Winning In A Competitively Staffed IT Environment

Have you been at a job where you admired a successful IT colleague of yours? Someone you were amazed by? Maybe even blown away by their level of proficiency?

Did that person seem to complete work effortlessly? Were they ultra-productive in the work environment?

Could you accept this person into your personal realm? Or did you feel threatened? Were you ready to develop this new relationship or did you quickly throw up your defenses?

Inside most [if not all] IT team environments there exists a competitive atmosphere among staff members. Whether rivalries are obvious or hidden, healthy or toxic, they exist.

You generally see two types of people — those that are willing to work together on projects and then those that rather isolate themselves on self-fulfilling tasks while repelling their team or worse yet, repelling their bosses.

Team-

To win in a competitively staffed IT environment, your most successful bet is to adopt those around you regardless of your skill set or theirs. Always strive towards being a positive force on your IT team by showing your motivation to teach — or showing your willingness to be taught.

Being negative in any fashion will get you nowhere.

I’ve seen it happen before. The IT tech that sits at her desk, plugging away at her computer and failing miserably to integrate with her team. This person’s best effort to interact is a carpet-burning route back-and-forth to the company fridge and Coke machines.

I’ve watched a network engineer talk to and treat fellow staff as if those people were 3-year olds in kindergarten. Granted, his attitude is more likely a fear rooted deep within himself. And likely an unfounded fear of becoming obsolete or pushed back to second place.

I sense from watching folks that react negatively in a challenging environment that they have rarely been effective in their own lives. They have likely developed a strong pattern of trying to manipulate others for their own success. Quick to judge and reluctant to budge.

Have you ever prematurely judged someone? Maybe as they just stepped off the plane? Maybe you thought their ego was massive when you barely even knew them?

Egos-

Egos are easy to misread in the IT arena. Naturally, all technical staff have a varying degree of technical knowledge which sometimes incorrectly translates to an ego. If IT folks didn’t have technical knowledge they of course wouldn’t be in IT. It’s this technical knowledge that tends to blind folks into believing they are superior or maybe even inferior. When in fact it’s an individual’s knowledge that makes the team diverse and successful.

It’s well known that people with large egos often have low self esteem. In turn, low self esteem is most noticeable in people who need constant praise to continue functioning in their lives. In other words, those who are egotistical need to be stroked and stroked often. The cold truth is that there’s little to NO time for stroking in an IT environment. The satisfaction of getting the job done in high tempo operations is a stroke in and of itself.

Large egos often manifest themselves through low self esteem. In turn, folks with large egos often produce poor levels of job performance. Egoists also tend to cry foul more than others. This type of self-suffocation can kill an IT environment — where self-motivated and ultra-performing staff are most desirable.

Winning-

Focus on your team and scrap your ego. One of the most difficult things to accomplish as an IT careerist is introspect. Assess yourself, your performance and your skill set. Size yourself up and gauge your effectiveness as it relates to your surroundings. Constantly tweak your approach — both technical and sociable. Complacency kills.

Challenges in IT present countless opportunities to excel. The sheer number of technical projects affords everyone a chance to shine and excel. Believe in yourself and believe you can [and should] always compliment your team in a positive fashion.

Are you winning with your IT team or are you on the outside peering in?