| In this article, writer, speaker,
| |
| | even know existed, and you maintain a
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| trainer, and veteran IT guy Don R.
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| | childlike sense of wonder and awe.
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| Crawley makes the case for both
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| | Read...a lot. The fact that you're
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| demonstrating competence and maintaining
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| | reading this article speaks highly of
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| competence as a technical support
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| | you. It's not that you're reading this
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| provider. He provides practical,
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| | particular article (as much as your
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| real-world techniques for the support
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| | author wants to believe that!), but that
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| desk engineer to use to demonstrate and
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| | you're reading any article about how to
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| maintain competence.
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| | do your job better that speaks so highly
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| Copyright (c) 2007 Don R. Crawley
| |
| | of you. There are thousands, perhaps
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| Competence means providing correct,
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| | millions, of blogs and forums on the Web
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| knowledgeable service, performed with
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| | dealing with the same technologies you
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| accuracy and confidence.
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| | support. Microsoft and most other
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| Competence is a two-part process. You
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| | vendors provide extensive support
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| must demonstrate competence in the way
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| | documentation at their sites. Microsoft
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| you do your job, but you must also find
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| | even has free hands-on labs and how-to
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| ways to maintain your technical
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| | guides. Get one of the O'Reilly
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| competence.
| |
| | Cookbooks for the technology you support
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| Demonstrating Competence
| |
| | and work through recipes that are most
|
| Here are a couple of good techniques to
| |
| | interesting to you.
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| use to demonstrate your competence.
| |
| | Build a sandbox. I first heard of an IT
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| Tell the user what you are going to do
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| | "sandbox" when I was working with some
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| before you do it. This technique is
| |
| | individuals from Kimberly-Clark
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| called headlining, in the sense that a
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| | Corporation in a PKI training session.
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| newspaper article's headline tells you
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| | The IT "sandbox" is another name for a
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| what you are going to read before you
| |
| | testing lab where you can experiment
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| read it. As a user, it is very
| |
| | without worrying about system failure.
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| frustrating to be dealing with a
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| | Today, it's often not necessary to set up
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| technical support provider who does not
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| | a physical lab with multiple physical
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| tell you what he or she is doing. When
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| | computers. Instead, you can use tools
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| there is silence on the phone, the user
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| | like VMWare, Virtual PC, or Xen to create
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| may be confused, and this does not assure
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| | a virtualized lab environment in which
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| the user of your competence. You know you
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| | you can test and experiment to your
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| have not done a good job of headlining
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| | heart's content without worrying about
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| if, after a period of silence, your user
| |
| | affecting end-users. Some virtualization
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| says, "Are you still there?" The user
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| | products are available for free; others
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| does not feel cared for if she has to
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| | at very low cost. (I use VMWare
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| guess if you are still on the line.
| |
| | Workstation.) Use Google to learn more
|
| Headlining is the mark of a professional
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| | about virtualization and the vendors who
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| Help Desk provider. It is easy and quick
| |
| | create virtualization products.
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| to do, and creates a high degree of
| |
| | Get trained! As a training provider to
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| end-user satisfaction. Use headlining
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| | the IT world, you'd certainly expect me
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| when you need to take a moment to look up
| |
| | to make this recommendation, but it's
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| some information in the database. You can
| |
| | important. Training, whether in a
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| say, "It will take me just a minute to
| |
| | college classroom, a seminar environment,
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| look that up in the database." This gives
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| | in a workshop, or at a conference exposes
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| the user the assurance that you are
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| | you to new ways of doing things and
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| working on their behalf.
| |
| | thinking about things. Electronic
|
| Another way of providing assurance to
| |
| | delivery of training can be an excellent
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| users is to build their confidence in
| |
| | solution, but participating in in-person
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| your ability to help them. This can be
| |
| | classes allows you to interact with the
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| done with a solution statement delivered
| |
| | instructor and the other students. It's
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| once you understand and have confirmed
| |
| | through such interaction that you
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| the user's problem. A solution statement
| |
| | discover new concepts and new solutions
|
| simply tells the user that you can help
| |
| | to old problems. I discovered when I
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| them solve the problem. You can say,
| |
| | returned to college that just being in an
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| "From what you have told me, I know how
| |
| | educational environment got me thinking
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| to solve the problem."
| |
| | in new and positive ways. Additionally,
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| Maintaining Technical Competence
| |
| | great teachers and trainers challenge you
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| Our world in Information Systems and
| |
| | and help you step outside your comfort
|
| Technology evolves so quickly that
| |
| | zone which is how you affect positive
|
| maintaining technical competence can seem
| |
| | change in your career and in your life.
|
| overwhelming at times. Here are four
| |
| | Being great at your job isn't necessarily
|
| keys to maintaining your technical
| |
| | easy, but it's immensely rewarding in
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| competence:
| |
| | terms of personal satisfaction, career
|
| Be curious. Curious people are always
| |
| | options, and financial rewards.
|
| exploring. When you're curious, life is
| |
| | Next week, we'll talk about empathy and
|
| more interesting and you find new ways of
| |
| | its importance as part of the tech
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| doing things, you find things you didn't
| |
| | support process.
|
