NOTE TO READER FROM AUTHOR:
This blog is primarily intended for Developers and Software Engineers looking for new ways to improve their career growth potential and attraction to possible future employers.
This is a practical approach to differentiating yourself from amongst your peers and is a brief summary of learnings I have gained from my experience as an Engineer, Software Developer, Team Lead, Interviewer, and Manager. I hope this information is as helpful to you, as it has been for me.
Thanks for reading and enjoy!
As a self-taught software developer, a developer relations manager and an aspiring and ever-growing writer, I've always clung to the belief that it's "All about what you do, not what you say".
That your 'work' should speak for itself, and that 'words' are "nice", but offer very little real value in a tangible sense.
But as I near my 10th year in the tech industry, I've discovered that the adage, “Talk is cheap” may not be as true as I once thought it was.
But that the real adage, especially for my fellow developers and software engineers, should be, “Talk isn't cheap, Talk is ESSENTIAL”.
Do What You Say and Say What You Do
As I look back on my software development career and my overall journey that has brought to where I am now, I have started to recognize a specific skill that has helped me to stand out amongst my peers. That skill is...
The ability to communicate clearly and effectively to those who I work with and those who I engage with, on any level.
I've truly come to realize, that the key to continued success is simply the ability to “talk” or, more aptly said, communicate.
My capacity to express my ideas clearly, if not always succinctly, has allowed me to convey my technical skills and abilities while adeptly navigating the minutia of the complex dynamics that come with intra-organizational functional growth.
“Wait?!? What did you just say?!?”
Essentially, having the ability to communicate has allowed me to showcase my technical skills more readily, while allowing me to navigate the difficulties that come with pursing “that promotion” or that position that I desire.
Having the acumen to speak on my technical ability to diverse audiences has made it a “no brainier” to hire me (or promote me) over candidates with similar skill sets and experience.
I haven't just “walked the walk”, I've “talked the talk”.
Over time, I've discovered that one of the most important skills needed to have an impactful career in software engineering, is the ability to communicate well.
"But I'm a Talented Software Engineer, Shouldn't my Skills Speak for Themselves?"
In a perfect world, humans would be able to easily identify exactly who is the best person for any given role by just simply looking at them.
“Yup! They’ll be the perfect accountant. I can see it in their eyes”
But in reality, determining competency and the ability to perform is a complex task. Finding the best person for any given role or opportunity can be incredibly difficult.
Great things (and even great people) are not easy to recognize, without something “speaking on its behalf”.
Let's take the cautionary tale of the movie Elemental.
©2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Elemental, a Disney Pixar movie that was released in the summer of 2023, has the unfortunate honor of having the 2nd worst box office opening for the animation studio Pixar, since the release of Toy story in 1995.
But oddly enough, Elemental currently has a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which shows that the movie was not just enjoyed by those who saw it, but loved.
So what happened to Elemental?
Rua Fay at Cinemasters does a great job of summarizing the events that lead to the fiasco in her blog, but in short, Disney didn't do a great job at marketing the movie. The movie's marketing focused on the wrong elements (pun not intended) of the Elemental while targeting a niche audience.
Luckily, Elemental ended up finding its audience and performing better at the box office (keeping it from being a financial loss for Disney), but it's success was massively hindered by what was communicated about it.
It wasn't successful at the box office because of its quality as a movie.
It was less successful because of what Disney communicated about it.
So take a moment and ponder...
What do you communicate about yourself to others you work with?
How well do you communicate the value you bring to the table?
And lastly..
Are the only people who know your capabilities, competencies and strengths, those who have worked with you directly and/or those who have managed you directly?
Breaking the Curse of the 'Silent Engineer'
Even if you're currently not doing well in the realm of communicating your skills and what you have to offer, I want to ensure you that it's never too late to make a change.
You may not believe this (if you were to follow my career, watch my behaviors and have awareness of the activities I engage in) but I'm an introvert who suffers from social anxiety.
When I was younger, I found managing social scenarios immensely difficult. Though I've grown substantially through out the years, I sometimes still feel incredibly anxious doing simple social things; like raising my hand to answer a question in a classroom setting.
But my personal weaknesses and my general social preferences, have very little to do with my ability to communicate and express myself in a professional setting.
So how does a software developer grow in their communication skills and set themselves apart for more opportunities to flourish in their career?
Well, here are a few things I recommend doing to help yourself grow and build your communications skills:
1. Create a "Personal Elevator Pitch"
If you only had 30-60 seconds to communicate what value you bring to the table as an engineer, what would you say?
If you can't answer the above question easily, spend some time crafting a succinct way to express your value. Think through how you would explain what you have to offer to a person who could have a direct impact on your career growth.
Once you do that, practice sharing your elevator pitch with those you trust. Get feedback on you're communicating and refine your messaging.
Having an elevator pitch in mind better prepares you to express the value you have to offer at anytime, in any place, at any length.
Also, as an added benefit, it helps to build confidence and better define your personal strengths.
