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Communication: Do you see the indicator lights?

June 2, 2015 by Tom Leave a Comment

How’s your engine?

A friend once was on a road trip and her car’s temperature gauge kept climbing. As she kept driving, the needle pointed to the red zone. Eventually a light came on, and she kept driving. As you might imagine, shortly after that, she needed to buy a new car. She missed the indicators, and it had a big consequence.

Do you see the lights?

I recently met with a client who was in trouble. She told me that her boss said she was doing a terrible job of communicating.

My boss says it’s my tone and word choice, but I really don’t know what he means. Why can’t he be more specific?

Just like warning lights on your cars dashboard, people give you indicators. Not specific warning lights, but just as useful. She was missing the indicators.

dashboard indicator warning lights scion

What do they look like?

At another firm, I worked with the senior leadership team.

One of the lead guys is a hard core scientist-type. As we talked about communication challenges on the leadership team, he sat with his arms folded across his chest.

One of the other leaders said “Why are you so opposed to this? You’ve been sitting there with your arms folded the whole time!”

His response? “What? You’re looking at nonverbal communication? Seriously?”

In the leader’s case above, he did not MEAN to send a negative message – he was comfortable with his arms folded. He was not aware (or didn’t care) that this had a negative effect on others.

Here are some indicators you might want to look for when you’re talking.

Does the other person:

Sigh?
Glance at their watch repeatedly?
Looking at phone/computer instead of looking at you?
Fold their arms when you bring up ideas?
Fail to make eye contact?
Lean away from you when you’re talking?
Change the subject after you start talking?

Now what?

Now that you know what to look for – what do you do when you see it?

When my friend was driving and the temperature indicator showed increasing temperature – it was a warning. If she had understood the meaning of it, she could have made different choices.

When you see the warning signs, it’s a good opportunity to say

I think I see a warning light. I’m guessing that we’re not connecting. What information do you need? Is there something that I need to know?

Then be quiet and LISTEN.

You might find out that your engine is overheating!

Data Scientists: Sexiest job of the 21st century – How to move from Analyst to Data Scientist

April 28, 2015 by Tom Leave a Comment

big data smaller version binary-715813_1920

According to Harvard Business Review, Data Scientists have the sexiest job of the 21st century.

There’s a HUGE need for Data Scientists

A McKinsey study says

By 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions.

What will it take for you to move from being an analyst working with BigData to becoming a Data Scientist?

MIT Sloan Management Review recently posted an article about how to get value from data scientists.

Data science is a HUGE thing right now. There’s more demand than ever before for data scientists. If you’re a data scientist, there’s probably a great job available for you right now.

I’ve been in software, and have worked on analytics for very large datasets. I’d say that I’ve worked with Big Data. Was I ever an analyst? Could I call myself a data scientist? (For those of you who know me, the short answer is NO WAY!) 🙂

The Skills to move to being a Data Scientist

If you’re an analyst, how do you make the transition from analyst to data scientist? Based on the research, here are some key differences:

Fundamentally, it’s all about the BUSINESS VALUE. The higher you go on the business value chain, the more you can make and the more opportunities you’ll have.

According to the article, Data Scientists are generally better programmers than most statisticians, and better statisticians than most programmers.

What if you’re an analyst who wants to become a data scientist? What are some skills to work on? It’s more than the math! In fact, you’ll need to think in terms of technical skills and non-technical skills

Technical skills:

According to the research “Analysts” tend to work with structured and semi-structured data to evaluate, report, predict, prescribe and optimize information.

In addition to structured and semi-structured numeric data, Data scientists also work with unstructured numeric data, images, audio and text. Their work involves exploring, investigating hypotheses and visualization of data.

To accomplish this, you may need to expand your toolkit to include more tools – including open source tools, mathemetical languages such as R and Python, and machine learning, natural language processing, and tools that manipulate data from multiple repositories (such as Hadoop.)

Data scientists are using these tools to look for surprising business insights using all of these forms of data, and that can pay off in a big way.

Non-Technical skills:

What’s interesting to me is that the article talked about some pitfalls, too. Some of the main limiters on the impact of these brilliant contributors have to do with dealing with people.

Specifically, business leaders complain about data scientists being

Aloof and uninterested in the professional lives and business problems of their less technical team members.
They don’t see the need to explain the implications of what they are discovering (or translate their insights into actionable information which can be quickly applied by business team members, and
They have a lack of interest in partnering with business leaders to address the challenges outside the technical realm.

