We have stressed the importance to a technology career—a career on a technical or management track—of being able to communicate effectively in writing.
In fact I said, “If you can’t write well, you might as well stay home.”
Oral communication, which has public and one-on-one speaking components, is a little different. Let’s focus on public speaking in […]

I have a confession to make: I was a brat.
There are a lot of us around, so odds are you probably work with one or are one (c’mon, I confessed; you can too).
The damage a brat can do
I’m talking about young (mostly), headstrong employees who know everything. In the presence of strong leadership and a […]

I’m obviously a big fan of not doing more than you need to do to get the job done (and also not doing less than you need to do).
When I got my first big gig leading people I went from leading a team of 2 to leading a team of 100. I needed a lot […]

I have fun doing a regular weekly article at HPCWire that covers some of the same topics we cover here, only with more of an emphasis on supercomputing. I usually don’t publish items that are substantially the same here and there. Today’s topic is important enough, however, that I think it’s worth making an exception […]

If you’re a Computerworld reader, check out the October 9, 2006 edition. It features an article by me that focuses on how you can start leading and developing your leadership career talents from your first day on the job.

Want to kick your career up a notch? Then here’s something that virtually no one will ever tell you. I don’t think anyone ever told me this, either, but I’ve found time and again that when I make real progress I’m following this rule: don’t do everything on your list. My rule of thumb is […]

This is part two of a two part series on managing your career more effectively by thinking of the expertise and services you provide to your boss as a brand. If you missed the first part, check it out here.
Ok, so you’re convinced that you thinking about yourself as a brand to your boss might […]

“Career management” sounds like something you should be doing, right? But how to get started? You should read a book on marketing and selling services.
The very idea brings up images of car salesmen, snake oil, and telemarketing. The small person in our heads says, “I’m not in sales!””
Oh, but you are. It turns out […]

So we’ve had lots of posts in the past month or so talking about communicating in writing. Tips, techniques, and “rules” — things that I do anyway that work for me.
So, all of that said, rules are always meant to be broken (I may have issues with authority).
These rules are made for breaking
But, regarding […]

How do you know whether you are writing well? There’s only one test that really matters: when your audience understands your information and is moved to act in accordance with your goals.
But how will you know when this happens? The odds are pretty good that, early in your career anyway, you won’t have any […]