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With much code, all eyes are shallow
-Jared Richardson |
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.. it is a really special feeling when you give someone a book and it changes the way they think and act. So I'm really pleased to have just finished reading a book that I know I'll be handing out ...
-Jeffery Fredrick |
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It's rare to have this much fun reading a book about software. The ideas are smart, relevant, and fundamental. I can be a better programmer today because of the things I read today.
-Joe Fair |
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(Oct 21)
Soft skills matter more than many of us realize. I'm working on a part of the Career 2.0 book dealing with public speaking and realizing all over again how important this topic is.
How often have you tried to introduce a new idea or technology at work and been shut down? Who's fault is it that no-one listened? I'd suggest it could be your fault, although it's easier to blame the audience.
As the "presenter" in this scenario, it's your job to find a way to reach your audience. If you've never taken the time to learn the basics of presenting and communicating then you've got no-one to blame but yourself when you do a poor job selling the idea.
Here's another way to think about it. Imagine you're at a nice restaurant and order a very expensive Kobe steak. When your waiter delivers it to your table you see it's cooked perfectly, smells great, and just looks incredible. Except for one detail: it's wrapped in a dirty, oily piece of newspaper. It looks like someone picked it up from the alley behind the restaurant, from a puddle of smelly water that leaked out of the dumpster.
Are you still going to eat that steak?
Of course not. And that's the same problem you have when you present a great technical idea without bothering to learn how to present it well. It's a rare manager who's willing to peel away the newspaper and still eat the steak.
Category: Misc
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My "Practical Test Automation" talk discusses why, and who, should be writing tests. (Hint, invite developers to this talk!)
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