "No don't want to lIsten to your poInt . You lIsten to mIne".
J8 and after these exchanges we get an angry response whIch have coded as neutral Impact because of the offer of
more InformatIon.
J9 however |arr contInues makIng hIs poInt
40 and Chomsky dIsagreeIng
41 and |arr dIsagreeIng untIl
42 Chomsky asks |arr a questIon whIch looks lIke It mIght lead somewhere.
4J |arr Is dubIous about the change of dIrectIon and we are not makIng much progress
44 Chomsky repeats the questIon
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 42 of 78

45 |arr Is on the defensIve and hIs credIbIlIty as an expert (whIch he Is not supposed to be here) Is dImInIshed. So from
|arr's perspectIve although good entertaInment we are not beIng Informed.

The purpose of the above example was to demonstrate the technIque In use. 8ecause of the dIfferent dynamIcs of an
IntervIew any learnIng poInts we can draw about patterns of InteractIon wIll be less relevant to our sItuatIons where
we are tryIng to persuade somebody of somethIng. SInce thIs was a real dIscussIon It Is hopefully helpful In descrIbIng
the technIque and also demonstratIng that In real lIfe categorIsIng statements Is a personal judgement call. We all
Interpret InformatIon dIfferently and would be very surprIsed If you agreed wIth all of the above analysIs.

What to look out for In the analysIs.
What types of statement had the most Impact on movIng a posItIon forward:
What types of statement had the least Impact:
0o certaIn types of statements generate certaIn types of responses:


5.7 ExplaInIng EffectIvely - Kolb learnIng cycle

n 1971, 0r. 0avId Kolb IdentIfIed a cycle of experIences whIch everyone goes through as they perceIve and process
InformatIon.

Why what are my reasons for doIng thIs: How can make sense of thIs:
What am clear about what's requIred:
How what specIfIc actIon Is requIred:
What f What mIght crop up that hasn't been planned for: How else can thIs be used:

why
whof how
whof if

The abIlIty to absorb InformatIon and take actIon Is most effectIve when the InformatIon Is presented In sequence
startIng wIth why - the reason why It Is Important to the person receIvIng the InformatIon. t Is worth repeatIng that
last phrase agaIn. "Why" refers to why It Is Important to the person receIvIng the InformatIon not the gIver of the
InformatIon.

ThIs may seem IntuItIve when presented lIke thIs but Kolb's research went much further and we can use hIs fIndIngs to
Improve how we communIcate and Influence. Kolb determIned that we all have a preference for one of the quadrants
over the others, I.e. we fInd one way of perceIvIng/processIng InformatIon Is the most comfortable, and we tend to
have another area whIch Is our weakest area.

f we dIve straIght Into the 'what', the 'why' people won't assImIlate the InformatIon because they don't have a
reason for doIng so or a context to apply It to. f we gave to much 'How', people may not have been able to follow
what we are sayIng because we weren't clear about what was requIred or the scope of the job.

Here Is a sImple example

Why How would It be If you could get your expenses paId faster:
The purpose of thIs note Is to tell you about a new expense system, whIch we'll all be
able to use next month.
What ThIs Is an onlIne system whIch can process 100 claIms per mInute. t was developed In
Duter |ongolIa, and Is now a worldwIde standard. You'll fInd more detaIls on
wJ.xxxx.com.
How You access the system by clIckIng on xxx. nItIal regIstratIon takes about 10 mInutes,
thereafter, access Is Instant all you'll need Is your orIgInal receIpts.
What If f you can't access the web durIng normal offIce hours, or for any other reason, you may
stIll use the paperbased system and have It sIgned by your manager. For any other
questIons, contact me.

The followIng table gIves sample questIons that could be covered In each quadrant to ensure we gIve a complete and
hopefully persuasIve reason for actIon.

CommunIcatIon Is the art of beIng understood. Peter UstInov
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 44 of 78

What f = FIsks or further
opportunItIes

What are the ImplIcatIons:
How realIstIc Is thIs:
What are the rIsks:
What could get In the way:
What else:
Where else applIcable:

Why = |otIvatIon

Why are you doIng thIs:
What Is the purpose:
What are the benefIts:

How = ActIon

How are we goIng to do It:
Who wIll do what, where and when:
What ground rules do we need:
How wIll we coordInate and organIse:

What = ClarIty

What Is the goal:
What are the relevant facts:
What Is the delIverable:
What Is the prIorIty:
What are the tImescales:

The mInI-what
To gIve an overall frame to our communIcatIon, note or presentatIon It Is necessary to precede It wIth a 'mInIwhat',
whIch Is typIcally a short sentence whIch explaIns the context. E.g.
ThIs note Is about a new servIce.
ThIs presentatIon Is about our strategIc dIrectIon for thIs year.

Note that thIs structure works effectIvely for all forms of communIcatIon, IncludIng emaIl, face to face and
presentatIons.

A more In depth analysIs and applIcatIon of thIs technIque Is covered In 8| HF learnIng course "LeadIng through
change" whIch was the source for much of thIs materIal.

Use the worksheet to determIne your preferred and weak communIcatIon areas.

5.7.1 AddItIonaI tIps
PowerPoInt can be a powerful tool to use to get your poInt across but It Is not always approprIate consIder the
medIum as well as the message. Chalk and talk can be much more InteractIve and feel more lIstener focused than
presenter focused. For an example of where a presentatIon Is not approprIate see
http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/
Any argument Improves wIth practIce. Whether the occasIon Is formal or Informal practIce your argument or
presentatIon on colleagues fIrst.
dentIfy Issues before gIvIng solutIons.
AvoId use of " thInk", "|ay be" and " am not sure" and If you don't know, say so.
CIve specIfIcs, dates, names and numbers but steer clear of speedsandfeeds unless they pass the 'so what' test.
t Is easy for Subject |atter Experts to appear arrogant. Try quotIng authorItatIve sources such as analysts, product
managers and other customers to establIsh credIbIlIty and where possIble ask for feedback.
|etaphors are language's amphetamInes feedIng Ideas straIght Into the braIn.
DpInIons comprIse InformatIon, vIew poInts, values, and feelIngs. LIsteners wIll value your opInIons only when they
are comfortable that your vIew poInt and values are In agreement wIth theIr own so that they can share the same
feelIngs.
As Subject |atter Experts we are skIlled In analysIng facts and comIng to the best and obvIous solutIon whIch we
then want to get accepted as quIckly as possIble thus beIng ImpressIvely effIcIent. How often are we successful
wIth thIs approach: Try developIng multIple solutIons - all tasty, and promote them all equally, then lIsten to the
response. UnvoIced requIrements or prIorItIes wIll often emerge makIng your prevIous "best" solutIon take second
place to one of your alternatIves. We all lIke choIce and we rarely know what we really want untIl the ImplIcatIons
of what we have asked for are explaIned.


5.8 WorkIng the Network

|ovIng from Subject |atter Expert to TechnIcal Leader means havIng a depth of knowledge across such a broad range
of areas that It Is ImpossIble to gaIn and maIntaIn by fIrst hand experIence. You wIll need to rely on others. You wIll
need to develop a network of contacts that:
Are experts In theIr fIeld.
Are people whose judgement and work you trust.
Fespect your judgement and leadershIp.
Are responsIve to your requests for InformatIon.

Such networks take tIme and attentIon to nurture. ThIs SkIll Accelerator Is therefore about assessIng the health of your
network. Unfortunately at present there are very few benchmarks avaIlable that we can use as IndIcators. At the E|EA
Systems ArchItects conference In Dctober 2004 the average results from J6 Systems ArchItects on theIr use of Instant
messagIng was as follows:
Number of names In Instant messagIng lIst: 66 (102)
Number of names not In same busIness: J9
(the measure here was If they have a dIfferent second lIne manager)
Number outsIde same busIness who contacted them In last 5 days: 9
Number outsIde same busIness who they contacted In last 5 days: 9
Number of new names In last 4 weeks: (IndIcatIng vItalIty) J (8)

There was very lIttle dIfference by band except for the SenIor ConsultIng SpecIalIsts where the average sIze of the lIst
was 102 and the average number of new names In last 4 weeks was 8.

The above InformatIon may be of Interest and If It makes you questIon your contact lIsts thIs Is excellent but the J6
respondents were not selected as role models so It would be unwIse to use the above fIgures as representIng a "gold"
standard.

A great place for developIng and strengthenIng your network are conferences. Whether you are attendIng as a
presenter or delegate make good use of them to refresh old contacts and make new ones. n most cultures the more
you physIcally meet someone the more you are lIkely to trust them. t Is quIte common In Japan for example for no
busIness to be conducted on a fIrst meetIng. The meetIng Is for establIshIng relatIonshIps.

The accompanyIng worksheet focus on askIng you to thInk about your network today, consIder how you would lIke It to
be then to seek to Improve It over a month.
Knowledge Is of two kInds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know
where we can fInd InformatIon upon It. Samuel Johnson 1775.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 46 of 78

5.9 8ehavIour styles and Team Foles

WhIlst we are all dIfferent we tend to adopt specIfIc roles when workIng In groups or teams. There are a number of
dIfferent categorIsatIons of these roles and one of the most famous Is by 0r. F |eredIth 8elbIn a |anagement
Consultant whose book '|anagement Teams why they succeed or faIl' fIrst publIshed In 1981 establIshed the 8elbIn
Team Foles. For more InformatIon on 8elbIn hIs books, products, and IndIvIdual assessments see
http://www.belbIn.com/belbInteamroles.htm

The team roles he defInes are gIven In the table below.
8elbIn Team Fole
Type
Abbrev
IatIon
ContrIbutIons Allowable Weaknesses
Plant PL
CreatIve, ImagInatIve, unorthodox. Solves
dIffIcult problems.
gnores IncIdentals. Too preoccupIed
to communIcate effectIvely.
CoordInator CO
|ature, confIdent, a good chaIrperson.
ClarIfIes goals, promotes decIsIonmakIng,
delegates well.
Can often be seen as manIpulatIve. Dff
loads personal work.
|onItor Evaluator ME
Sober, strategIc and dIscernIng. Sees all
optIons. Judges accurately.
Lacks drIve and abIlIty to InspIre
others.
mplementer IMP
0IscIplIned, relIable, conservatIve and
effIcIent. Turns Ideas Into practIcal actIons.
Somewhat InflexIble. Slow to respond
to new possIbIlItIes.
Completer FInIsher CP
PaInstakIng, conscIentIous, anxIous.
Searches out errors and omIssIons. 0elIvers
on tIme.
nclIned to worry unduly. Feluctant to
delegate.
Fesource
nvestIgator
RI
Extrovert, enthusIastIc, communIcatIve.
Explores opportunItIes. 0evelops contacts.
Dver optImIstIc. Loses Interest once
InItIal enthusIasm has passed.
Shaper SH
ChallengIng, dynamIc, thrIves on pressure.
The drIve and courage to overcome
obstacles
Prone to provocatIon. Dffends people's
feelIngs
Team worker TW
CooperatIve, mIld, perceptIve and
dIplomatIc. LIstens, buIlds, averts frIctIon.
ndecIsIve In crunch sItuatIons.
SpecIalIst SP
SInglemInded, selfstartIng, dedIcated.
ProvIdes knowledge and skIlls In rare
supply.
ContrIbutes only on a narrow front.
0wells on technIcalItIes.

s thIs you "SInglemInded, selfstartIng, and dedIcated. ProvIdes knowledge and skIlls In rare supply.": What about
the 'Allowable Weakness': '0wells on technIcalItIes.' What a superb verb 'dwells', Is. Homely, comfortIng but
overstayIng ones welcome. Almost In the 0ouglas Adams "|ostly Harmless" category. t Is InterestIng to note that the
SpecIalIst role wasn't In 8elbIn's orIgInal team roles but he clearly felt It was a domInant enough behavIour and
necessary and dIstInct enough that It had to be Included. As a technIcal leader what secondary role would you feel
comfortable adoptIng:

"ProactIve people focus theIr efforts In the CIrcle of nfluence. They
work on thIngs they can do somethIng about. The nature of theIr
energy Is posItIve, enlargIng and magnIfyIng, causIng theIr CIrcle of
nfluence to Increase.

