This is a common theme here at Bizzeebobber – digital media and technology banter. Not that we are tech gurus, but let’s face it businesses cannot thrive without it. Scalability should be the aim for all small businesses and not just innovative tech start-ups like Bizzeebobber. It needs to be a standard across all industries; Industries being the key word (Not just the Tech and Software sectors). The post today is from an employee’s perspective. The benefits of KNOWING technologies as an empowered employee working within an organization or start-up. It has furthered my career and put me in position to be running my own business, so I thought it warranted a dedicated write-up.
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Technology is the epicenter of most business failures. I don’t have hard-core facts to back this up – only my own unique experiences – but there are two facets to this: 1) Companies just don’t invest in the right technologies for their business to thrive or 2) there aren’t resources who understand what might be needed – or HOW to use what exists. It really is an epidemic. Surprisingly, it doesn’t need to be this way. It takes personnel who are “hungry” and want to grow their career. It takes initiative. Let’s focus on number 2.
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My first corporate jobs were in financial services, but there were plenty of home-grown or proprietary technologies in abundance. Many of my co-workers focused on what they needed to do to fulfill job responsibilities, my take was always different. It is in my nature to want to be the best at anything I start; I approached it the same 15+ years ago. Unknowingly, at the time, I was creating sustainable value. You see, by learning what every screen and every button DID – I became more marketable than my peers. It led to a promotion. Again, I didn’t do this intentionally at the time, but as I reflect on this now it certainly has been a key differentiator. TIP: Don’t be afraid to play around with technology. Make sure there is a backup or Test system, never mess with LIVE data or production environments.
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Be the employee that is willing to try new things. You hear me say this all the time, but management and leadership teams don’t like to directly deal with problems. They have to deal with them, when they become unruly or start to effect the business at a macro level. It is great if someone, an up and comer, takes the initiative to preemptively RESOLVE problems by partaking in technology solutions. If you take it upon yourself to solve big problems, and using technologies that are already available within an organization (not bringing on NEW costs), you are setting yourself up for career growth. It gives you such an advantage over those who avoid the problem altogether – because they “don’t know that technology”. TIP: Always volunteer for the biggest problems a company or department faces. If you succeed it will be an instant promotion. “Raising your hand” is ALWAYS a good thing. Challenging yourself always has merit.
“I’ll do it”…
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What am I saying here? I am not talking about logging in to do your timecard and now you are an expert with Oracle. I am not talking about the fact that you log-in to a URL and input your username and password and you are a SaaS expert as well as security genius. You have to really dig deep. I am talking about the people who log-in and know (or LEARN) how to get into the back-end of a reporting system, to customize reports. Or going into Oracle and TRULY understanding all the benefits that Oracle has to offer. Any system, same premise. Don’t be a one trick pony where you have an instructional guide on how to accomplish a specific task. Knowing more creates opportunity.
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Maybe a minor digression, but I always like to use my pool analogy when discussing the aforementioned. Before joining the Navy I thought I was a great swimmer. Why? Because I would swim at a friend’s house in a pool that was maybe 4 feet deep. Problem is, I have always been pretty tall. Even growing up – 5 feet PLUS… EASY. In essence, this wasn’t swimming. I really wasn’t a good swimmer. It was standing in water. Akin to logging-in to a system and thinking you are an expert, because you logged in. Swimming is when you are in the ocean and cannot touch the bottom. Being a true artisan of technology goes beyond your log-in credentials. You can make the system dance. You are the “go to” and really understand GIGO. Big difference.
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Almost 10 years ago now, I started a role as an Implementation Manager at a start-up company. They had proprietary software and it was complicated. It would have been easy to just be OKAY at the job and focus on the strictly “Project Management” piece of the role. But, I wanted to understand system configuration. Setting clients up and creating solutions was exciting to me. Hospital Healthcare and Software – DREAM job. Dream Career! When the company got bought out by a larger fish years later, I kept my job. WHY? Because I knew how to use the technology. The software. Not only did I know how to use it I was one of the foremost experts in it. I was given large clients and ones whom were very visible to senior leaders. Hospital systems spanning across borders even. It [IT] put me in position to succeed. It all started with having the audacity to take the bull by the horns. Shark by the fins. Learning how to do system configuration propelled me to new heights within my career.
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Technology savvy will open doors. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are fixable. What’s not fixable is getting another opportunity, if you aren’t ready to further your career. Not saying another opp won’t come along, but take advantage of everything and anything presented to you in the journey. Tinker with technology, so you are willing to raise your hand – be noticed.
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Learning new technologies has influenced my career. Not just with learning proprietary technologies and being “curious” my first years in the corporate world or in becoming an expert configuration PM with superb job security (You would never want to lose someone so valuable that understands how the software works – very hard to replace), but with bettering my position within a company. Most recently, going from Project Manager to Senior Leader. I never shy away from technical challenges – even to this day. Now, in my own business, I am challenged in a different way as I don’t have a seasoned team around me. You have to keep learning, so this will be the next opportunity.
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So what’s next? You don’t believe your “tech savvy” or are unsure if this is a career path for you? You don’t need to make this a career calling, but take advantage of learning the tools and software that are around you. It differentiates you. Makes you memorable. You don’t think you have the ability to LEARN technologies? Embracing social media already shows you have the aptitude to learn something new, now do it in a corporate setting. #growyourcareer
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Concluding: Give yourself more credit for what you know. It started with Facebook, you learned that right? And even before then, there was MySpace or Napster. Now you have Twitter, Instagram, YouTube… Snapchat. You see where I am going with this? These are just Social Media channels, but you know more than you think. You figure out the buttons, widgets, filters, and special features. All it takes is drive, persistence, and creating demand for yourself. Get out of the shallow end of the pool.
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