Want to move from Analyst to Data Scientist?

What can you do?

1. Make a plan about improving your technical skills.

Look for data sources outside your traditional repositories that may relate to the business problems your company is facing.
Pick a tool to explore over the next few months – set up a small project where you can experiment with a new tool to help you understand your data better.

2. Make a plan to improve your non-technical skills!

1. Think about how to get the information and insights you have into language that non-technical people can easily understand.

More than “here’s the data” or even “here’s a graph of the data” take a look at how to tie the data to the pain points that your business team members are experiencing.

2. Read a great book on communication.

One of my favorites is “How to Win Friends And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.

3. Do the difficult work of keeping it simple

My guess is that you’ve already got access to great data that can be applied to difficult business problems – the time you invest in strengthening your communications will pay off in a big way.

Learn how to translate the speeds and feeds into actionable information. Listen to your business colleagues talk about the problems they are facing, and work to re-craft your messages using the same terms that they regularly use.

Is it harder than “just sending them the data”?

Yes – and your work to cross the communication chasm will dramatically increase the value you deliver to your company.

Additional reading

What’s Your Plan?

Growing technical skills and non-technical skills will lead to a big payoff on your journey from analyst to data scientist.

What’s your plan? What’s the next step for you on your journey?

The 5 root causes of bad meetings – and exactly what you can do to have better meetings!

March 31, 2015 by Tom Leave a Comment

Better Meetings

In this Geek Leadership Essentials Podcast, I connect with Bryan Field from MeetingResult LLC.

We talk about making your meetings useful and efficient!

How to make your meetings more effective
The root causes of unproductive meetings (and what to do about it)
One powerful, simple system for making your meetings far better

Bryan has generously offered to provide two great resources for us.

FREE

One chapter from his book Powerfully Simple Meetings. Click on the book below to start your download!

Great Discount!

For our listeners, Bryan has offered a 40% discount on annual subscriptions
Go to meetingresult.com and use promo code “Web-MR” for 40% off individual or team annual subscriptions!

About Bryan

BRYAN FIELD is a senior information technology executive and cofounder of MeetingResult LLC. He has more than sixteen years of experience in Software and Systems Development, IT Security, Business Process Reengineering and Web and Mobile Technology Implementations and has worked extensively in both the federal government and private sector. Before cofounding MeetingResult, Mr. Field built and led a sales organization for a defense contractor. He received his bachelor of science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and has been a certified project management professional (PMP) since 2005.

About the Podcast

We host a podcast focused on the essentials of leadership. We interview experts and publish a new podcast every few weeks on topics like project management, sales, marketing, leadership development, and so much more.

Don’t miss out! Sign up here for future podcast episodes to be delivered to you as soon as they are released! (You can also find the podcast in iTunes)

How to have a tough conversation with that jerk at work

January 21, 2015 by Tom Leave a Comment

This morning I was working with a client. The discussion was about “How do I handle a conversation with a difficult customer?”

Have you ever had that problem?

What does it feel like knowing that you need to talk about it, and you can’t?
What would it feel like to have that conversation over with?
What would it feel like to have the other person not mad at you at the end of the discussion?
What would it be like at work to partner with them rather than be at odds with them?

This morning’s coaching call reminded me that this is a common issue and one that you may be facing, too.
I know I’ve had tough conversations with customers, partners, team members and bosses. Sometimes I’ve handled it well.
Other times not so much.

I Really Blew it

I remember a time that I had Jay (a team member) tell me he had made no progress on the work I had assigned him because Alan (MY boss) had told him to work on something else. Of course, Alan still expected me to get results on the stuff that I had originally assigned to Jay.

The more I thought about it, the madder I got. Who did Alan think he was to undermine my authority? Alan and I had previously talked about the fact that I needed Jay to work on this, and we both knew that Jay really didn’t want to do it. When Alan approached Jay, it was a clear signal that Jay didn’t need to worry about that crummy project that Tom had assigned.

anger-18658_1920_pixabay_public_domain — The more I thought about it, the more I think I had the same look on my face, as she does on hers. I was MAD!

How could he do that? (Alan owned the company, and was used to doing what he wanted, that’s how!)