FeactIve people, on the other hand, focus theIr efforts In the CIrcle
of Concern. They focus on the weakness of other people, the
problems of the envIronment, and cIrcumstances over whIch they
have no control...The negatIve energy generated by that focus,
combIned wIth neglect In areas they could do somethIng about,
causes theIr CIrcle of nfluence to shrInk."
Stephen Covey: The Seven HabIts of HIghly EffectIve People.
CIrcle of Concern

CIrcle of
nfluence

8elbIn's books explore team composItIon and dynamIcs. Dur Interest In thIs guIde Is on ImprovIng the competencIes
that we are focused on, CommunIcatIon, Teamwork and nfluence. ThIs accelerator Is aImed at ImprovIng the
effectIveness of our communIcatIon by askIng approprIate questIons to the rIght people and framIng the questIons In
an approprIate way.

The reason for IncludIng Stephen Covey's quote at the start of thIs sectIon Is to make the poInt that the purpose of
analysIng these team roles In thIs way Is to enable us to adapt our own behavIour to better contrIbute, rather than
crItIcIse roles we are not In tune wIth.

WIth reference to the accompanyIng worksheet, there Is nothIng partIcularly sophIstIcated about thIs accelerator and
there Is much more you can get out of an understandIng of these team roles than Is covered here.

f thIs glImpse Into 8elbIn dIdn't work for you then another analysIs of behavIoural styles suggests that we fall In to one
of two camps. We are eIther TDWAF0S type people, drIven by targets focused on goals or
AWAY FFD| type people, avoIdIng problems and preventIng problems. Next tIme you are sIttIng round a table wIth a
group of people try ImagInIng a bIg "Towards" or "Away From" neon sIgn over theIr heads. What happens when you
adopt the same style or opposIte style:
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 48 of 78

5.10 PreparIng for meetIngs
We never seem to have enough tIme. Now Is never soon enough. n thIs clImate It Is all to easy too lurch from one
meetIng to the next, conference call to conference call, emaIl to attentIon seekIng emaIl, wIth lIttle tIme to thInk In
between. And what do we do wIth the lIttle precIous thInkIng tIme we do have: We satIsfy our technIcal curIosIty and
protect our reputatIon as Subject |atter Experts by keepIng current and learnIng more about our area of expertIse.
Call preparatIon suffers. ThIs accelerator brIefly remInds us that focusIng on the process can help us be more effectIve
and make better use of our tIme.

Dne revIewer of thIs guIde taken wIth the weaponry career metaphor used earlIer noted that you could treat a meetIng
lIke a battlefIeld and send In the drones before exposIng yourself to danger. ThIs way you wIll have the IntellIgence to
ensure you have the approprIate munItIons wIth you. So fInd out about the meetIng.

TopIc Felevance
Who has asked for the meetIng: 0oes thIs person understand how you can contrIbute:
Am the rIght person for thIs role:
Why Is It beIng held: What Is the purpose: f there are optIons should the
optIons be dIscussed at the meetIng or before:
Could my contrIbutIon be done by phone or
electronIcally: 0o need to attend:
Why Is the meetIng beIng held now: Are there tIme pressures you need to be aware of or
has somethIng changed recently:
What other meetIngs or calls have taken place: What Issues came out of them and are there any other
InfluentIal people Involved that are not at the
meetIng:
Who wIll be attendIng and why: And what are theIr Interests: ThIs wIll help you
prepare. What level of understandIng do they have:
Are there colleagues attendIng who could cover your
role to save you tIme:
What responsIbIlItIes do the attendees have and are they
lIkely to be frIendly or hostIle:
ThIs agaIn wIll gIve an InsIght Into theIr Interests.
What Is expected of me: Not just at the meetIng but afterwards.
Have any specIfIc questIons, requIrements or concerns been
raIsed already:
Are there and documents or emaIls whIch would gIve
you more InsIght Into theIr Interests, or mInutes of
prevIous meetIngs:
Are there any recent announcements, problems or Issues that
could deraIl the meetIng or affect the clImate:
|eetIng purpose or agenda could change.
What Is the agenda and tImIng: Are you requIred for the whole meetIng:
How flexIble Is the agenda / tImIng: s the tImIng lIkely to change and can you Influence
the tImIng to better fIt In your schedule:
What facIlItIes are avaIlable: projector, whIte board flIp chart etc.
What outcomes would be regarded as successful and as not
successful:
The answer Is lIkely to be more specIfIc than the "why
Is the meetIng beIng held:" type questIon
0o you need support from anyone else at the meetIng: Have you arranged for thIs support:
How relIable do you thInk the answers you have been gIven
are:

s It worth checkIng some of the facts before the
meetIng: Would It be approprIate to contact the
customer of the meetIng (could be an Internal
customer or external customer) to clarIfy poInts prIor
to the meetIng:
How much tIme do need to prepare and have scheduled It: ConsIder the meetIngs Importance and allocate tIme
accordIngly.
What opportunItIes are there for career development: e.g. opportunItIes to learn about other topIcs, to
network, or to demonstrate leadershIp. Dr to practIce
a SkIll Accelerator.


5.11 |anagIng your manager

The premIse of chapter J Is that there are sIx requIrements to be met to progress as a technIcal leader:
1. Conform to cultural norms.
2. ContrIbute consIstently at a level more senIor than current posItIon.
J. 0emonstrate a wIllIngness and capabIlIty to take on Increased responsIbIlIty.
4. Ensure that those that can move your career forward understand your capabIlItIes and contrIbutIon In the fIrst
three attrIbutes. I.e. be vIsIble.
5. Have a real desIre for more responsIbIlIty and the abIlIty to be able to handle the Increased stresses.
6. 8e low maIntenance.

We also IdentIfIed that the person who assessed whether you meet these requIrements Is a manager, and to keep thIs
sectIon sImple we wIll assume that "a" manager Is your manager. For most technIcal specIalIsts the person that can
most Influence your career after yourself Is your manager so gIve thIs relatIonshIp some serIous thInkIng tIme.

|anagers are people too. The consequence of thIs statement Is that managers are essentIally schIzophrenIc.
SometImes they represent themselves, sometImes theIr department. 8ecause of the schIzophrenIc nature of your
manager your manager also needs to meet these sIx requIrements to progress. And he can't do It wIthout you. ThIs Is
good news for the aspIrIng technIcal leader as It gIves you two fronts on whIch to demonstrate your achIevement
agaInst these sIx crIterIa - the personal and the departmental.

Keep thIs thought In mInd as we break thIs SkIll Accelerator down Into the followIng sIx areas:
Understand you manager as a person
UnderstandIng your manager as head of a department
AssessIng sIgnIfIcance
How to demonstrate the value of your contrIbutIon
How and when to volunteer
|eetIngs wIth your manager

The assocIated worksheet for thIs SkIll Accelerator helps you profIle and track your manager InteractIons.

Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage, and
those who manage what they do not understand. Anon

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 50 of 78

5.11.1 Understand your manager as a person

Dne of the reasons for puttIng thIs accelerator last Is that In order to understand your manager you can use many of
the technIques you wIll have developed In prevIous accelerators such as: ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng, three level
questIonIng technIque, explaInIng effectIvely and behavIour styles. Use these technIques durIng all your InteractIons
(maIl, phone, and meetIngs) to buIld a profIle of your manager. An example Is gIven below and forms part of the
worksheet for thIs exercIse.

CharacterIstIc ExampIes
Preferred team role styles See sectIon 8ehavIour styles and Team Foles on page 46
Preferred drIvers from the 7P |odel See below.
7alues Dpenness - wIllIngness to express and share feelIngs
CreatIvIty - wIllIngness to accept new Ideas
Drder and clarIty
Team spIrIt, cooperatIon and faIrness
Success and achIevement
AttItude to rIsk CautIous, lot's of contIngency, proven approach. How
bullet proof does a proposal need to be.
AttItude to faIlure Strongly belIeves comIng through faIlure Is how we learn
and grow. Dne strIke and your out.
AttItude to recognItIon AnythIng any one does Is wonderful and should be shouted
from the tree tops. Every one Is a |other Teresa. NothIng
anyone does Is good enough, expects a patent fIlIng a
week.
CommunIcatIon styles Dnly communIcate when all the detaIls sorted.
CommunIcate frequently and often - It Is the only way
people know you are doIng anythIng.
CommunIcate progress as well as achIevement.
Structured, unstructured.
CommunIcatIon preferences Face to face, phone, emaIl.
Current concerns

To IdentIfy someone's values you need to lIsten and observe the topIcs they talk and wrIte about (when they have a
choIce), what gets theIr Interest, what do they focus on. TopIcs could be tIme, money, place, people, relatIonshIps,
etc. See: The 7P |odel on page 72 for more on our dIfferent behavIour drIvers.

