Latest Posts - Page 130 of 206

April 29, 2019April 20, 2019 Become a Better Developer

Writing A Book – What You Should Know Before You Begin

One of the popular suggestions for passive income is writing a book. There are some pros to doing so. However, it is not a project to be undertaken lightly. Whether you are aiming for a fiction or non-fiction work, there is a lot of effort beyond putting words on paper. Here are some things that will help you decide whether this is something you genuinely want to do. Writing a Book Includes a Lot of Writing It will come as no surprise to you that a book requires a lot of writing. In my experience, this goes beyond what most of us experience. I have blogged for years, written white papers, produced a vast array of term and research papers, and produced... Read more

April 26, 2019April 13, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Habits, Roadmaps, and the Value of Career Momentum

When we think of our professional lives, the result is a marathon, not a sprint. Thus, there is a need to develop a form of career momentum that can get us through those long years. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this goal. That means we can look at several approaches to keeping our career on a forward path even in light of all that life throws at us. Career Momentum Is Key I have found that momentum is the most significant contributor to keeping my career on track. This has been the case even when things appear to go off the rails. There have been periods where all of my goals came to a complete stop. Nevertheless,... Read more

April 24, 2019April 13, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Adding Soft Skills To Advance Your Career

It is probably not going to shock you to find that soft skills are an essential piece of success in your career. Technical skills are your primary asset. However, soft skills will help you apply those technical ones is the most effective way. It also seems that the technical side becomes less a factor in advancing as you move into the advanced stages of a career. Oh No, Sales Skills The natural introversion of many technical professionals goes against the classic idea of sales. We tend to equate good sales skills with a big and extroverted personality. That is not the case. The best salespeople build relationships. That is not an area relegated to the extroverts. On the contrary, I have found... Read more

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Advancing Your Career Through New Challenges

As you move through the years, you might find that advancing your career becomes a more significant challenge. There was so much to learn when you started. However, you now have a lot of knowledge under your belt. Never fear, there is still a world full of opportunities for you to advance to that next level. Expand Your Reach No one learns without stepping out of what they know. If you find yourself overly comfortable in your current position, it is time to move. That does not mean you have to move to another country or even change jobs. It does say you should look for new areas to explore. That includes new forms of interacting with your peers. There are ways... Read more

April 19, 2019April 20, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Giving Back As A Mentor, Coach, and Lead

We have looked this week at how to get the most out of mentors and teammates. However, we also should think about giving back. There will be opportunities to teach, lead, and even mentor others. I have found these situations are as much a blessing to us as they are the recipients. Therefore, we should embrace these sort of opportunities where we can. Learn By Teaching The first point to consider is how teaching someone is a way to learn. In the simplest form, we ask someone to say back to us what we just said. This is a test of whether they learned what we desired. If they can repeat it back to us, then they learned it at... Read more

April 17, 2019April 18, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Learning From Peers, Teammates, and Co-Workers

There are a wealth of teachers in our professional community. I have found the most common contributor to my success is learning from peers. The people around us that we include in our daily interactions are also factors in how we learn or solve problems. Let’s look at how to make the most of this prevalent resource. Everyone Brings Value The most significant factor in know-it-all being a bad attitude is the impact it has on our ability to learn. Yes, you may be considered gruff or even a jerk, but that may be due to other than your lack of humility. When this approach is taken, there is a tendency to jump to conclusions or even solutions that are... Read more