I was frustrated, embarrassed, and I felt completely disrespected. Jay was a new addition to my team (he had previously reported directly to Alan, and did not appreciate the change.) Jay didn’t want to work for me, he didn’t want the project I assigned to him, and now Alan was telling him to ignore me and focus on the stuff that Alan wanted.

I got on the phone and challenged Alan’s having undermined my authority. We shot barbs back and forth a few times, and eventually I was shouting at Alan. The call ended quickly.

Let’s go over a quick list of what I did wrong:

I was not “calm and centered.” I was MAD!
I did not “slow down and listen” – I was focused on telling Alan exactly how wrong he was and how mad I was.
I didn’t ”acknowledge his perspective. In fact I didn’t care about his point of view.

Here’s a great Harvard Business Review article on this topic. I thought you might appreciate it.

For what it’s worth, in my conversation with Alan, I think I broke every rule listed in the article.

If you’d like help preparing for a difficult conversation, I can help. (I’ve learned a thing or two since I worked for Alan, thankfully!)
Give me a call!

How to be a more effective geek in 2015

December 11, 2014 by Tom Leave a Comment

I was in trouble

It was my 3rd semester in College. I was in trouble. I was out of money and out of financial aid. I had a cumulative GPA of 1.6. That’s right. Cumulative.

I had started college because my parents (who had dropped out when they were kids) drilled into me how important college was. I went to please them. I went because I believed it would have been a stupid financial decision to try to earn a good living without a college education. I went because I didn’t want to do blue collar work, and all my friends went to college.

Up to that point, I was a classic underachiever. I did just enough to get by. I had never learned how to study. A professor challenged me. She said “Tom, you’re getting a ‘B’ in my class. If you actually showed up for lectures, I’d bet you’d have an ‘A’.”

I replied “what’s wrong with a ‘B?'”

I hadn’t developed the personal discipline to consistently attend class, much less take my education seriously.

I could not afford to continue at the private college. I transferred to a local state school. I moved back in with mom and dad. I bought a clunker to drive (which broke down a lot.) I got a job as a waiter. School didn’t get better. My grades were still bad.

After 2 semesters at the state school, I should have been suspended. I was ready to quit. My dad pushed me to stay in school – even for just one class. He challenged me to call the registrar.

Someone in the registrar’s office messed up. They had never gotten around to processing my academic suspension paperwork. They let me take calculus-based physics 101 (again.)

Over the next few months I worked about 30 hours a week, and commuted 40 minutes each way to class. I think I got a C in Physics. I was exhausted. I was depressed. I was frustrated. I felt stupid. I felt like a failure. I was sick of waiting tables. I was sick of feeling stupid. I was sick of being mad at myself.

Have you met this dog?

There’s an old story about a mailman with a farm on his route.

Every day when he delivers mail to the farm, he sees the farmer’s dog sitting on a porch moaning quietly to himself.

One day the mailman sees the farmer outside and calls him over.

He asks: “Why is your dog lying in the same spot on the porch every day and always moaning?”

The farmer says “Oh. That. There’s a nail sticking out of the porch right there. The dog is sitting on it.”

The mailman asks: “Why doesn’t the dog move?”

“I guess it doesn’t hurt him enough,” the farmer replies.

Up until then I was the dog on the porch. I was moaning about my life, my circumstances, my frustrations and my self-perception. And I was lying on the nail the whole time. I was stuck.

Have you ever been “stuck” at work?

Have you ever been:

Frustrated by political correctness and organizational politics?
Working with bosses and team members who just can’t “get it”?
Have you been too overwhelmed with technical tasks to have time to create elegant, efficient solutions?

Have you ever wondered what it would take to move beyond the churn of short deadlines, small budgets and clueless bosses?

I was in pain

That semester in college was a defining moment in my life. What would I do?

I was in pain – real pain – and finally it hurt enough. I decided to change.

But… how?

I evaluated what I wanted:

to feel more successful,
to get off the hand-to-mouth treadmill of work and classes,
to work in software and tech.

I evaluated the problem: My undergrad degree would be the “ticket” to the kind of life I wanted, but I didn’t know how to “do school.”

I needed help. I searched and found a system that promised results. It was not cheap. I was going to have to take a chance. Take what seemed like a lot of money out of my wallet (I was only earning $2.01/hour plus tips.) Take the risk of failing again. The scariest part – what if I tried it and it didn’t work? I knew what would happen if I didn’t change something. More of the same.