There are two technIques that we often use when tryIng to manage our workload that need to be used wIth care wIth
your manager. These are the returned actIon and delegatIng upwards.
Peturned actIon: f you agree to do somethIng or are asked to do somethIng It Is temptIng to thInk that If you ask your
manager for more clarIfIcatIon or assIstance then the actIon has now returned to your manager. f you are new to the
company or department or the request Is novel then thIs Is a sensIble course of actIon. However If what you have been
asked to do Is routIne then returnIng the actIon makes you hIgh maIntenance and thIs Is not good. t slows your
manager down from doIng what he needs to do and InhIbIts you from beIng recognIsed as a leader. An example of
where returnIng the actIon would be seen as hIgh maIntenance would be requestIng InformatIon you have already been
gIven or Is avaIlable on the Intranet or your team room. E.g. completIng P8Cs or the process for applyIng for professIon
membershIp.
0eIegatIng upwards: There are many valId reasons for escalatIng Items to your manager, such as concerns over
complIance, exceptIons to polIcIes, or occasIonally when you know you can't complete all your Important actIons In
tIme and you need someone else to take ownershIp of some of your work. However repeatedly delegatIng these types
of Items would suggest eIther that you are out of control, lIght on learnIng, or need to Improve tIme management
skIlls.

5.11.2 Understand your manager as head of a department
What do the followIng have In common:
Fevenue targets
7alue of opportunItIes IdentIfIed
Expenses less than budget
Headcount as planned
UtIlIsatIon targets
Number of course attendees
Average satIsfactIon ratIngs
Number of new footprInts / lIcences
7alue of opportunIty clothIng
Number of new pIeces of ntellectual CapItal created
Average number of customer calls per week
Amount of ntellectual CapItal reuse
P8Cs completed by specIfIed date
ncentIve plans completed by gIven date
of department partIcIpatIng In surveys or mandatory educatIon.

They are all examples of metrIcs that your manager may be assessed agaInst In terms of P8C ratIngs and IncentIves.
(0on't managers have an excItIng tIme:)

t Is quIte lIkely that those objectIves your manager Is most concerned about wIll have been shared wIth you as part of
your P8C objectIves. t Is also quIte lIkely that at a conscIous or sub conscIous level you have chosen not to focus on
these aspects of your P8C as you consIder them secondary to your maIn technIcal work.
What you need to dIscover Is:
WhIch metrIcs are Important to your manager
How well your manager Is doIng at achIevIng hIs targets.
How well are you perceIved by your manager In supportIng these targets.
A manager who faIls to delIver on most targets could be seen as a faIlIng manager.

So the suggested learnIng poInts here are:
AssIst most where It would be of most value eIther to your manager or to you.
8e responsIve to requests for InformatIon or complIance wIth an executIve dIrectIve. ThIs means your manager
won't have to spend tIme chasIng you and wIll help wIth beIng perceIved as low maIntenance.
AntIcIpate what InformatIon your manager Is lIkely to want and maIntaIn It so provIdIng It at short notIce Is no
problem.
AntIcIpate what skIlls or knowledge wIll be requIred next and gaIn them.

5.11.3 AssessIng sIgnIfIcance
ConsIder the followIng:
nstalled wIdget 4.6
confIgured unIversal cluster management Infrastructure versIon 1.
desIgned the hIgh speed synchronous Interface between the old fuzzy thIng and the new shIny thIng
persuaded customer to start proof of concept
SIzed the workload
demonstrated the advantages of wIfe J.1 over gIrlfrIend 6.9
organIsed a drInk In a hostelry.

What Is the sIgnIfIcance of these: 0o they pass the so what test:
What would make these sIgnIfIcant: ConsIder:

nstalled wIdget 4.6 In under a day, despIte the fact had not seen the product before and It normally takes three
days. The customer was delIghted. was able to do thIs because reused Intellectual capItal.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 52 of 78

confIgured UnIversal Cluster |anagement nfrastructure versIon 1. ThIs was the fIrst confIguratIon In E|EA and
revIewed the confIguratIon wIth the 0evelopment |anager who complImented me on the robustness and elegance
of the desIgn.
desIgned the hIgh speed synchronous Interface between the old fuzzy thIng and the new shIny thIng. ThIs has
been revIewed by the 0esIgn AuthorIty and accepted as part of the archItecture. The IntegratIon of these two
systems was what dIfferentIated our proposal from the competItIon who saId It could not be done.
persuaded customer to start a proof of concept. ThIs wIll be the fIrst tIme thIs customer has evaluated new
technology before there Is an explIcIt busIness project and could result In a S5m order comIng thIs year rather than
next.
sIzed the workload for what wIll be the largest system In the UK and the ArchItect who normally only trusts hIs
contact In the E|EA team has accepted my sIzIngs.
demonstrated the advantages of wIfe J.1 over gIrlfrIend 6.9 and thIs to a customer who has been a bachelor bIgot
for twenty years and hasn't come to an 8| event before.
organIsed a drInk In a hostelry and as you well know many people are known for not beIng able to do thIs.
5.11.4 How to demonstrate the vaIue of your contrIbutIon
f your manager Is a handson technIcal manager who understands the technologIes you are dealIng wIth then the
sIgnIfIcance of the actIvItIes descrIbed above should be well understood. f not, you may need to explaIn further.
Father than you doIng thIs, use a respected thIrd party to confIrm the sIgnIfIcance.
The thIrd party must be respected wIthIn the area they are commentIng on, so for example:
A sales manager or busIness manager to assess busIness sIgnIfIcance.
A technIcal specIalIst more senIor or more specIalIsed In the specIfIc area than yourself to assess the technIcal
ImplIcatIons.

You can do thIs sImply by forwardIng notes to your manager that complIment you on your achIevement.
Note however that an emaIl from a sales manager praIsIng your technIcal skIlls won't be all that ImpressIve unless your
manager has hIgh regard for the sales manager's apprecIatIon of technology Issues.

Dne advantage of usIng a thIrd party, If you are not naturally a showman, Is that whIlst sIngIng your own praIses may
be embarrassIng passIng on someone else's praIse can be done wIth modest acquIescence. TheIr support wIll not only
add credIbIlIty but also memorabIlIty to your contrIbutIon.

You can make thIs process even more effectIve by:
KeepIng a log of all your good work.
LookIng out for mentIon of the project you have worked on, on the Intranet, In the press, In ExecutIve level
success storIes, and In newsletters and remInd your manager of your contrIbutIon.
FollowIng up on the outcome of sIgnIfIcant engagements sIx months or even a year later to see what further
busIness benefIt has occurred because of your work. ThIs Is partIcularly valuable for specIalIsts workIng early In a
sales cycle when the order doesn't arrIve tIll long after your Involvement has fInIshed.
CettIng the person whose judgment your manager trusts (eIther through personal knowledge or because of theIr
level of senIorIty) to wrIte dIrectly to or copy your manager. However don't assume your manager has read the
note, hIghlIght It explIcItly.

And don't forget to lInk your contrIbutIon to the metrIcs that your busIness and your manager see as most Important,
e.g. revenue, customer satIsfactIon.
5.11.5 How and when to voIunteer
|anagers need your assIstance to achIeve theIr goals, eIther personal or busIness. Not supportIng your manager wIll not
enhance your leadershIp aspIratIons. Therefore IdentIfy the thIngs your manager fInds hard to do that you fInd easy to
do. 8y volunteerIng to help wIth these Items you add value to the busIness at lIttle cost to yourself.

For example:
ProvIdIng technology expertIse - tools, spreadsheets, creatIng presentatIons.
PresentIng and promotIng the team.
UsIng your analytIcal skIlls.
What type of role does your manager take as part of the team: Are there roles mIssIng from your team that you
could easIly fIll lIke Plant or CoordInator:
f you don't lIke any of the ones your manager proposes, suggest one of your own.


When to say yes and when to say no
n the sectIon "0emonstrate a wIllIngness and capabIlIty to take on Increased responsIbIlIty" (page 16) we looked at
the dIfferent ways you could benefIt by acceptIng addItIonal work from your manager and lookIng for the wInwIn Is
clearly the best solutIon. Even If you can see lIttle ImmedIate benefIt from volunteerIng, consIder the other people In
your department and who else your manager could seek assIstance from. f you are one of the most approprIate and
have not already volunteered many tImes then you should consIder volunteerIng. f you are eventually goIng to do
whatever has been requested then you wIll get more respect If you say yes straIght away and then If necessary caveat
your answer rather than answer back wIth a lot of reasons why It would be dIffIcult or InapproprIate for you to assIst.

f there are clearly better qualIfIed candIdates, and you are already volunteerIng In many other areas, then sayIng no
Is perfectly acceptable.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 54 of 78

5.11.6 heetIngs wIth your manager
f your role Is prImarIly customer facIng you may have lIttle opportunIty to Interact wIth your manager, the maIn
opportunItIes beIng In oneon-one meetIngs or departmental meetIngs. These meetIngs should therefore be Important
to you to raIse your vIsIbIlIty, however by theIr nature they are Internal meetIngs so potentIally less Important than
customer calls. ThIs can lead to the followIng:

You are thInkIng Your |anager Is thInkIng
wIll not be able to make the meetIng wIth my manager.
What am workIng on Is far more Important and am sure
he wIll understand.
Dur busIness prIorItIes have changed. must make sure
let everyone know how It affects them when next have a
meetIng. t wIll be easIer to communIcate InteractIvely
than In an emaIl. Dr
|y busIness dIrector Is questIonIng what value everyone Is
addIng. must make sure understand the sIgnIfIcance of
the contrIbutIons my team are makIng.
|aybe It would have been polIte to let my manager know
that am too busy to attend.
|y best people manage to delIver the busIness and make
my meetIngs or at least reschedule.
Look, have turned up but haven't had tIme to prepare. wonder If he does thIs to customers:
No poInt goIng Into detaIls; my manager wouldn't
understand the sIgnIfIcance anyway.
Some specIfIc examples wIth names and metrIcs would
help me assess the sIgnIfIcance of thIs. f he can't explaIn
It so can understand how do customers react:

Your regular oneonone meetIngs and departmental meetIngs are Ideal opportunItIes for you to ensure your manager
understands the value of your contrIbutIons. f you don't use these opportunItIes what opportunItIes do you use:
ConsIder askIng your manager the followIng questIon: How many tImes In the last month dId you hear any news about
me: Dr "What posItIve news have you heard about me recently:

0Ifferent managers wIll have dIfferent prIorItIes In what they wIsh to revIew wIth you, but It wIll probably be along the
followIng lInes:

1. 8usIness contrIbutIon: How have you helped 8| be successful - thIs quarter and In the longer term
2. ComplIance wIth process and requests for InformatIon
J. SpecIfIc projects
4. Your Ideas and career development
5. Any other topIcs you wIsh to raIse

To earn the rIght to have your Ideas and development needs dIscussed your manager wIll need to have completed the
prevIous actIons so It Is In your Interests to mInImIse the tIme spent on Item 2.

n consIderIng addItIonal topIcs to raIse:
ApprecIate what your manager can change and what he can't change. There Is no poInt In gIvIng your manager
grIef on topIcs he can do nothIng about.
Ask for feedback, If not already provIded, and gIve feedback If there are thIngs your manager Is or Isn't doIng that
are affectIng you, such as communIcatIng too much or too
lIttle.
Why read
the guIde:
Feference
nformatIon
Why read
the guIde:
CompetencIes
to focus on
Career
|echanIcs
SkIlls 0evelopment
Theory
SkIlls 0evelopment
PractIce
f thIs Is your fIrst readIng of the guIde you are probably about to skIm through the worksheets, gloss
over the reference InformatIon and close thIs Word wIndow or put the hardcopy In a drawer. ThIs would
be very sad. LIke leavIng a restaurant after only havIng consumed the bread stIcks. f you don't see any
value In the guIde then stop now. f you do see value then put a plan together and do the exercIses.



