In the 1950’s, the U.S. military had a problem. Soldiers were well-trained in both physical skills and equipment, but that didn’t ensure success. What made the difference? How the soldiers were led. So, the military created the catch-all term “soft skills.” These so-called soft skills include such crucial competencies as teamwork, presentation skills, communication skills, and leadership. Unfortunately, the name “soft skills” is deceptive.
The terms “hard skills” and “technical skills” are fastidious. People erroneously think they’re more important. But Stanford Research Institute and Carnegie Mellon surveys of Fortune 500 CEOs establish that 75% of long-term job success results from soft skills and only 25% from technical skills. With such a high level of importance, they should be called “power skills.”
For the new mainframer, a strategic combination of hard skills (technical hardware and software skills) and power skills will launch you further into success than tech skills alone. Consider this comment from global talent and human resources thought leader Josh Bersin, founder of the Josh Bersin Academy, “Hard skills are soft, and soft skills are hard.” Think about hard skills and mainframe skills — they change all the time, they are constantly being made obsolete, but opportunities to learn IBM Z skills are readily available.
By comparison, power skills are more difficult to build; they are critical, they are never obsolete, and it is harder to find opportunities to learn and grow these skills. As a new mainframer, to get ahead and maximize your new IBM Z skills, you need to be able to give presentations and communicate effectively, collaborate with your teammates, and demonstrate leadership traits like flexibility and empathy. You need to develop power skills!
One of the most important and necessary power skills for new mainframers is effective presentations and public speaking, including when making reports to management and teams. New IT professionals should strive to become better speakers, allowing them to grow into effective leadership positions.
Tell a Story to Your Audience
Developing a presentation always starts by answering these questions – “What is the problem you are solving for your audience?” and “What is the goal and message of your presentation?” In the IBM Z world of deep technical information and data, avoid presentations that are simply data dumps. This is key to better presentations. Less is always more.
People love stories. Use this to your advantage. Find stories and connect them to the learning points important to the audience. Then present those stories with enthusiasm, interaction, and clarity.
A new mainframe professional should look for opportunities to present — reporting to their team, summarizing for management, or volunteering to speak at a conference, such as SHARE. Presenting and public speaking are key power skills that become even more effective and comfortable with practice.
Communicate Like a Leader
A second power skill that will help new IT professionals become better team members is effective communication skills. Whether you are giving a prepared presentation, speaking spontaneously, or simply communicating with your colleagues, you are auditioning for leadership.
A good message will define you as a professional who has something to say. It is easy in the mainframe world to fill your communications with mainframe ecosystem jargon. While jargon can be useful, in reality, it’s lazy language. It puts the responsibility for clarity on the people listening.
Good communicators make sure the message they are trying to convey is repeatable. If the audience can’t repeat it, they didn’t get it. Working to always be effective will place the new mainframe communicator, and the IBM Z platform, in the best light. It is a power skill also worth developing.
Build Your Collaborative Team
A third critical skill is leadership. IT professionals, especially those new to the industry, should always strive to be leaders — leaders among their colleagues, leaders within their team, and leaders who support the value of the mainframe to their company. One characteristic of team leadership is working to create an environment of open communication and collaboration. Team members who are always saying, “No,” or “Yes, but,” are blocking communication. Saying “yes” is an act of courage; it builds optimism. New mainframers should be that person.
Other useful power skills of leadership include:
- Flexibility and empathy. Practice listening to understand and not simply waiting for your turn to reply.
- Asking for help. The IBM Z world is complex. Not even the most seasoned mainframe professional has all the answers and asking for help with confidence will have a significant impact on career growth.
The new mainframe professional has many skills to master. The technical bits and bytes of the mainframe world always climb to the top of the list. However, right next to them should be that set of skills that tips you into success — presentation, communication, teambuilding, and leadership skills. These key power skills will set you apart from those with just the bits and bytes. These are not “soft skills,” they are simply power skills that will bring you career growth and leadership success.
Glenn Anderson is a professional speaker. His presentations combine decades of corporate experience at IBM with his passion for performing improvisational comedy. The result: Your audience is energized and equipped to better communicate, collaborate, and lead. As a graduate of Player’s Workshop of Second City and with his experience performing, Glenn excites your audience through his teaching experience and improv techniques that energize communications and create a collaborative team environment. In 2019 Glenn was a recipient of SHARE’s John R. Ehrman Award for Sustained Excellence in Technical Education.