Up to that point I was unwilling to invest in myself – why was I surprised that no one else was willing to do it?

I decided to take a risk by betting on this system.

I was betting on me. I bought the cassette tapes and workbook. I listened to them intently. I looked for ways I could change. The system was full of little tips and tricks to help me get better. I applied what I was learning. I realized that in spite of my brains, and the time I was putting in that I was making a series of small mistakes, and repeating them over and over again.

Getting unstuck

I decided to change. I decided to invest in myself. I decided to set a big goal.

I did it. I went from academic probation to the Dean’s list. From a 1.6 GPA to a 4.0. I made the dean’s list every semester, even while taking more than 20 hours of coursework.

Two years later I graduated from the private college with a cumulative GPA of 3.03 (when you start as low as I did, every 0.3 counts!)

whats the next right step for you to take

You can be a more effective geek in 2015

In 2015, you can be a more effective geek, tech lead or team manager.

Do you know the next right step to take?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What is your big goal? (What results are you after? I wanted to move to the next level.)
What’s actually happening today? (What is your reality? Mine was I was flunking out of school.)
What is stopping you from getting what you want? (What roadblocks are in your way? I had to learn how to “do” school.)

I help highly technical experts (geeks) find ways to make small tweaks in what they are doing to lead to more success.

Want help with communication?
Want help learning more about influencing people around you (even if they don’t report to you?
Want help leading a team of people who do report to you?
Are you ready to invest in yourself?

That’s what I do for my clients, and I may be able to help you – if you’re ready.

Not sure if you’re ready? Let’s set up a “clarity and focus” call. Send an email to tom@BrightHillGroup.com

In a brief conversation we can figure out whether working with me now is a good idea.

2015 can be your best year ever. Are you ready?

Coaching: My client is on her way to a top executive position!

November 21, 2014 by Tom Leave a Comment

I love my job.

I just finished a coaching session with a successful client.

She’s a VP with a multibillion dollar global high tech firm. We’ve been working together for several months to help her extend her leadership skills, and the leadership skills of her direct reports.

Today she told me that she has just been identified as one of the “Top 20 Future Leaders” in the company, and is a part of an elite group being groomed for future senior executive roles.

She has done a ton of work over the last year to grow. I’m really proud of her. She graciously says that working with me has been an important part of her development, and her opportunity to be a part of that elite leadership program.

When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.

One of the other things that has been fun for me is watching how, by learning a few key practices, she has become an insightful thought leader in the organization. She says:

Isn’t it scary that I’m one of the thought leaders here?

No, it’s not scary. It’s not even surprising. Her company is so “busy” that few leaders are making the time and effort to think. Her investment in some simple disciplines helped her to stand out from the crowd. That is really satisfying for me as her coach.

What about you?

I can’t promise that you’ll be a key thought leader in your organization or that you’ll be selected to be a part of an elite leadership succession plan.

What I can promise you is that if you make the commitment to grow and the investment in yourself, that you WILL grow. You will see new opportunities and can be more thoughtful and more influential.

I work with geeks to help them communicate clearly, delegate effectively, manage conflict productively, and plan well.

If you’re ready to think about taking a step to grow, give me a call.

But hiring a coach is weird!

For “technical” leaders it is unusual, sure. Do you want to be at the top of your field? Do you want to stand out?

But I’m smart, skilled and accomplished. Do I really need a coach?

Article: Intuit’s CEO (Quicken) on “Why you need a Business Coach”
Fortune Video: Eric Schmidt (former CEO of Google) on why everyone needs a coach.

How much is this going to cost?

I can work with you to put together a plan for growth, no matter what your budget. (I just wrapped up a 4 month communications coaching/blended learning program for a client that only cost him $600.)

Coaching works

The fact is, coaching works. Period. If it didn’t, there’s no way that college football coaches would even have jobs. Top athletes know that they have their best shot at peak performance by working with a coach. You can work with a coach, too.

Studies show working with a coach statistically has a huge ROI. Depending on the study between 200% – 700% return on your investment in you!

Now is a great time. You don’t have to wait until “after the holidays.”

Lots of projects will be kicking off in January.

Don’t you want to be ready when they start? Call me!

“When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.”
Tom@BrightHillGroup.com

240-668-4799