6 Worksheets
Progress chart
Add addItIonal entrIes for repeated use of the same accelerator.

0ate Career Accelerator Notes, LearnIng poInts and follow on actIons
The To0o LIst and TIme
|anagement

Engage an ActIve Coach
|akIng a 0evelopment
Plan work for you

ActIve LIstenIng and
QuestIonIng

Three Level QuestIonIng
TechnIque

DbservIng EffectIve
CommunIcatIon

ExplaInIng EffectIvely -
Kolb learnIng cycle

WorkIng the Network
8ehavIour styles and
Team Foles

PreparIng for meetIngs
|anagIng your manager

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 56 of 78

6.1 The To0o LIst and TIme |anagement

The fIrst actIvIty Is to see where your tIme goes. ThIs wIll requIre you to capture what you are doIng and why you are
doIng It at frequent Intervals throughout the days, J0 mInutes Is recommended. The table below uses the followIng
actIvItIes and reasons.

usIness ActIvItIes
|y comms: |akIng a phone call, creatIng an emaIl or InItIatIng a face to face conversatIon
FespondIng to a planned phone call, answerIng an emaIl relatIng to one of my exIstIng work Items or
respondIng to a face to face conversatIon related to one of my exIstIng work Items.
nterruptIons: FespondIng to InterruptIons vIa phone, emaIl, Instant messagIng or face to face.
Customer: AttendIng a customer meetIng
8|: AttendIng an Internal meetIng
ThInkIng: ThInkIng and plannIng
PreparatIon: PreparIng for a meetIng or call.
Travel
SocIaI actIvItIes
SocIal: .e. beIng human, sharIng experIences, gossIp, reactIng to news and T7 etc.
PersonaI actIvItIes
Personal: Personal calls, calls of nature, takIng sustenance

And the followIng four categorIes for 'why' are suggested.
Core: ThIs Is a core actIvIty for my job - It Is what am paId to do
|e: ThIs contrIbutes prImarIly to my career rather than my job today by, for example, developIng contacts,
buIldIng relatIonshIps or helpIng my management team.
Notme: ThIs Is probably good for the corporatIon, but shouldn't be doIng It
Waste: can see no value In thIs task whatsoever.
Where does aII my tIme go and am I In controI!
n the table below put the approprIate reason (core, me, notme, waste) under the approprIate column for what you
were doIng at the tIme. At the end of the day total up how many of each type of reason Is approprIate for the actIvIty
and dIvIde thIs number by two to get an estImate of the number of hours you spend In the day

Fepeat thIs analysIs for three days and revIew the results wIth a colleague to confIrm your categorIsatIon of the tIme.
Next aggregate the results from the three days to get the analysIs for an average day.

How do you feel about the total number of hours worked:
How do you feel by the amount of tIme devoted to "me" and on thInkIng and plannIng:
How do you feel by the amount of tIme devoted to "notme" and "waste"

What S|AFT actIons can you consIder takIng:
What S|AFT actIons wIll you take:

The second actIvIty Is to maIntaIn to do lIsts. Although Notes and personal organIsers have buIlt In to do lIsts many fInd
the old fashIon paper and pencIl works best as It Is easIly avaIlable and can be looked at when waItIng for Notes to
complete a task.


Where does aII my tIme go!
TIme |y
comms
nter
ruptIons
Customer 8| ThInkIng PreparatIon Travel SocIal Personal
0815
0845
0915
0945
1015
1045
1115
1145
1215
1245
1J15
1J45
1415
1445
1515
1545
1615
1645
1715
1745
1815
1845
1915
1945
Total the number of "core", "me", "notme" and "waste" and dIvIde by two to gIve hours Totals
"core"
"me"

"notme"

"waste"

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 58 of 78

6.2 Engage an ActIve Coach
There Is no worksheet for thIs SkIll Accelerator. Just get a coach and or some mentors and talk to them regularly
6.J |akIng a 0evelopment Plan work for you

There Is no worksheet for thIs SkIll Accelerator. There are lots of Ideas suggestIons, hInts and prods In thIs guIde as to
what type of development actIvItIes you could consIder. Just make sure you have a plan and share It wIth your coach
and manager to gIve you encouragement and motIvatIon to follow It.

6.4 ActIve LIstenIng and QuestIonIng
6.4.1. Part 1
For the fIrst few tImes you practIce thIs actIvIty It Is easIest to do the thInkIng part offlIne, I.e. wIthout a customer.
0urIng a meetIng wIth your customer (small c or large c) make a note of a few statements that they make that seem
sIgnIfIcant to you. Try and record the exact words saId.

After the meetIng try substItutIng each word wIth a sImIlar or alternatIve word. 0on't worry If the grammar Isn't
perfect. n what way Is the meanIng of the words your customer used dIfferent from your words:
0oes thIs gIve you further InsIght Into why your customer used the words they dId:
t may be helpful at least InItIally to do thIs part of the exercIse wIth a colleague.

SaId by:

Sentence:

SubstItuted
Sentence:

Your
InsIght:

6.4.1. Part 2 - UsIng thIs InsIght wrIte down two questIons you would now lIke to ask your customer:
QuestIon 1

QuestIon 2

6.4.1. Part 3 - Look agaIn at the orIgInal sentence.
WhIch of the followIng does the sentence focus on:
Coals or Fesults, FelatIonshIps, Process or polIcy
ThIs gIves a clue as to motIvatIon.

0oes the sentence gIve you any InsIght Into what sense metaphors your customer prefers:
TactIle, 7Isual, Aural, Dlfactory, none
ThIs gIves a clue to sense preference.

0oes the sentence IndIcate what scope of responsIbIlIty your customer Is motIvated by:
Corporate, 0epartment Cross functIon, Self
ThIs gIves a clue as to accountabIlIty.

StartIng from the orIgInal sentence agaIn, focus on the use of adjectIves and see where they IndIcate strength of
feelIngs eIther about the subject of the sentence or about theIr motIvatIon, sense preferences or accountabIlIty.
6.4.1. Part 4
Look agaIn at the questIons you drafted In part 2.
0o they address your customer's motIvatIon:
0o they appeal to the same senses:
0o they relate to the same scope of accountabIlIty:
FefIne your questIons based on thIs analysIs so as to empathIse wIth your customer.

QuestIon 1

QuestIon 2

The acId test of course Is to try the questIons out on your customer and see If they delIver valuable IntellIgence.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 60 of 78

Part 5
Dnce you feel comfortable wIth performIng the actIve lIstenIng analysIs offlIne, start practIcIng It In real tIme In a
meetIng. You wIll probably capture many more observatIons that you would lIke to follow up but that tIme or the flow
of the dIscussIon doesn't permIt. You can stIll use them as the basIs for further calls or offlIne analysIs.

Dnce you fell you have fInIshed thIs accelerator record any S|AFT actIons you plan to take. For example, actIon
yourself to put further learnIng actIvIty In your 0P, coach someone else In the technIque, schedule some tIme for
further readIng, or add remInders to next months meetIng to further practIce thIs skIll.
ExampIe
Part 1
SaId by:

Sentence: f thIs project Isn't bloody successful wIll lIkely be kIcked out and lookIng for another job
SubstItuted
Sentence:
f thIs solutIon doesn't work wIll lose my career
Your
InsIght:
Focuses on the actIvItIes and resources needed to create success and the personal Impact of faIlure
rather than busIness Impact. Strong emotIon ImplIes customer thInks thIs hIgh rIsk of faIlure. Use of job
rather than career suggests tactIcal rather than strategIc thInkIng.
Part 2 - UsIng thIs InsIght wrIte down two questIons you would now lIke to ask your customer:
QuestIon 1 What do you see as the major areas of rIsk
QuestIon 2 How else can 8| help ensure a successful project
Part 3 - Look agaIn at the orIgInal sentence.
WhIch of the followIng does the sentence focus on:
Coals or Fesults, FelatIonshIps, Process or polIcy
ThIs gIves a clue as to motIvatIon.
Focus Is on process. Dur response should relate to actIvItIes durIng the project rather than project goals

0oes the sentence gIve you any InsIght Into what sense metaphors your customer prefers:
TactIle, 7Isual, Aural, Dlfactory, none
ThIs gIves a clue to sense preference.
"8loody", and "kIcked out" IndIcate a tactIle preference

0oes the sentence IndIcate what scope of responsIbIlIty your customer Is motIvated by:
Corporate, 0epartment Cross functIon, Self
ThIs gIves a clue as to accountabIlIty
Need for self preservatIon.
StartIng from the orIgInal sentence agaIn, focus on the use of adjectIves and see where they IndIcate strength of
feelIngs eIther about the subject of the sentence or about theIr motIvatIon, sense preferences or accountabIlIty.
Strong need for self preservatIon.
Part 4
Look agaIn at the questIons you drafted In part 2.
0o they address your customer's motIvatIon:
0o they appeal to the same senses:
0o they relate to the same scope of accountabIlIty:
FefIne your questIons based on thIs analysIs so as to empathIse wIth your customer.

QuestIon 1
What do you feel are the major tasks that need to be done to ensure the success of the parts of the
project you are responsIble for: Change sense from vIsual to tactIle, focus on what needs to be done
and make It personal.
QuestIon 2
Would It be useful to have an 8| project manager who has successfully Implemented sImIlar projects
before, do a handson revIew to help you IdentIfy and reduce rIsk: Change focus from end of project to
durIng the project, keep tone posItIve and personal. "hands on" emphasIses tactIcal and tactIle.

6.5 Three Level QuestIonIng TechnIque

ThIs actIvIty can be practIced on oneself fIrst before tryIng It on colleagues and then customers.

WrIte down a statement about somethIng that you are dIssatIsfIed wIth. Chose a subject you thInk your colleagues wIll
have a vIew on.

1. Ask yourself "what do know about thIs" - I.e. what are the answers to the what, where, who, and how questIons:
WrIte down your answers and any other relevant facts.

