Professional Development

The Abstracts

Interpersonal Communication Skills for Propeller Heads

Deborah Johnson Document not posted for download

Have you been frustrated because your manager didn't understand what you were telling her?Have you ever wished you could actually understand what those geeks in IT really mean?This session will review some of the common practices that result in poor communication, followed by simple steps that the technical person can take to improve interpersonal communication.

Agenda:Why Geeks are misunderstood.Too much jargon.Fear of failure (or looking bad, etc)Not Communicating.Basic Principals of Communication.ContextIntentListening.Trust.Simple Steps to Drastically Improve Interpersonal Communication.KIS - Keep It SimpleDon't hide bad news.Don't over promise.Take time to plan

Survivor Guide:  Leading in Difficult Times

Harriet Pea Document not posted for download
 

During her 23 years of IT/Technology Industry experience, Harriet has successfully navigated through several mergers/acquisitions and numerous rounds of downsizing. Through it all she has gained tremendous insight into what makes particular individuals and leaders successful. If you are in a leadership role in the IT or Storage industry it is your responsibility to ensure your organization's success in times of change. This workshop will provide practical tips and guidance on how to make sure you and your organization are able to navigate change and thrive in difficult times. Handouts for use outside of the seminar will be provided.

Learning Objectives
Understanding your Role:

• Leading the Way
• Setting the Tone
• Educator
• Symbolism

Supporting your staff:

• How to talk with your people
• Immediate First Aid
• On-going Health Care

Men & Woman in Technology

Patty Then Document not posted for download

According to the US economy the information technology (IT) sector is uniquely positioned to continue to grow and is expected to add 1.5 million jobs by 2012.  In spite of the tremendous growth in the computing sector, there are some surprising statistics showing that women in this sector are moving away from a field that once was attractive to them.   The culture and high pressure of the computing world affects both men and women differently; this may be part to blame for the decline of women entering this sector. However, some researchers claim that a major reason for the trend is that men and women have distinct differentiated brain functions - men tend to be more spatial and mathematical while women are more proficient at language skills (communicators.) In this session, we will explore some interesting statistics on the demographics that make up the IT workforce, and challenges that are common to both men and women, such as typecasting, career roadblocks, and salaries.The intent of this session is to increase awareness and provide key strategies that can lead to a better path for success.

Leadership Qualities:  Good Coaching, Communicating in the Technical World

John Becsi, Cathy Nolan Document not posted for download

Storage engineers are often focused on problems.This can cause the message to management to be skewed negative even when 95% of the project is going great.Coaching storage engineers to communicate the positive message while solving the negative, is a challenge that requires patience, strategy, and a few Jedi mind tricks.Additionally as deadlines approach and problems occur, it takes enough technical expertise to be able to convince them that all is not lost.You have to know when to call in your best engineers to help coach others on the engineering team off the wall when all else fails.A little bad press can go a long way.A funded initiative can be crushed by giving teams with alternative agendas ammunition by focusing on small problems that can be resolved with process or proper engineering.Coaching political awareness to help engineers know when to hold or fold the cards is an art more than a discipline.

Learning Objectives

• Coaching communications skills - sometimes (possibly even often) the best engineers are the worst communicators. How to ask the right questions to coax information from the technical abyss.
• Leadership beyond the technical - interpersonal skills and the personalities of different associates require different tactics to get the most out of each associate. Recognizing personality styles and what each associate needs is key to coaching, managing, and leading to success.

Organizational Trust Leads to Profit and Productivity

David Deming Document not posted for download

This tutorial investigates how trust impacts the organization at all levels. Trust is the foundation of every single relationship in our lives, from the corporate CEO to the individual team member and it even includes the relationship between the products or services that the organization provides and the customers that buy or use them. This tutorial will provide the participant with an opportunity to gain a fundamental understanding of trust and trustworthiness and how to cultivate a trust-based environment that will propel the organization to the next level.

Learning Objectives

• Learn how to assess the level of trust within an organization or team.
• Learn tools and techniques on how to increase trust and personal trustworthiness within your team.