“To lead people, walk beside them... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate... When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!'” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, 550 BCE

Salary does not increase motivation, it decreases demotivation. If it is all about the money in the company, than the management is doing a pretty shitty job. And if you don't know how to motivate people without money than quit your job and go into other line of work ... or go plant seeds or something .... because you will never be able to lead people. The ability to motivate employees is one of the greatest skills an entrepreneur and manager can possess. And if you don't have those skills, hire someone who does, or people will leave you as soon as they can, word will spread, and you will end up with employees who have no other option but to stay in your company...and you really don't want that to happen. With the help of expert managers ( who HAVE to be profficient in the field they are managing, not some "general" managers who are usually useless ) and good team leaders ( if you don't have those, promote your best people from operations...and reward them for the extra effort ), company owners can start to build a new company culture, but also create a passionate, hard-working teams that are committed to growing and improving the company. So let's start with some things you can do without money. And no, I will not mention company parties...I really despise those.

1. Be generous with praise

Everyone wants it and it’s one of the easiest things to give. Plus, praise from the manager goes a lot farther than we might think. Praise every improvement that you see your team members make. Once you’re comfortable delivering praise one-on-one to an employee, try praising them in front of others. And when you praise them publicly, be consistent.

2. Get rid of bad managers

Projects and companies don't run without management level people. We all know that. But...everybody knows who are good and who are bad managers. So, make a fair and relevant evaluation criteria, take a sufficient amount of time ( six months sounds reasonable ) and get all the information about your managers that you can - from their subordinates, clients they work with, etc. And when you are confident you know who are bad managers, and you believe you can't teach them, fire them. Simple as that. Because a guy from operations can make mistakes, but in a serious company his mistakes can be corrected...but a constant mistakes from middle and senior management can bring a company down. And how will you replace them...don't...give a chance to the guy in operations who's been waiting for his shot. Maybe you have a great guy waiting, and remeber that he already knows the people and has the respect of his team.

3. Make your ideas theirs

People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling people what you want done, ask them in a way that will make them feel like they came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a good idea if we do it this way?” Change your approach in this and you will immediately see the results.

4. Never criticize or correct

No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions, not pointing a finger. And you will earn the respect of the guy and the team as a whole.

5. Make your best people champions...and NEVER make bad examples of low performers

Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others. You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a leader. And for those that are not doing so good...find their interests and teach them how to improve in what they are doing...or find them another type of work in the company. But NEVER say to others: "Don't be like him" - it is insulting, breaks the team spirit and destroys any motivation that that person ever had or will have.

6. Give recognition and small rewards

Surprise your employees. These things come in many forms. For instance, literally walk up to the team and give them free lunch vouchers at the nearby restaurant. It’s an easy way to remind them that you notice and appreciate their work. Or give a shout out to someone in a company meeting for what she has accomplished, or run contests/internal games and keep track of the results on a whiteboard that everyone can see. Tangible awards that don’t break the bank can work too. Try things like trophies or spa services.

7. Share the rewards - and the pain

When the company does well, celebrate. This is the best time to let everyone know that you’re thankful for their hard work. Go out of your way to show how far you will go when people help your company succeed. If there are disappointments, share those too. If you expect high performance, your team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and transparent

8. Allow employees to cross-function

Facilitate it for above average talent, especially when employees are early in their career, for example after school and still deciding what is they want to do. I personally would always take a lower wage salary job to be able to cross-function, it gives me more knowledge and experience, more value for the company ( if it knows how to use it ) and for me when I choose to move on if my talents are not appreciated. And any smart company will fight hard as it can to keep those people, because there is always a competitor that is willing to grab them giving them things they should have gotten in the first place. Instead, I was once asked to say in my current function "for just a few more years" against my will because I was a high performer there and effectively roadblocked. I left the company - had I cross-functioned, I would have probably stayed and been so happy - because it was in so many ways a great company.

9. Unexpected raise

We all know how it looks like - you beg and cry and then you get a 10% raise and should be happy. Well, that's crap, humiliating at best, and demoralizing at worst. And if you do get it, soon it becomes obvious the amount was based on what other employees were making ( who are not high performers ) and not reflective of your value to the organization. Bottom line: People want to feel important and valued. And yes, money can make them feel this way. And then make something new in your company - give an unexpected nominal raise! You will be surprised what that does for feeling appreciated. And if you time it in a manner when you know that the guy will come looking for a raise you will a huge moral boost.