2. Now ask yourself "What does thIs mean to me:"
WrIte down the answers.

f you have wrItten more than one answer select the one you feel Is most Important to you.
J. Now ask In relatIon to thIs only or most Important answer, "Why Is thIs Important to me:"

AnswerIng the last questIon may be dIffIcult and create cIrcular arguments but persevere untIl you feel you have
an answer that explaIns why you feel so strongly about the Issue.
Fepeat the exercIse on a colleague, or preferably two or three colleagues.
You should fInd that the answers at level 1 are sImIlar, at level 2 less sImIlar and at level J are dIfferent.
f so, thIs demonstrates the power of the technIque In understandIng why people behave or take the posItIons they
do.

For further practIce, other startIng topIcs could be:
Your Involvement wIth an Interest, hobby, pastIme or passIon.
Your last major purchase.
Your last change of job.
Your choIce of partner. (not for the faInt hearted)

You should now feel you can apply the technIque reasonably naturally wIthout soundIng lIke the SpanIsh InquIsItIon, In
whIch case It Is tIme for your customers to understand why they are behavIng as they are.

Dnce you feel you have fInIshed thIs accelerator, record any S|AFT actIons you plan to take. For example, actIon
yourself to put further learnIng actIvIty In your 0P, coach someone else In the technIque, schedule some tIme for
further readIng, or add remInders to next months meetIng to further practIce thIs skIll.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 62 of 78

6.6 DbservIng EffectIve CommunIcatIon

Try doIng thIs exercIse over a perIod of 15 mInutes.

For the fIrst fIve mInutes: Select someone behavIng as an expert durIng a perIod of InteractIon wIth the other
attendees.
For the next fIve mInutes: Fecord every speech they say as:
Force full statement expressIng an opInIon or gIvIng an InstructIon coded a "\"
Factual statement or questIon seekIng or gIvIng InformatIon wIthout opInIon coded as ""
FeelIng statement expressIng an emotIonal state or dIsagreement. Coded as /

And sImIlarly record every response In the same way.

After each response record what contrIbutIon thIs exchange has made to the experts case
PosItIve: +, Neutral 0, or NegatIve -

Expert:_____________________

Sentence
type

Fesponse
type

ContrIbutIon

Sentence
type

Fesponse
type

ContrIbutIon

n the last 5 mInutes record your observatIons and learnIng poInts and any actIons you plan to take.
DbservatIons and learnIng poInts

ActIons


6.7 ExplaInIng EffectIvely - Kolb learnIng cycle
This exercise only takes a few minutes and can be a great way of increasing your understanding of your own Kolb
preference and at the same time getting some real business value from it:

For a presentation or an important e-mail (either one you have already written, or one that is in preparation):
Take a piece of paper, divided into quarters and labelled as in the diagram below.
Just quickly - chart the content of your presentation/document using this layout.
(a checkpoint on the distinction between what and how - 'what' is like the static description of the situation/what is to be
done, at whatever level of detail is appropriate. 'How' is like the action movie....in your mind's eye, you can begin to see
people doing things).

Notice - where is most of your writing? What have you missed? What can you add to make the presentation/e-mail a
more complete communication: as a checklist:
- What is the specific subject of this communication? (Mini-what)
- What is its purpose? (Why)
- What is the relevant situation and forward plan? (What)
- How will people take action?
- What risks/contingencies have been/are being considered?

Was thIs emaIl or presentatIon typIcal: You may wIsh to revIew a few other presentatIons or emaIls to buIld up a
pattern.
f you are prone to ramblIng, usIng thIs structure can also help keep you focused and to the poInt.
s there one area you could focus more on to produce a more compellIng argument:

As a follow on actIvIty:

Next tIme someone Is explaInIng to you somethIng they want you to do, eIther mentally or on paper,
note down In the approprIate quadrant the InformatIon that seems Important for you. f you plan to wrIte It down t
may be easIer to do thIs when on a telephone call rather than face to face.

Dnce the explanatIon Is complete
n whIch quadrants were most of the statements:
WhIch quadrant had the least statements:
What sequence dId the statements come In:
Would you have lIked to have heard more In any quadrant, or less In any quadrant: Why:
Dverall how was It for you - dId the speech engage: f not, why not:

f approprIate, ask the approprIate why, what, how and what If questIons to get a better understandIng of the
complete pIcture.

What f = FIsks or
further
opportunItIes

Why = |otIvatIon

How = ActIon

What = ClarIty

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 64 of 78

6.8 WorkIng the Network
Complete the followIng table to characterIse your network:
ndIcator 0ate:
Number:
What actIon If any to take 0ate:(one
month later)
Number:
Comments
How many names In your
Instant messagIng lIst:
A crude assessment of
sIze of network
How many don't have the
same 2
nd
lIne manager as
you:
How far does the network
stretch:
How many new names In
last month:
How vIbrant Is It:
For how many of the names
have you forgotten why
they are In the lIst:
How valuable Is It:
How many dIfferent technIcal people
contacted you by any means for:
Are you comfortable that the number of
requests In these dIfferent areas
supports your leadershIp aspIratIons:
TechnIcal InformatIon
For your opInIon
To fInd someone else
To Influence someone else
Help on how to do somethIng
For future plans
LIst below the areas that surround your area of expertIse
that you may need to seek advIce on. Some examples are
gIven. For each area lIst the names of who you would
contact
0o you have names In all areas: How long would you have
to waIt for a response: Would they reply to an Instant
message: What Improvements can you make:
Examples: Products, futures, archItecture, ImplementatIon, problem resolutIon, prIcIng, performance, sIzIng ,securIty

ThInk about the last conference you
attended.
What wIll you do dIfferently for the next
conference:
8efore the conference,
how many people that you
don't normally meet dId
you arrange to see:
|eetIngs In the flesh
make stronger
relatIonshIps
8y studyIng the agenda
how many potentIal new
useful contacts attended:
People you meet can
Introduce you to other
useful people.
And of these how many
remembered you after the
conference:
You wIll probably need to
follow up wIth calls and
emaIls.

What S|AFT actIons are you now plannIng to take:
What could you do to keep the relatIonshIps for your valuable but untouched contacts alIve:
Would a category of contacts In your nstant |essenger called "to develop", "grow these", "new shoots" or
"remember me" where you could add names of people whose relatIonshIp you are tryIng to develop work for you:
Dr would havIng a followup folder In your Notes or To0o lIst Item work better:


6.9 8ehavIour styles and Team Foles
8elbIn Team
Fole Type
Abbrev
IatIon
ContrIbutIons Allowable Weaknesses
Plant PL
Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult
problems.
Ignores incidentals. Too pre-occupied to
communicate effectively.
CoordInator CO
Mature, confident, a good chairperson. Clarifies goals,
promotes decision-making, delegates well.
Can often be seen as manipulative. Off
loads personal work.
|onItor
Evaluator
ME
Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options.
Judges accurately.
Lacks drive and ability to inspire others.
mplementer IMP
Disciplined, reliable, conservative and efficient. Turns
ideas into practical actions.
Somewhat inflexible. Slow to respond to
new possibilities.
Completer
FInIsher
CP
Painstaking, conscientious, anxious. Searches out
errors and omissions. Delivers on time.
Inclined to worry unduly. Reluctant to
delegate.
Fesource
nvestIgator
RI
Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores
opportunities. Develops contacts.
Over - optimistic. Loses interest once
initial enthusiasm has passed.
Shaper SH
Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. The drive
and courage to overcome obstacles
Prone to provocation. Offends people's
feelings
Teamworker TW
Co-operative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens,
builds, averts friction.
Indecisive in crunch situations.
SpecIalIst SP
Single-minded, self-starting, dedicated. Provides
knowledge and skills in rare supply.
Contributes only on a narrow front.
Dwells on technicalities.

n a meetIng draw a dIagram of where everyone Is sIttIng. At the begInnIng of the meetIng durIng the IntroductIons as
well as notIng down everyone's name and responsIbIlIty, leave room to record one or two role types that that person
Is adoptIng for the meetIng. As the meetIng progresses fIll In the domInant role type(s). f thIs proves dIffIcult try just
labellIng the person as a "towards" person or an "away from" person.

As people ask questIons or make statements reflect on whether the questIon or statement Is dIrected at the person you
consIder most approprIate. s the language and level of the questIon approprIate for the type of person: WrIte down
any learnIng poInts or phrases you could use.

Dnce the labels have stuck In your mInd and when you look across the table you can automatIcally thInk "ah that's an
|E , he wIll want facts before he Is convInced" Then try and antIcIpate the type of answer they are lIkely to gIve. WIll
they be supportIve, or crItIcal:

What Is the purpose of thIs exercIse:
t Is another way of helpIng us to concentrate on the person receIvIng the message and not the content of the
message. 8y tunIng In to theIr choIce of musIc It becomes easIer to make sure our own lyrIcs are delIvered In the most
approprIate style. ThIs wIll make us more InfluentIal.

ConsIder who would be most approprIate to answer questIons relatIng to the followIng and how would the questIon be
best put.

Purpose or vIsIon: ClarIfyIng the purpose of the meetIng.
PosItIonIng or Context: How what Is happenIng relates to the bIgger pIcture
Plans - hIgh level: What should happen next at a strategIc level.
Plans - low level: What should happen next at a detaIled level.
Power: ProvIde resources - people, or fundIng, gettIng agreement.
Process: Who Is goIng to do what next. What plans and management are needed to follow through on
any agreements or actIons.
People: Who else needs to be Involved or Informed or whose advIce we need.
Product: ProvIdIng technIcal InformatIon on a specIfIc subject.

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 66 of 78

6.10 PreparIng for meetIngs
An example checklIst
TopIc
Who has asked for the meetIng:
Why Is It beIng held:
Why Is the meetIng beIng held now:
What other meetIngs or calls have taken place:
Who wIll be attendIng and why:
What responsIbIlItIes do the attendees have and are they
lIkely to be frIendly or hostIle:

What Is expected of me:
Have any specIfIc questIons, requIrements or concerns been
raIsed already:

Are there any recent announcements, problems or Issues that
could deraIl the meetIng or affect the clImate:

What Is the agenda and tImIng:
How flexIble Is the agenda / tImIng:
What facIlItIes are avaIlable:
What outcomes would be regarded as successful and as not
successful:

0o you need support from anyone else at the meetIng:
How relIable do you thInk the answers you have been gIven
are:

How much tIme do need to prepare and have scheduled It:
What opportunItIes are there for career development:

6.11 |anagIng your manager
Complete and maIntaIn a profIle of your manager such as:
CharacterIstIc
Preferred team role styles
Preferred drIvers from the 7P |odel
7alues
AttItude to rIsk
AttItude to faIlure
AttItude to recognItIon
CommunIcatIon styles
CommunIcatIon preferences
Your managers current concerns
|etrIcs that are Important to my manager
Progress agaInst those metrIcs

InteractIons wIth your hanager
What new good news has my manager had about
me In the last month:

What of your personal tIme wIth your manager Is
on busIness / admIn / your development:

How well am perceIved In supportIng my
manager's targets:

What am doIng to help the department be seen as
successful:

How responsIve to requests for InformatIon or
complIance wIth executIve dIrectIves have been:



7 Feference SkIlls

7.1 S.|.A.F.T ActIons
How many tImes have you come away from a meetIng eIther fIred up to achIeve the tasks agreed and then faIl, or are
dIsIllusIoned form the outset that the agreed actIons wIll never happen: Dr how many actIons have you gIven yourself,
maybe even wrItten on a todo lIst, and they never get done: t Is such a common occurrence that someone Invented
an easy to remember acronym that defInes the characterIstIcs of actIons that get successfully completed.
The acronym Is S.|.A.F.T SpecIfIc, |easurable, ActIon DrIentated, FealIstIc, TIme bound.

