Fast–Tracking Your Career: Soft Skills for Engineering and IT Professionals

Learn how to think outside the box, motivate others, put together a winning presentation, and more with this unique, must-have guide for engineering and IT professionals You already know that communication skills are extremely important for success in today's competitive working environment, but communication alone won't get you where you want to go. Fast-Tracking Your Career: Soft Skills for Engineering and IT Professionals takes you beyond basic communication skills to the finer points of dealing with people, marketing ideas intelligently, developing problem-solving skills, and much more. Filled with 120 specific, contemporary examples of work situations in which soft skills make all the difference, this direct, simple and comprehensive guide shows you how to: Promote yourself and your ideas without being aggressive Master the dos and don'ts of successful networking Manage your time the way a venture capitalist manages money Win the loyalty of bosses, colleagues, and staff Delegate intelligently and inspire excellence in others Know what the box is before you start thinking outside of it Make major career decisions with confidence Prepare an elevator pitch that really works Whether you're an engineer, IT professional, or other technical professional, Fast-Tracking Your Career helps you advance your career by developing business and personal skills that are as sharp as your technical abilities.

Foreword xiii Dr. Sorel Reisman Guest Introduction i xv Dr. Simon Y. Liu Guest Introduction ii xvii Dr. Arnold "Jay" Bragg Guest Introduction iii xix Frank E. Ferrante Preface xxi Acknowledgments xxiii About the Author xxv Introduction and Summary 1 Engineers Are Potentially Better Positioned as Executives, 1 Categorization of Smart Soft Skills, 2 Rules for Mastering Smart Soft Skills, 3 Relationships among the Soft Skills, 8 PART ONE: Communications: The Absolutely Necessary Chapter 1 Communications Smart 13 Rule 1: Being always ready for elevator pitches/speeches, 14 Rule 2: Mastering a presentation by mastering the onset, 16 Rule 3: Using three diagrams to simplify complexity, 18 Rule 4: Sizing up and resonating with the audience, 20 Rule 5: Being careful of careless comments, 23 Rule 6: Using plain language, 24 Rule 7: Using jokes and self–deprecating humor, 26 PART TWO: Dealing with People: The Essential Chapter 2 People Smart 31 Rule 1: Getting accepted by accepting others fi rst, 32 Rule 2: Winning by understanding both ourselves and our counterparts, 34 Rule 3: Being aggressive by being nonaggressive, 36 Rule 4: Gaining by giving, 38 Rule 5: Successful networking by networking less, 41 Rule 6: Being heard by listening, 46 Chapter 3 Marketing Smart 49 Rule 1: Sizing up and resonating with our "customers", 51 Rule 2: Putting a positive spin on our "product", 53 Rule 3: Making a convincing presentation with a well–crafted presentation, 53 Rule 4: Inciting enthusiasm with enthusiasm, 54 A Marketing Role Model: Steve Jobs (and His Embodiment, Apple), 55 PART THREE: Dealing with the Self: The Basic Chapter 4 Work Smart 59 Rule 1: Achieving outstanding results by not seeking perfection, 60 Rule 2: Avoiding blunders of overconfi dence, 62 Rule 3: Focusing on self–examination, not on blaming others, when things gone awry, 63 Chapter 5 Time Smart 65 Rule 1: Investing time with the same zeal as venture capitalists investing money, 66 Rule 2: Killing two birds with one stone, 68 Rule 3: Minding ROI, 70 Rule 4: Making nonproductive time productive, 71 Rule 5: Turning spare time into opportunities, 73 Rule 6: Keeping the mind sharp by taking catnaps, 74 Chapter 6 Career Smart 77 Rule 1: Opting to be a big fi sh in a small pond, 78 Rule 2: Hopping to a more opportune pond at opportune moments, 80 Rule 3: Never polishing a sneaker, 84 Rule 4: Making a good lasting impression by making a good first impression, 86 PART FOUR: Dealing with the Boss: Earning Trust and Recognition Chapter 7 Job–Interview Smart 89 Rule 1: Being well prepared by collecting relevant information, 90 Rule 2: Putting a positive spin on our qualifi cations, 91 Rule 3: Preparing targeted elevator pitches/speeches, 91 Rule 4: Sizing up and resonating with the interviewer, 92 Rule 5: Winning interviewers’ confi dence in us by exhibiting confidence, 93 Rule 6: Avoiding gaffes by avoiding overconfi dence, 93 Stories of Failed Interviews, 93 A Successful Interview Story, 98 Chapter 8 Boss Smart 101 Rule 1: Winning trust by showing loyalty, 102 Rule 2: Gaining gratitude by sharing credit and taking blame, 104 Rule 3: Being astute by watching for nuances, 105 Rule 4: Being proactive and farsighted, 107 Rule 5: Showing enthusiasm for challenging assignments, 108 PART FIVE: Dealing with Staff: Inspiring Loyalty and Productivity Chapter 9 Motivating Smart 111 Rule 1: Winning loyalty by being loyal, 112 Rule 2: Getting credit by not taking credit, 114 Rule 3: Motivating by complimenting, 115 Chapter 10 Delegating Smart 117 Rule 1: Getting more done by doing less, 118 Rule 2: Delegating successfully by matching tasks with staff, 119 Rule 3: Making controversial decisions by not making them, 122 PART SIX: Being Visionary: Leading to the C–Suite Chapter 11 Beyond the Box 127 Rule 1: Examining the big picture to identify opportunities, 128 Rule 2: Forming a visionary plan, 131 Rule 3: Marketing the vision, 131 Successful Fast–Tracking Stories, 132 Final Thoughts 137 The Book′s Objective, 137 "Soft Skills" and "Rules" Outside the Scope of This Book, 137 High Achievers′ Soft Skills, 139 Personal Career Goals, 140 Appendix Tables for Principles, Strategies, and Rules 141 Table A.1 Principles and Strategies, 141 Table A.2 Communications Smart, 142 Table A.3 People Smart, 143 Table A.4 Marketing Smart, 144 Table A.5 Work Smart, 145 Table A.6 Time Smart, 146 Table A.7 Career Smart, 146 Table A.8 Job–Interview Smart, 147 Table A.9 Boss Smart, 148 Table A.10 Motivating Smart, 149 Table A.11 Delegating Smart, 149 Table A.12 Beyond the Box, 150 Abbreviations 151 Index 153

Dr. WUSHOW "BILL" CHOU was Deputy Assistant Secretary and the founding CIO of the U.S. Treasury where he oversaw fourteen bureau CIOs and an annual budget of two billion dollars. He was also the founding Vice President of Telecommunications for Network Analysis Corporation; founding Director of Computer Studies at North Carolina State University; founding editor in chief of one journal and one magazine; and consultant to more than thirty organizations (both government and private sector). He is a Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University and Chair of the Advisory Board of IT Professional magazine. Dr. Chou is a Fellow of the IEEE.

“Whether you′re an engineer, IT professional, or other technical professional, Fast–Tracking Your Career helps you advance your career by developing business and personal skills that are as sharp as your technical abilities.”  ( N ew Tech Review , 1 June 2013)