Work on the Soft Skills

Get Ahead

Getting ahead in a tech career means being focused on the technical skills, languages, and tools we use day to day. Being able to get the most out of them, learn the shortcuts and better ways to optimize a Build or an IDE for linting are all good ways to make your work easier. These are the things I like to call Hard Skills, they are your bread and butter, those abilities used every day to meet the tasks at hand.

There are others that allow you to not only get ahead but help you get the most of the results of those Hard Skills. Being seen as a great coder is nice, but what gets ahead is sometimes the person who is not only great technically but knows how to motive teams. Someone who can sell the story of what the Team is working on to an Executive in 30 seconds, or explain a complex task to another Team or the Product Team so they get it. These are the Soft Skills.

Time for something completely different

Working on the Soft Skills is harder, because they are not always in your day to day routine. Sometimes they aren't a natural fit, I have become adept at working with other Teams, and being able to describe why we can't do something without getting those above me mad because I worked at it. A lot of times you have opportunities available at work that you can take advantage of to work on those skills.

One of the best opportunities I had at work was the Toastmasters Club that was formed. A great opportunity to speak in front of those who in a non-judgmental way, will provide feedback for learning not only how to write speeches, but keep them into timeboxes so you get to the core of the matter. It's been a boon to my Team who in Product Demos learn to be flexible, but also they come in knowing they have to finish in 3 - 5 minutes. If your company doesn't have one, or can't make one, you can always look and see if there is a local Toastmasters Club. The one drawback is I continually see where I pause for my thoughts when I speak, but it is also far fewer times than when I started.

Be a mentor/mentee! A lot of companies have mentoring opportunities available, often with people in other departments. That not only broadens contact with people, but you can learn how other people communicate. Learning from others who have advanced is a way to see what you need to do, often times people seek out Management opportunities and don't get them, learn from one who did and follow their recommendations on knowledge and books and networking.

Read Management books! I tended to avoid some, but as I got older I started skimming more and more of them. A couple were recommendations from my mentor, and they have been great! Some things I have learned more on, and what I did naturally, was the vulnerable leader by putting my weaknesses and mistakes out before my Team so they could see I have done what they did. Learning how to tell a story and be able to draw people in by describing our work and how my Team affects others by providing tools and process improvements has given us more notice as I can make it personal when talking about it.

Become more well rounded

Mostly it comes down to communication, find your style and voice. Use it to your advantage. Most of all practice, like Hard Skills the Soft ones only get better the more you use them. Find opportunities to work on them with your Team, peers, and company when you can. Ask the VP or CEO if there are books they are reading, often people who are successful are willing to share what they know and finding out what they are doing to improve is a good way to increase your knowledge.

It's extra work, but like a multi-function tool it never hurts to keep the ones you have in good shape.