SpecIfIc: relates to a defIned tIghtly scoped actIvIty.
We must Improve customer satIsfactIon
Next month JIm wIll Implement an award scheme for ever salesperson that achIeves a customer satIsfactIon
ratIng of 8 or hIgher on the close out call.

heasurabIe: must be easy to tell when the actIon has been completed
Dur goal Is to be the most successful T Company
Dur goal Is to have the largest market share of servers worldwIde by the end of next year.

ActIon orIentated: focuses on what needs to be done
We wIll tIdy thIs place.
ThIs afternoon wIll order a skIp (dumpster) for the weekend and all of us wIll throw out anythIng we haven't
used for 5 years. (0on't try thIs at home!)

PeaIIstIc: It Is somethIng we can achIeve
We should have world peace
StartIng tonIght and for the next week wIll say only posItIve thIngs to my partner. (ThIs Is safe to try at home)

TIme bound: must happen before we lose Interest
Let's have a holIday
TonIght we wIll search the web and book up a budget three day break to a European cIty for next half term.

Hopefully you notIced the fIrst example In each case was an example that dIdn't meet the requIrement and the second
example dId.
Personal skIlls are not derIved from formal qualIfIcatIons but from workIng
In conjunctIon wIth others. FIchard Scase: LIvIng In the Corporate Zoo.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 68 of 78

7.2 PInpoIntIng and Feedback
A number of the accelerators require behaviours to be observed. When we see, hear or feel a behaviour
how we interpret the behaviour depends as much on social context and our values as the actions of the
person we observe. A joke that is mildly amusing to us can be hilarious to someone else or crude and
offensive to yet someone else. The joke and the telling of it remains the same. To understand what effect
different behaviours have we can use a technique called "pinpointing to drill down to the detail. This
contrasts with what we normally do, which is called "labelling. Labelling is using stereotypes and
generalised descriptions. It allows us to believe we have formed an accurate opinion without having to
bother with the facts. We tend to use labelling because it requires less effort.
The reason why we should focus on pinpointing is it is much more difficult to take actions to change
behaviour or learn from others behaviour when all you have is a label. It is much, much easier to make
changes when you have a pinpointed behaviour. Some examples:
Behaviour
described by
labelling
Behaviour described by pinpointing Comments
Sue is a good
listener
When you speak to Sue she makes frequent
one or two word comments like "really, "I
see to show that she has understood and also
she asks how I feel about the situation or why
it is important to me.
If you wanted to emulate Sue I would
be much easier with the pinpointed
behaviour than the label.
John is difficult Whenever Jane makes a suggestion, John
raises his voice and uses strong or sarcastic
words to criticize her ideas.
By pinpointing we can start to explore
for example whether the issue is
specific to Jane, whether John feels
his own ideas are not being
recognised or what the underlying
reason is.
Mary is rude Mary often arrives late to meetings and
regardless of what is going on interrupts the
meeting with her agenda
If this is the only example of
rudeness then it could be very easy
for Mary to rectify it now it has been
pinpointed. The word "often is more
of a label than a pinpoint; ideally
specific instances should be given.
My manager,
Steve, is always
in control.
When I have a review with Steve he has a list
of topics that he wants to discuss. He has my
latest report on the table, and if he agrees to
take any actions in the meeting he either does
them there and then by emailing or calling
someone or writes them on his to do list
Pinpointing takes longer to describe
and requires more attention to detail
but the results are much more
valuable.
Although Cathy
is not technical,
she is great
problem solver.
On the call about the customers performance
problem Cathy chaired the meeting and asked
everyone what they knew about the situation
and how it had arisen, she then asked what
else was happening with the customer and
what was important to the customer in terms
of capabilities and dates. She then asked for
ideas as to how to solve the problem and
within a few minutes we came up with a plan
based on the new information Cathy had
identified.
Ok, so it is beginning to be more of a
report than a pinpointed behaviour
but the value is still in the detail.
Hopefully you can also see how dull
and uninteresting the narrative is
once stripped of emotion and any
judgemental statements that might
cloud or get in the way of the facts.

When pinpointing, ask yourself "What exactly did the person say or do that was effective or negative?"

The following questions provide a useful start to this type of analysis:
When dId each IncIdent take place:
Where dId each IncIdent take place:
How often Is thIs behavIour repeated: Was It a onetIme IncIdent or do you spot a trend:
Who was Involved:
What exactly was saId:
What specIfIcally dId the person do: How dId you or others respond exactly:
What happened next:
What was the effect posItIve and or negatIve:

Dnce you have IdentIfIed the specIfIc detaIled behavIour and Its effect, eIther posItIve or negatIve, as a technIcal
leader you may need to provIde feedback to encourage the effectIve behavIour and help correct less effectIve
behavIour. f you are In the role of coach or mentor then provIdIng feedback Is one of the most valuable thIngs you
can do. However provIdIng feedback can be dIffIcult so here are some suggestIons:

CorrectIve feedback must be done In prIvate.
Feedback must be actIvely sought; unprompted feedback Is usually of lIttle value.
You wIll need to have establIshed a level of trust and respect for your feedback to be effectIve.
Feedback should be as objectIve and as detaIled as possIble wIthout judgement. Use your pInpoInted analysIs
0escrIbe only what you saw and felt, not why you thought the person was doIng what they were doIng.
8e prepared for questIons on the feedback and be able to gIve examples.
Encourage the recIpIent not to take your feedback as true or false but to consIder It for a whIle and seek the vIews
of others before comIng to any decIsIon
ExampIe joke wIth some pInpoIntIng and IabeIIIng.
Joe receIved a magnIfIcent 8lue Cold |acaw for hIs bIrthday. The bIrd was fully grown but had a very bad attItude
and an appallIng vocabulary. Every other word was an expletIve. Dver many weeks Joe trIed very hard to change the
|acaw's behavIour. He trIed provIdIng lots of toys, playIng musIc, showIng jungle vIdeos but nothIng seemed to work.
Eventually Joe lost hIs temper and startIng shoutIng at the bIrd and then rattlIng the cage. StIll wIth no effect. FInally
In desperatIon Joe put the |acaw Into the freezer to cool off. For a few moments the bIrd contInued to kIck and
squawk and scream and then was sIlent. Joe was worrIed that he mIght have hurt the bIrd so he quIckly opened the
freezer door. The |acaw stepped out onto Joe's extended arm and saId. " am sorry If my language has offended and
ask your forgIveness". Amazed by thIs turn of events Joe was just about to ask what had caused thIs change In
behavIour when the |acaw contInued "and If you don't mInd, may ask what the chIcken dId:"
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 70 of 78

7.J The CFDW model
The CFDW model Is a very useful tool to use when helpIng someone develop a plan to address an opportunIty or an
Issue. The person facIlItatIng the plannIng process Is termed the coach, the person beIng helped the coachee. n fact
the model Is so powerful after only a lIttle practIce you can use It on yourself wIthout need for an external coach. ThIs
Is because the coach needs have no knowledge of the opportunIty or Issue.

With a compelling Goal to motivate the coachee and an understanding of the Reality of the situation, the
coach can help the coachee focus on possible Options and what the coachee Will do. (Hence: "G.R.O.W.")

Here are the kinds of questions that encourage a coachee to take responsibility:
What could you do?
How would you solve this situation?
How would someone else solve this situation?
Who's good at this?
If this were your business, what would you do?
What have you tried already?
Which option will you pursue?
Will doing this achieve your goal?
Can you do this?
Once the coachee takes responsibility, the coach is freed from becoming deeply involved in the details. As
stated earlier, effective coaching is a pattern of behaviour. It is asking rather than telling, listening
rather than speaking, empowering rather than directing, and it is a mind set, not simply a skill. This is
why you do not need to be a Subject Matter Expert to be an effective coach.

What is G.R.O.W.?
It is the process for raising awareness and getting the coachee to take responsibility. It stands for:
Goal
Reality
Options
Will
Goal

To start, the coach helps the coachee determine what she would like to
accomplish. It is more effective if the Goal is broken into two parts:
The End Goal is the final objective -- e.g., to win the World Cup -- a
compelling purpose that is seldom absolutely within a coachee's
control. However, it's something that generates passion and power.
A Performance Goal provides a means of measuring progress toward
the End Goal.

"When I want to, I perform better than when I have to. I want to for me, I have to for you. Self
motivation is a matter of choice." --Sir John Whitmore

When setting a Goal, try questions like...
What do you want to talk about?
What would you like to achieve from this session?
What's the most important thing?


Reality

In the Reality phase, coach and coachee investigate the current situation.
They need to discover all relevant facts. Go slow during this phase. You may
uncover a fact that requires the coachee to go back and reset a Goal. In fact,
do not be disappointed if the model looks more like GRGRGRGROW.
When you're in the Reality phase, try questions like. . .
What is happening now?
How do you feel about it?
What are the facts?
Options

In this phase, coachee and coach create a list of alternative courses of action.
Be sure that you both reach a common understanding of the Reality of the
situation. Ask questions to help the coachee brainstorm ways to accomplish
the goal.
When exploring Options, try questions like. . .
What have you already tried?
What else might you try?
What if you had more time?
Will

This phase in the process converts a discussion into a decision. After all
options have been considered, the coachee needs to decide what actions to
take. The coach should aid this process but not impose his or her own will. It
is the coachee's commitment to the coachee's own action plan that will
generate the best chance of success.
When developing an action plan, try questions like...
What are you going to do?
When are you going to do it?
Will this action meet your goal?

