I am certain that everyone who knows me would describe me as the most optimistic person they have ever met.
What? What do you mean, “no”?
Okay, okay, I admit that there are times that I am not always Mister Sunshine. And apparently this is something that not only hurts me when I interact with others, but it is also something that is going to hinder my career. See, when I am presented with a situation I am more than likely going to tell you all of the constraints I am faced with and subsequently tell you why I cannot assist. Typically this is followed by my trying to figure out ways around those constraints, and I usually end up getting the job done, but that initial bit of negativity is what sticks in peoples minds and is going to really hurt my chance at career advancement over time.
I have no idea where, when, or why I have learned to react in this way. Perhaps it is being the youngest of four children. Perhaps it is just the way my mind has been programmed to work over time, my neurons just happen to be trained that way. or perhaps it is because I watched so many episodes of Star Trek in my life and I always saw how Scotty performed “miracles” every week that I just figured that was they way for me to perform my own miracles. Of course, Scotty never rose beyond a certain rank, so perhaps that should have been a warning sign for myself.
So, what is the alternative? Well, instead of listing or thinking about my constraints, I should instead focus on my assets. That way when someone lists the ten things that they need me to do immediately I could then respond by telling them the three things I could start right away. That gives them the opportunity to prioritize their needs. For example, they may say “I don’t care about those three things, what I really need is this one thing done immediately”. Perfect, that one item is better for me to focus on and address immediately, if I can.
Your set of technical skills will only take you so far. For some people, that is as far as they want to go. If you want to advance further you need to develop a strong set of soft skills, among them verbal and written communication. If I hope to bring members of the PASS community together to connect, learn, and share, then I better start being more like Mister Sunshine, and less like Scotty.
Damn. I always wanted a phaser.