And for the end...some personal thoughts on the subject

No amount of motivation will work if you do not meet the basics like paying timely salaries. Many entrepreneurs do not realize this and try to motivate the employees without providing the basics. It can help, but when you don't get the raises when you work hard, it just won't work. The one thing that does motivate me personally is being given responsibility and being allowed to have fun on the work floor, have a chat, listen to music, play balloon volleyball for a few minutes. Trust makes you feel good too, if an employee for example, calls in sick, believe it, empathize. If it was true, he will feel understood and cared for, if it isn't you might make him feel conscious about it, not believing will only demotivate. To conclude, we all have bills to pay and obligations that tug at us every day. What better way to motivate or reward someone than to give them something that they would not normally do for themselves that is is not going to impact their obligations in life or precious time with their families? That is a true reward. A treat. A thank you. One of the problems today is that far too many people are negativity focused as expressed below.

Life these days is complicated. We spend much of our adult lives working. For most of us, ours and our families' futures are supported by the money we make at our jobs. Treat people well in the work place, show them they make a difference, empower them to work together to achieve great things and that ripples out into your private lives as well. Not to mention building one hell of a productive and profitable business. And to note, you can't motivate anybody with pure action, motivation comes from within, it is true however that everybody is motivated...all the time. You can however inspire people. You do that by finding what they want (as individuals) and then by showing them how they, by assisting you, will get them what they want.

For the final point - everybody's motivation changes constantly so a lunch last week may have been fine whereas time off for a personal chore may work better this time. The methods above are like throwing a bucket of spagetti at a wall and hoping something sticks. Ineffective and a waste of resources and time. Thank you for your time and I hope you found something interesting in this article.

The question I am trying to answer today is whether there is difference between data architecture and Information architecture - if yes what is it, and if no then why is there none. Information is something that has been there since a very very long time, communication is a medium by which the information actually flows. Doesn't necessarily mean that the information is preserved in it's original form, an example would be the ancient scriptures that were written by people centuries ago, or the hieroglyphs on the ancient buildings. That is information preserved, but we cannot establish the credibility or accuracy.

With today's technologies we do have a way to preserve information in very rich and vivid formats e.g pictures, audio, video etc. electronically. And they will be preserved till we are not back to the stone ages. Data architecture deals with the representation of data as it is stored physically, it brings about the relations and links between different entities that represent the front system to which it feeds the data. Information architecture deals with more dynamic aspects of a system. With the flows, activities and information supply models. Its more of a system that would sit on top of a Data system and draw inferences from. A good example would be a BI tool, which gathers information, stores it and presents it in the ways desired/requested. Communication Architecture in software terms is the definition of interactions between different systems/components within an enterprise.

To take a high-level perspective of this subject we could divide it in three basic parts:

• Data Architecture - Focus on data storage irrespective of collectively being meaningful data.
• Information Architecture - Consolidates data from different data architectures and provide a contextual or meaningful data that is targeted towards a certain objective
• Communication Architecture - Focus is more on mapping different terms/concepts of different business groups and stakeholders to provide them relevant information. Canonical models/architecture plays critical role in communication architecture

This is a strict interpretation of the basics: Data is just values, text or numeric, for example: "2000 euro". Information is data in context, for example: "2000 euro was paid by Mr. John Doe. on the 1st November to settle invoice 12345". I think it follows that there is a difference between Data Architecture and Information Architecture, but I also think this is less defined and less accepted. My view is that Data Architecture is confined to Databases, their design management, loading, security and general management etc. but would also encompass ownership, users, stakeholders etc. plus aggregated data i.e. OLAP, Data Marts, Data Warehouses etc. Information Architecture includes Data Architecture plus things like messaging, SOA, unstructured data e.g. content management, document and records management, Digital Asset Management, together with data capture and disposal plus dissemination and targeting of information together with all the governance standardas like CobiT or MIKE2. But the biggest fundamental diference is that Information Architecture will also include information held in non-electronic form.

For the Communication Architecture, part lies in Information Architecture, like I mentioned above, targeting information and its dissemination. But should also include the plumbing i.e. networking - it depends on the context of the word Communication. On the other hand, you can look at it much like the OSI model - communication architecture lies in the transport, network and the data link layer. Information is session, presentation and application layers. But, let us first differentiate Information and Communication. Information is a source ( may be of knowledge, happenings and findings ), of intelligible data or intelligence/meaning ( need not necessarily be computer oriented but has some structure ). Even steller noise is an information for astronomers, but for general user it may be noise ( unwanted infromation or intelligible information ). Communication is a process, method to convey the information. right from sign language to speech or pictures, internet, 3G, etc. It has its method, protocol and language ( like English, French, Spanish, etc. ) and has an structure. Information may be structured or unstructured. Information articulation is a science where as information analysis or abstraction of it is a data analysis ( for example the sound of a dolphin is an information for where as analysis of it for characterisation is a data analysis, or the rise and fall of stocks is an information where as reason extraction is data analysis of same information ).

