It’s the end of June, so this is the last post of Debugging Teams month on poseyblog! Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman’s great book has so much to offer engineers and other creators on the importance of communication and collaboration.
Fitz and Ben devote a good chunk of the book to what they call “The Art of Organizational Manipulation.” In this section you’ll find advice how to shine within a large organization, ways to deal with bad managers and smarmy office politicians, how and when to take risks, how to manage upward and persuade, how not to take things personally.
I love that they recognize the power of the “Favor Economy.” I learned very early on in my career in PR that I could get nothing done without an exceptional bond with my CEO’s assistant. Got a great opportunity for the CEO to be on CNBC next week? If his assistant won’t rearrange his calendar to make it happen you’re up a creek.
Patience and forbearance are equally important in large organizations. A great story about the power of avoiding a fit of pique comes from former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco in her book Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?. Alyssa tells a story of Larry Summers. The first time she encountered him he whizzed past her on a way in to meet with President Obama and asked her to get him a Diet Coke. Insulted, she begrudgingly got it. And while she privately judged him for treating her like an intern, she didn’t say anything. Fast forward to months later in an intense meeting about the economic crisis with Tim Geithner and several other heavyweights, Summers leaned over to her and whispered, “Come up to my office after this.” Alyssa had no idea what he wanted, but when she showed up, he spent an hour with her reviewing the meeting’s complex economics concepts. He suggested several articles for her to read. Summers was generous and helpful. If Alyssa had been snippy about getting his Diet Coke months before, this would never have happened. Moral of the story: being patient about small things can have a significant upside when it comes to the big things.
Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman not only preach a great gospel about soft skills, they demonstrate that learning these skills dramatically improves your results and the quality of your work life. Follow their lead! Become great communicators and thrive!
Communication is the essential last mile in finding and motivating the right teams, acquiring strong allies, powerfully bonding with customers, and capturing mindshare with compelling stories. Nothing will serve you and your vision better than developing exceptional communication skills. If you’d enjoy finding pragmatic communications advice in your inbox every month, please click here to receive poseycorp’s newsletter.