Why read
the guIde:
Feference
nformatIon
Why read
the guIde:
CompetencIes
to focus on
Career
|echanIcs
SkIlls 0evelopment
Theory
SkIlls 0evelopment
PractIce
S|AFT ActIons, PInpoIntIng and the CFDW coachIng model are, In the context of thIs guIde, the most useful to concentrate on.
Your tIme would be better spent developIng competence wIth these fIrst before lookIng at the rest of the reference skIlls.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 72 of 78

7.4 The 7P |odel
ThIs InformatIon Is from the book "FIrst FInd Your HIlltop".
ThIs books' premIse Is that how we Interact wIth the world depends on the meanIng we attach to the InformatIon we
receIve, a vIew shared by Kolb and used In the three level questIonIng technIque. The authors break down the
contInuum of meanIngfulness Into seven drIvers. UnderstandIng how these drIvers work In other people and ourselves
can be used In many ways such as:
ensurIng all aspects of a problem or opportunIty have been consIdered,
understandIng why people behave the way they do,
ImprovIng our abIlIty to Influence,
ImplementIng change, or
beIng more effectIve communIcators.

The 7P's of 0rIve

0rIve CharacterIstIcs Use In drIvIng change
Purpose 7IsIon, mIssIon, ImagInatIon, creatIvIty 0evelop a clear vIsIon of what you want
to achIeve
PosItIonIng ntuItIon, meanIng, sensItIvIty, IntegratIon, balance Check It for approprIateness and
feasIbIlIty
Plans Drder, structure, logIc, ratIonalIty, organIsatIon 0evelop a strategIc plan of actIon.
Power Energy, commItment, challenge, success, recognItIon CommIt yourself and your resources to
It.
Process Change, new experIence, varIety, Intellectual stImulatIon Sort out an order of doIng thIngs
People FrIendshIp, carIng, sense of belongIng, acceptance,
loyalty
Engage your own energIes and other
peoples
Product ActIon, physIcal actIvIty, pragmatIsm, common sense Preserve untIl you achIeve a measurable
outcome

7.5 The SIx ThInkIng Hats
Shares sImIlarItIes wIth the CFDW model In that both provIde a mechanIsm for determInIng future goals and actIons.
WhIlst the CFDW model Is partIcularly useful In coachIng or organIsIng ones own thoughts the SIx ThInkIng Hats Is
partIcularly useful In meetIngs. For a full descrIptIon of the technIque Invented by Edward de 8ono refer to the
8IblIography. 8elow have paraphrased and Interpreted a superfIcIal understandIng of the concept. am sure the full
versIon Is much rIcher.

The purpose of the sIx metaphorIcal hats Is to focus dIscussIon In one partIcular area and encourage constructIve open
thInkIng. The key to the success of thIs approach Is that everyone wears the same type of hat at the same tIme and
everyone contrIbutes to every phase. n thIs It shares sImIlarIty wIth braInstormIng sessIons where the crItIcal analysIs
of Ideas Is kept separate from the generatIon of Ideas.

WhIte Hat
Analogy: whIte paper, InformatIon
ThIs Is the InformatIon gatherIng phase, what InformatIon Is known, what other InformatIon do we need and how do we
get It.

Ped Hat
Analogy: heat and emotIon
A key phase often present In meetIngs In an unstructured and negatIve way thIs phase captures how people feel about
the subject or the Ideas. No judgment or ratIonale Is expected as to the feelIngs. ntuItIons and gut feelIngs are
expressed here.

Iack Hat
Analogy: Ink, wrItIng, rules
ThIs phase Is the crItIcal thInkIng phase where cautIon, rIsk assessment and practIcal Issues, e.g. legal or fInancIal
constraInts are used to assess the relatIve merIt of Ideas. t should also be used to assess If the Ideas meet our values,
abIlItIes and strategIes and to test the valIdIty of any key InformatIon

YeIIow Hat

Analogy: black and yellow contrast, e.g. on bees.
We are usually very good at wearIng the black hat. There are always lots of reasons for not doIng somethIng. The
yellow hat Is the exact opposIte. Why should we do somethIng, what are the benefIts, why should It work and what are
the dIrect and IndIrect advantages of proceedIng: AmerIcan's would refer to the value proposItIons that support the
proposal.

Creen Hat
Analogy: vegetatIon, growth, energy
WhIlst the black and yellow hats are judgemental, the green Is creatIve. Here Ideas, alternatIves and possIbIlItIes are
generated. DbvIous and offthewall Ideas, logIcal and fantasy Ideas should all be welcome.

Iue Hat
Analogy: blue sky - settIng the horIzon
The 8lue hat Is dIfferent from all other hats as It has a control functIon. TypIcally In a meetIng one person Is
responsIble for wearIng the 8lue Hat and has the responsIbIlItIes for:
ChaIrIng the start of the meetIng where the focus or scope for the meetIng Is agreed.
AgreeIng wIth the partIcIpants In whIch order the other hats wIll be worn and keepIng partIcIpants all thInkIng wIth
the same hat at the same tIme.

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 74 of 78

7.6 EmotIonal ntellIgence
0anIel Coleman In hIs books on EmotIonal ntellIgence defInes three domaIns of excellence:

Q - havIng the analytIcal IntellIgence to process factual data and relatIonshIps and make decIsIons
ExpertIse - beIng competent.
EmotIonal ntellIgence - "our potentIal for learnIng the practIcal skIlls of self awareness, motIvatIon, self
regulatIon, empathy and adeptness In relatIonshIps"

He defInes our emotIonal competence as a learned capabIlIty that uses our Innate emotIonal IntellIgence to turn our
ExpertIse Into excellence. t Is 0anIel Coleman's thesIs that It Is havIng hIgh levels of emotIonal competence that
turns the competent Into stars. Dr In the terms of thIs fIeld guIde - Subject |atter Experts Into TechnIcal Leaders.

The case for EmotIonal ntellIgence. n 0anIel Coleman's book "WorkIng wIth EmotIonal ntellIgence" he quotes a
survey of 80 Ph0 ScIence students at UnIversIty of CalIfornIa at 8erkley In the 1950s. The students went through an
extensIve set of IntervIews, Q tests, emotIonal balance tests and personalIty tests. Forty years later In 1994 a follow
up survey was done to assess theIr career success. "The result: EmotIonal IntellIgence abIlItIes were four tImes more
Important than Q In determInIng professIonal success and prestIge." And thIs was for scIentIsts.

The followIng table from "WorkIng wIth EmotIonal ntellIgence" IdentIfIes 25 competencIes grouped Into three
personal competencIes and two socIal competencIes:
7.6.1 PersonaI CompetencIes
SeIf Awareness
EmotIonal Awareness: FecognIsIng one's emotIons and theIr effects
Accurate self assessment: KnowIng one's strengths and lImIts
Self confIdence: A strong sense of one's selfworth and capabIlItIes
SeIf PeguIatIon
Self Control: keepIng dIsruptIve emotIons and Impulses In check
TrustworthIness: |aIntaInIng standards of honesty and IntegrIty
ConscIentIousness: TakIng responsIbIlIty for personal performance
AdaptabIlIty: FlexIbIlIty In handlIng change
nnovatIon: beIng comfortable wIth novel Ideas, approaches and new InformatIon
hotIvatIon
AchIevement drIve: StrIvIng to Improve or meet a standard of excellence
CommItment: AlIgnIng wIth the goals of the group or organIsatIon
nItIatIve: FeadIness to act on opportunItIes
DptImIsm: PersIstence In pursuIng goals despIte obstacles and setbacks
7.6.2 SocIaI CompetencIes
Empathy
UnderstandIng others: SensIng other's feelIngs and perspectIves and takIng an actIve Interest In theIr concerns
0evelopIng Dthers: SensIng other's development needs and bolsterIng theIr abIlItIes
ServIce DrIentatIon: AntIcIpatIng, recognIsIng, and meetIng customer's needs
LeveragIng dIversIty: CultIvatIng opportunItIes through dIfferent kInds of people
PolItIcal awareness: FeadIng a group's emotIonal currents and power relatIonshIps.
SocIaI SkIIIs
nfluence: WIeldIng effectIve tactIcs for persuasIon
CommunIcatIon: LIstenIng openly and sendIng convIncIng messages
ConflIct management: NegotIatIng and resolvIng dIsagreements
LeadershIp: nspIrIng and guIdIng IndIvIduals and groups
Change Catalyst: nItIatIng or managIng change
8uIldIng bonds: NurturIng Instrumental relatIonshIps
CollaboratIon and cooperatIon: WorkIng wIth others towards shared goals
Team capabIlItIes: CreatIng group synergy and pursuIng collectIve goals

Although thIs lIst of 25 competencIes seems dauntIng the good news Is that Coleman's research suggests that to be a
star you don't have to be excellent In all of them but a mInImum of around sIx coverIng all fIve areas of emotIonal
IntellIgence. The fIve In blue are the ones that thIs fIeld guIde has been focusIng on.

7.7 Courses for CompetencIes
For each of the foundatIon competencIes there Is a currIculum of learnIng actIvItIes from J0 mIn QuIck 7Iews, to multI
day class room sessIons. These can be found at http://wJ5.Ibm.com/hr/emea/uk/yourcareer/enus/efcukIndex.html
The TechnIcal LeadershIp competencIes are at http://wJ1.Ibm.com/hr/us/leadcomp/techlead.shtml

0ate 21/04/2005 Page 76 of 78

8 Dther development ActIvItIes
The followIng table gIves suggestIons as to other development actIvItIes you could consIder and In what area the
actIvIty wIll help buIld competency.
CompetencIes are coded:
8 8usIness D 8| DrganIsatIon T TechnIcal 7 7IsIbIlIty or to Increase sIze of network
P Personal: focused on leadershIp and Influence

Types of
competency
developed
0evelopment
ActIvIty
Comments, examples, notes
P,7 Present at
meetIngs
7olunteer to present at a meetIng not of your peers (e.g. management, sales), aIm
to communIcate a technIcal subject In a way approprIate to audIence
8,D,P,7 0epartment
|eetIng Dwner
7olunteer to arrange department meetIngs for a year; IdentIfy the busIness and
technIcal Issues and InvIte approprIate speakers; chose venues and tImes to
maxImIse value and motIvatIon and keep wIthIn budget.
P FecruItment 0evelop IntervIewIng and competency assessment skIlls and assIst the
management team In recruItIng the best people.
P,D,7 |entor 8ecome a mentor for new joIners, develop educatIon roadmaps and vIsIts to other
8usInesses In 8| to grow your own and your students 8| understandIng and
networks.
7,D ncreasIng
Network

7olunteer to help another busIness on an Issue outsIde your area of expertIse e.g.
chaIr or mInute meetIngs, solve crItIcal problems. Use thIs to buIld a network of
experts In other areas. FInd out what leadershIp councIls or academIes exIst and
what Issues they are addressIng and volunteer.
7,P ncreasIng
vIsIbIlIty

