Posts for IT professionals about IT customer service, emotional intelligence, how to be a better listener, dealing with difficult people, stress management, and similar topics to help IT pros build great careers and relationships.
TLDR: A Protocol for IT Service Tickets Read the entire article below the video. The first caller of the day was a woman with an MSP. She was looking for information on support ticket protocols. She wanted to ensure her team provided consistently excellent support. It certainly was not an unreasonable request, but IT teams […]
Mastering the Support Ticket Protocol: A Practical Framework for IT Leaders Read More »
On the Paramount series Landman, Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) offers fatherly advice to his son, Cooper (Jacob Lofland), on how to understand women: “Ask, and then listen, and then make it come true.” That’s just generally good advice for understanding people, regardless of gender. Want people to think you’re a great conversationalist? Learn to
Three Critical Rules for Good Listening Based on the Wisdom of Tommy Norris Read More »
TLDR: Critical Factors in Self-Care • Stress Management for IT leaders depends on strong boundaries, consistent rest and nutrition, and effective delegation.• Awareness and intentionality help you communicate in a way that reduces stress instead of adding to it.• Solid people skills make the technical work easier because they minimize conflict and confusion.• Daily habits
Stress Management and Self-Care for IT Leaders Read More »
I worked with Jim when I was in my mid-20s. Jim was very talented. He was also an unreasonable guy. In fact, Jim was one of the most unreasonable people I’ve ever known. He was demanding, self-centered, and dishonest. I didn’t know how to deal with him. I took his outbursts and insults personally. I
Three Rules for Dealing with Unreasonable People at Work Read More »
TL:DR The Difference Between Influence and Manipulation Read the entire article just below the video. I was teaching a course on IT customer service. As usual, we talked about awareness and intentionality. Awareness is noticing how your words and actions affect others and intentionality is choosing words and actions that will influence a positive outcome.
TLDR: The Value of Continuing Professional Education Read the entire article just below the video. You can be the most technically skilled person in the room, but if you can’t work well with people, your career will hit a ceiling. On the flip side, you can be great with people, but if your technical knowledge
Why Continuing Professional Education Matters for IT Pros Read More »
TLDR: Key Points on Customer Communication in IT Read the full article just below the video. Is It Possible to Have Too Much Customer Service? I needed an electrician for some work on my house. The very friendly person on the phone said they could send someone later that day. She gave me an eight-hour
Is It Possible to Have Too Much Customer Service? Read More »
TLDR Mindfulness in IT Read the entire article just below the video. At risk of overstating the obvious, working in IT can test your patience like few other professions. One minute you’re troubleshooting a complex networking issue, and the next, someone is standing at your desk asking why their password isn’t working. Then there’s the
Mindfulness in IT: How Awareness and Intentionality Help You Succeed at Work and in Life Read More »
TLDR: Why Thank-Yous Matter Read the full article just below the video. My daughter, Beatrice, is working on her certification as a school principal. Recently, she had to give a presentation to a group of educators as part of that program. She spent hours preparing, researching, creating slides, and rehearsing to ensure her audience received
Why Thanking a Coworker Can Transform Your IT Team: The Power of a Simple “Thank You” Read More »
TLDR Version: Reading the Room Read the entire article just below the video. Sarah is a middle school teacher She arrived early to prepare for that morning’s class in which she planned to use the smart white board for some interactive teaching games. When it wouldn’t boot up, Sarah called IT for support. After the
Reading the Room: How IT People Can Improve Their Awareness Read More »
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