Speaking from a different perspective, the question at hand requires a tilted viewpoint and a reference point for better comprehension. Information is a processed data in any particular form that may become knowledge if validated and found capable of further reuse. Surely, all information that flows may not become knowledge and may (sometimes even may not) serve ad-hoc problem or a tentative mission of an enterprise. Our analytical abilities, duly assisted by emerging qualitative BI (Business Intelligence) tools, are improving drastically the means of information generation both in terms of quality as well as quantity. So, perceptibly and logically, raw data with predefined variable parameters for layout and maintenance is of much importance in comparison to the processed data (information) which has variable life spans in various contexts of business operations. Crux of the question is whether we need to readjust our thinking processes and methodologies to revamp system architecture framework so as to escape information overload - and not simply translating data into knowledge as per requirements without undergoing intermittent transition to Information. Indirect analogy - if one can read between lines - MLM, Direct marketing, etc. - for instance, one of good innovations in this direction (though for a specific purpose) is CAEX (Computer Aided Engineering Exchange). CAEX is a good innovative idea not only for providing impetus to dynamism for new product development followed by rapid market allocation for the businesses but also arguably an answer to some of information overload problems.

How to handle this situation personally, and how to send a message about this issue to your subordinates? For starters, all companies should have a clear policy regarding gifts/presents in order to let employees know what can they give or receive. It is not always the size or the price of the gift but the percieved value and/or intention. Other important source for this point could be locals laws. Don`t forget about common sense too - if you "feel" that it is a bribe, you are probably right - and then you do all you can to refuse the gift without offending the other side.

The previous statement is correct in general terms, but actually there is more to it than that. Different cultures/countries have varying views on this subject and, albeit difficult, could be followed provided you are operating within the particular country or culture whose rules you wish to apply. However, the only way to be sure that you are not being perceived as accepting a bribe is not to accept anything that was not purchased either by you or your company for legitimate business use. Many companies in the UK, for instance, have adopted this policy. One other thing is our own personal assesment of the gift's real nature - whether the gift would be given or not if the recipient is no longer in that job. And, as in all intanigble things and without company policies present, we use our common sense to find the best and safest way to decide about gifts/presents.

One thing we have to point out - always follow the company rules but also follow the local customs - for example, Japanese have a custom for giving gifts and it is very impolite, even dishonorable, to refuse, because giving gifts is an honor and a way they welcome guests. So, in order to not make it a bribe you should always receive the gifts in public or make everyone get it - ballpoint pen for all participants in a seminar/meeting, etc. In public you cannot refuse a gift, and in most cases shouldn't, and everybody knows that you got it. You may still have to report the gift to the company, depending on its polices. But you have to refuse personal gifts that are given "under the table" ( not in public ). However, even in public you may want to consider the value of the gift itself if, for example, you were to be given a brand new car or something that is considered very expensive - one of the solutions is to pass the gift to the company representative, especially in front of the public - it is good for you and your company image.

We have to consider another point - accepting gifts of any kind that will influence your decision making ( in favor of the giver ) and that gift becomes a bribe - no exceptions. In the UK, bribery is defined in law by a recently introduced statute; there are clear definitions of what constitutes a bribe ( principally in relation to influencing or attempting to influence a commercial decision ) and the measures that should be put in place by companies and individuals to prevent bribery occurring. Whilst this type of law may not be present in your country of residence, the principles set down a good set of guidelines that can be followed everywhere. Even though these kinds of laws do exist, and general attitudes about such problems is changing, it is quite regrettable that bribery and corruption are deep rooted issues in many economies and companies that do not have policy around this important corporate goverance issue. Sometimes, refusal to accept such "Greek gift" may expose you to dire consequences or cost you your employment in the least.

Once I read about a company that had a nice policy about gifts - you should accept all the gifts, hand them over to the company, smaller ones you could keep and all the others you would put numbers on, and then have everybody in the company draws a ticket. If there is a number on your ticket you won the gift. Hence gifts can be received by everybody in the company and there is no personal gain. But in the end, this is a topic without real answers or solutions, as long as vendors/interested groups hide gifts/subtle bribes through workshops with entertainment/training and other benefits....as the silent motivating tools in the corporate world and industry.

For a long time I wanted to write something about this subject. Through my career I had the opportunity to sit on both sides of the table, to interview and to be interviewed. For most part I did fine, got most of the jobs I wanted, and the people I judged as good candidates, and who later got the job, turned out to be nice, quality colleagues. But there were times I screwed up so badly that I left the interview and asked myself: "How in the name of right mind could I have sad that". And those were some good opportunities that I lost. But it happens to all of us. I will try to put my experiences in one post, it will be a little bit long, as it is written in few iterations, but stay with me and please feel free to comment.

Every interview starts with an invitation for a personal meeting ( after you have passed all the paper tests that the company might have placed as the first filter ), and about a day before ( or sooner if the job important to you ) a very specific type of fear begins to appear...mental fear...the fear that you will do badly and "screw up". This fear of "some great unknown" is often what produces the physical symptoms of nervousness. Well there is no magic in this...you have to relax. How? That's very personal...I usually play tennis or run a day before to be physically exhausted and to have a good night's sleep. But for some people things like yoga or just coffee with friends can do the trick.