2. Find a mentor to help with communication skills
Finding a person who is willing to guide you on your journey of growth in communication is crucial. Your mentor doesn't have to be a software engineer and your mentor doesn't have to work with you.
Your mentor should be someone you trust, you admire and who has the experience to help you navigate your path to success. Someone you can ask honest questions, get genuine feedback, and who will encourage you throughout the process.
In all honesty, a mentor can truly be a "cheat code" when it comes to building skills you lack. Having a mentor(s) is an absolute game-changer to achieving success and growth in communication.
If you don't have a mentor, reach out to someone you think of highly today, and start the conversation.
3. Practice, Practice, Rehearse
Sadly, there is no shortcut to building stronger communication skills, BUT there is a method that works almost every time in helping you be a better communicator; practice.
In the Asurion Developer Advocacy Program, this is one of the topics I hone in on in my lesson on Public Speaking.
A key component of successful communication is confidence. In order to build confidence, you must first build competence. And to build competence, you must practice.
Practice can come in many forms: Speaking in the mirror to yourself, preparing a presentation with a colleague, joining Toastmasters, or creating a podcast. (Note: This is not an exhaustive list)
But what's most important is intentionally taking time to work on communicating ideas more effectively in a "safe space", where you can make mistakes and grow.
As they say, "Practice makes perfect", and building communication skills is no exception.
4. Speak up! Advocate For Yourself!
This is hands down one of the most important lessons I was taught in the latter half of my career (from one of my mentors).
Advocating for yourself is understanding that it is absolutely your responsibility to own you career and speak up for yourself.
No matter how great your support system, noone, and I mean noone, will ever be able to advocate for you as well as yourself.
When you believe you are able to do something, say it.
When you get a new certification or achieve a new accomplishment, share it.
If you feel you are not getting opportunities for growth and advancement that you believe you deserve, speak up about it.
This specific principle has been one of the keys to my personal career success. I would not have achieved what I have to this point in my career, without truly adopting this principle.
5. Watch the Masters
If you really want to become great at communication, watch and emulate those who are already great at it.
Sometimes, the best way to learn and grow is to imitate. By watching an individual who is recognized by their peers and community as a strong communicator, you have the opportunity to pick up on obvious and subtle skills that makes them great.
Also, make sure to watch a diverse set of communicators and see if you can learn the common tactics and approaches they all use. Sometimes, it's hard to recognize what makes any particular individual great without having a greater perspective on different communication styles.
And if possible, consider asking one of those "masters" if they'd be willing to be your mentor. You never know, you might just get lucky!
6. Volunteer to be Uncomfortable
The former CEO of IBM, Ginni Rometty, once said...
One sign an idea is a good one is if it makes people a little bit uncomfortable. That’s because growth and comfort never coexist.
In order to grow, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable.
And this principle is true in almost all aspects of life and even more so when it comes to communicating.
In order to really grow and build your communication skills as a developer or a software engineer, you need to put yourself in situations that challenge you and take you out of your comfort zone.
Sometimes, it will work out that you will be given a task or assignment that will force you to use your communication skills in new and challenging ways. But, you should never wait for that opportunity to come to you.
Instead, you should be seeking out opportunities of growth and putting yourself in situations that will force you to grow.
Is your manager looking for someone to volunteer to communicate some technical details to stakeholders? Volunteer to speak on behalf of the team.
Is there a need, at the end of a Sprint, for a person to share a summary of work completed by the dev team to the greater team? Speak with your team lead and volunteer to give that summary.
Are there seemingly no opportunities for communication roles on your team? Speak with your team lead or manager and ask if they can create those opportunities for you.
Be active in seeking out opportunities to grow in your communication skills.
Volunteer and take the chance to be uncomfortable and discover the growth that follows.
In Conclusion
I feel I have been very blessed in my career and have been able to experience both substantial skill growth and positional growth. I would attribute that, not only to my technically proficiency, but also to my goal of focusing on communicating more effectively.
And I can confidently say, that when competing for roles or opportunities, where I am equally qualified or even less qualified than my peers, that my ability to communicate has helped me to outpace the competition.
If you are looking to advance your career, expand your influence within your company or community at large, or if you aim stand out amongst candidates all vying for the same open role at an organization, consider building your communication skills.
I know without a shadow of a doubt, I owe much of my career success to the ability to not just “walk the walk” but also “talk to talk”.
All the best,
Bradston Henry
Do you have any other suggestions on how developers and engineers can grow their communication skills? If you do, please share them the comments below. I would love to hear them!
Note:
I am very passionate about this topic and believe that for many software engineers, that this area of expertise that can be difficult to master. If you'd like me to expand on this topic and go into more depth into the specifics of how to grow proficiency in communication, please let me know. I'd love to continue diving into this topic if others would find value in it. Thanks!
Photo Credits(Order of Appearance):
Cover Photo by Dustin Tray from Pexels
Elementals: ©2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Photo by Startup Stock Photos
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
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