Produce a report and present to Influencers. Feport could be a result of a survey
Into customer InnovatIon, change, wIns, losses, lIterature / web sItes. SomethIng
whIch saves you and others tIme In the future. 0evelop a best practIces
presentatIon.
8,P 8usIness Plan UsIng your knowledge of a product or solutIon, IdentIfy a new market or
opportunIty area for It. WrIte the busIness plan and present to busIness managers.
8,T,7 SolutIons
Assurance
revIewer
8e responsIble for a product or product area In the solutIons assurance desIgnated
lIst. Use, create or modIfy checklIst for revIewIng the technIcal vIabIlIty of
proposed solutIons.
D,7, Process
0eployment
7olunteer to assIst management In the rollout of a new or refIned process. ThIs
could be a technIcal process e.g. solutIons assurance, or an HF or busIness
process, e.g. P8Cs, Health and Safety. 0evelop organIsatIonal skIlls and gaIn a
greater understandIng of the needs and pressures In dIfferent communItIes.
D,7 FacIlItator 0evelop facIlItatIon skIlls and offer your servIces to facIlItate meetIngs. 8roaden
personal skIlls In presentatIon, communIcatIon, organIsatIon and dIplomacy. CaIn
an understandIng of Issues In other busInesses.
8,P,7 CrIt SIt
|anager
Take the role of FesolutIon |anager to drIve through a resolutIon that meets
technIcal, busIness and fInancIal constraInts.
8,D,P Cust Sat
|anager
Dn behalf of your 8rand, 0IstrIct or customer set, get underneath the customer
satIsfactIon metrIcs (feedback calls, surveys, complaInts) to determIne root causes
and recommend to management Implementable Improvements.
D,P,7 Study Tour or
event
assIstance
7olunteer to help organIse a show, exhIbItIon or study tour. Arrange to take a
customer to a relevant lecture e.g. EE or 8CS lecture.
P,7 CallIng
Program
WIth agreement of your manager agree a program of calls on senIor 8| |anagers.
Use the Influence of the managers called on to gaIn access to other managers.
dentIfy In what way you can assIst them and they can assIst you.
8,P,D CommunIty
Dwner
Dwn a customer communIty, e.g. 8anks In London; work wIth marketIng to arrange
events, brIefIngs socIal actIvItIes to buIld relatIonshIps between the technIcal
Influencers In these accounts and 8|. AlternatIvely own an 8| communIty e.g.
Sales, TA, Project |anagers, an SU, SW8, TS. EstablIsh relatIonshIps wIth the
communIty and fInd ways of promotIng your technology / solutIon set wIth thIs
communIty.
8,D,P,T,7 Create Author a book, presentatIon, whIte paper, customer case study, or tool and fInd

0elIverables routes to market for It. ChampIon the adoptIon of the delIverable, (thIs part Is
just as Important as the delIverable creatIon part). 7olunteer to product
marketIng, marketIng or development that you wIll produce a delIverable. ThIs
wIll broaden your reputatIon and Influence.
8,D,P,7 FelatIonshIp
manager
Dwn a route to market or Influencer e.g. busIness partner, systems Integrator, S7.
Produce a technIcal support plan wIth the partner to provIde them wIth the skIlls
they need to delIver busIness benefIt for 8|, Work wIth other 8| organIsatIons
(S0D, |arketIng, Channels) to make best use of theIr expertIse, resources and
programmes
P,8,7 JoIn the
ProfessIon
Cet an InsIght Into the skIlls and experIence expected of you to advance your
career and contrIbute more to 8|. Use the ProfessIon posItIon descrIptIons as
Input to your 0P. 7alIdate your senIorIty through peer revIew.
D,8,7,P ProfessIon
CIveback
|entor more junIor members In developIng theIr skIlls and advancIng through the
professIon. 8ecome a board member or perform case revIew to gaIn a wIder
understandIng of how 8| Is organIsed and the skIlls we have. AssIst the board In
runnIng the annual conference or producIng the newsletter or In runnIng the
mentorIng programme. Present at the conference.
8,7 JoIn an
external
professIonal
body
e.g. EE, 8CS and attend theIr meetIngs. Even better get InvIted to present at one
of theIr meetIngs.
P,T Cuest
UnIversIty
Lecturer
Dffer to present on a technology subject at a local UnIversIty
P Personal SkIlls
Course
Attend one personal skIlls course per year
T,7 Attend TSD
resIdency
AcquIre new skIlls, gaIn confIdence and establIsh a small network of contacts,
move Into a new but related area, as coauthor of a book or workshop you wIll get
calls from the world wIde technIcal communIty.
D,P,T,7 8ecome TSD
AssIgnee
AssIgnments are usually for two years and the assIgnee Is responsIble for managIng
the resIdency programme, ensurIng hIgh qualIty delIverables are produced on tIme
and meet sponsors (the labs) and customers (fIeld specIalIsts) requIrements.
0evelop organIsatIonal and leadershIp skIlls and excellent lab contacts.
T,7 EducatIon CIve educatIon to people you don't know and be receptIve to provIdIng support to
the students afterwards to establIsh your reputatIon In a wIder cIrcle and gaIn new
routes to market for your skIlls. Subject chosen could be a new area (e.g. LInux,
Java, or a process (product orderIng, or a methodology e.g. desIgn, solutIon
assurance, sIzIng, avaIlabIlIty,)
D,T,P,7 n 8rand
solutIon or
product expert
8eIng the acknowledged expert on a specIfIc technology or methodology (see
above), developIng fIrst of a kInd skIlls, provIde expertIse to development or the
solutIon provIder to get access to confIdentIal InformatIon. 8ecome recognIsed by
Product |arketIng and lab managers as the person to call and the person to
present.
D,P,7 n brand
solutIon or
product leader
FesponsIble for the technIcal health of a communIty In relatIon to a specIfIc
solutIon or product area. DwnIng a communIty of Interested people both InsIde
and outsIde the 8rand, organIsIng vIrtual or real communIty meetIngs, sharIng best
practIce, arrangIng guest speakers. Ensure adequate educatIon and support
materIal Is avaIlable.
D,P,7 Dut of brand
solutIon or
product leader
As above but coverIng cross brand or multIbusIness communItIes e.g. Sales, CS,
SW8, STC, busIness partners, customers. E.g. chaIrIng or sponsorIng user groups or
SpecIal nterest Croups
P,D,7 8ecome an
edItor
PublIsh a magazIne, newsletter , dIgest, manage multIple contrIbutors and target
audIences that would not normally get the InformatIon
8, D,P,T,7 CaIn
membershIp of
the TCC
Seek sponsorshIp from exIstIng members, establIsh selectIon crIterIa and be
InvIted to the TechnIcal ConsultIng Croup as a young Turk. Dnce a member
contrIbute. Dr joIn other technIcal leadershIp bodIes In your part of the busIness
T,P Patent f you have opportunItIes to create novel processes, software or methodology, use
the Hursley patent offIce to help you get a patent regIstered or even accepted.
0ate 21/04/2005 Page 78 of 78

9 8IblIography and further readIng
ooks
The Fules Df Work by FIchard Templar S8N 027J662716. |ore focused on |anagement success but some good
practIcal advIce on how to behave to wIn at work.
'm DK You're DK by Thomas A HarrIs, A practIcal guIde to TransactIonal AnalysIs S8N 0 JJ0 2J54J 5
WrItIng For JournalIsts by Wynford Hocks S8N 0415184452 0on't be put off by the tItle , lot's of good and bad
examples to study.
nfluencIng for Fesults by CavIn Kennedy S8N 0099415J21. |ost books on InfluencIng are aImed at management
or are set In a socIal context. ThIs one Is focused at professIonals. CavIn Kennedy Is a professor at EdInburgh
8usIness School and wrItes In a style more suItable for a 8rItIsh audIence than the hIgh energy, hIgh emotIon style
of many AmerIcan authors of thIs type of book.
The SIx Hats by Edward de 8ono S8N 0140296662
How To Have A 8eautIful |Ind by Edward de 8ono S8N 009189460J
WorkIng wIth EmotIonal ntellIgence by 0anIel Coleman S8N 074754J844
|anagement teams - Why they succeed or faIl by F. |erIdIth 8elbIn 200J (2nd edItIon), 8utterworth HeInemann,
S8N: 0 7506 5910 6 Paperback.
CettIng ThIngs 0one: How to achIeve stressfree productIvIty by 0avId Allen. AmerIcan "productIvIty Curu" wIth a
8rItIsh versIon of hIs book. haven't read It so don't know how relevant It Is. S8N: 0 7499 2264 8
The Seven HabIts of HIghly effectIve People by Stephen F. Covey S8N 0671711172. Stephen Covey has worked
wIth 8| on developIng an ExecutIve 0evelopment programme and hIs book's premIse Is we have to change the
way we perceIve the world to be effectIve. He calls the seven habIts:
8e ProactIve
8egIn wIth the end In mInd
Put fIrst thIngs fIrst
ThInk wIn wIn
Seek to understand and then be understood
SynergIze
Sharpen the saw.
The age of unreason by Charles Handy S8N 0712649J1x. Explores what Is happenIng In the world of work. t
looks at such thIngs as scale out careers versus scale up careers, portfolIo careers and the "trIple " organIsatIons
based on IntellIgence, InformatIon and Ideas.
Awaken the CIant wIthIn by Anthony FobbIns S8N 0671582089 . AmerIcan style personal development usIng
some NLP technIques.
NLP at Work: The 0Ifference that |akes a 0Ifference In 8usIness by Sue KnIght (make sure It Is the 2002 edItIon)
S8N 185788J020
For an understandIng of how companIes are changIng and how these Impacts skIlls and careers: FIchard Scase
LIvIng In the Corporate Zoo S8N 1841121878
f you don't know what career you want because you don't know what Is Important to you and what your values
are, or you know what they are but would lIke to express them more clearly then FIrst FInd Your HIlltop by Foy
Calvert, 8rIan 0urkIn, EugenIo CrandI, KevIn |artIn S8N 0091744059. The core of the book Is an explanatIon of
the 7P model of what drIves people.
8ob |c0onald and 0on Hutcheson 0on't Waste your talents, The 8 crItIcal steps to dIscoverIng what you do
best" S8N 156J526115. Dne InterestIng observatIon Is that what we do easIly we tend to undervalue because It
Is easy and hence can often underrate our own talents.

Web SItes
|asterIng the nIne core competencIes http://wJJ.Ibm.com/hr/careerplanner/efccpcommun.html#topJ
TechnIcal Career profIles http://wJ5.Ibm.com/emea/uk/wJuk.nsf/pages/technIcalcareersuk
IBM HR learning good for personal development courses: http://w3-
3.ibm.com/services/learning/w3lslh.nsf/folders/unitedkingdom

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