But if you bring that tension to the room, it will show and you will not be able to talk to people in a manner that is expected of a professional position...and the higher the position is, more stress handling during the interview is required - you can't interview for a management position if you can't control your stress, can't you? The best way to prepare mentally is to know what may be coming. Fear of the unknown can only exist when there is an unknown. Take the time to understand some of the standards when it comes to the job you are applying for and the company you want to work for. And when you have done your prework about a specific job, there is also a very important specific set of questions everybody seems to ask these days no matter what the job is...and you better come prepared to answer them...any wrong answer to these, usually elimination questions, will probably land the job to the next guy. And these days the competition is tough. So the rest if this article will be about those questions and how I believe they should be answered. There is probably no right or wrong about this subject, only my opinion. As always, I would like as many comments a possible.

The following are some of the most difficult questions I have faced in the course of my job interviews. Some questions may seem rather simple on the surface - such as "Tell me about yourself" - but these questions can have a variety of answers. The more open ended the question, the wider the variation in the answers. Once you have become practiced in your interviewing skills, you will find that you can use almost any question as a launching pad for a particular topic or compelling story. Others are classic interview questions - such as "What is your greatest weakness?" - questions most people answer improperly. In this case, the standard textbook answer for the greatest weakness question is to provide a veiled positive - such as "I work too much. I just work and work and work". Wrong. Either you are lying or, worse yet, you are telling the truth, in which case you define working too much as a weakness and really do not want to work much at all. The following answers are provided to give you my perspective on how to answer tough interview questions. They are not there for you to lift from the page and insert into your next interview. They are my views, they may be wrong for you, but if you agree with them to some extent, you can attempt to use them as the template for formulating your own answers. While the specifics of each reply may not apply to you, try to follow the basic structure of the answer from the perspective of the interviewer. Answer the questions behaviorally, with specific examples that show that clear evidence backs up what you are saying about yourself. Always provide information that shows you want to become the very best _____ for the company and that you have specifically prepared yourself to become exactly that. They want to be sold. They are waiting to be sold. Don't disappoint them!

1. Tell me about yourself.

It seems like an easy interview question. Its open ended. I can talk about whatever I want from the birth canal forward. Right? Wrong. What the hiring manager really wants is a quick, two- to three-minute snapshot of who you are and why you're the best candidate for this position. So as you answer this question, talk about what you've done to prepare yourself to be the very best candidate for the position. Use an example or two to back it up. Then ask if they would like more details. If they do, keep giving them example after example of your background and experience. Always point back to an example when you have the opportunity.Tell me about yourself does not mean tell me everything. Just tell me what makes you the best.

2. Why should I hire you?

The easy answer is that you are the best person for the job. And don't be afraid to say so. But then back it up with what specifically differentiates you. For example: "You should hire me because I am the best person for the job. I realize that there are likely other candidates who also have the ability to do this job. Yet I bring an additional quality that makes me the best person for the job - my passion for excellence - I am passionately committed to producing truly world class results." The words are really that important - it the way you say them - as a guy that sits on the other side of the table - I see your CV - now show it to me by your passionate examples!

3. What is your long-range objective?

Make my job easy for me. Make me want to hire you. The key is to focus on your achievable objectives and what you are doing to reach those objectives. For example: "Within five years, I would like to become the very best ________ your company has on staff. I want to work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities which might be presented in the long term. For example, here is what Im presently doing to prepare myself...". Then go on to show by your examples what you are doing to reach your goals and objectives. But have goals and objctives - MBA, PhD, some specific courses or certifications...something that shows that you are investing in yourself and not just waiting for the pension.

4. How has your education prepared you for your career?

This is a very broad question and you need to focus on the behavioral examples in your educational background which specifically align to the required competencies for the career. An example: "My education has focused on not only the learning the fundamentals, but also on the practical application of the information learned within those classes. For example, I played a lead role in a class project where we gathered and analyzed best practice data from this industry. Let me tell you more about the results...". Always examples, always a desire for new knowledge. Focus on behavioral examples supporting the key competencies for the career. Then ask if they would like to hear more examples. Enhance your career opportunities by getting the training you need, find top degrees and schools! Education is your capital which no one can take from you - so be damn sure you have more education/knowledge then your competition.

5. Are you a team player?

Almost everyone says yes to this question. But it is not just a yes/no question. You need to provide behavioral examples to back up your answer. A sample answer: "Yes, I am very much a team player. In fact, I've had opportunities in my work, school and personal life to develop my skills as a team player. For example, on a recent project...". Emphasize teamwork behavioral examples and focus on your openness to diversity of backgrounds. Talk about the strength of the team above the individual. And note that this question may be used as a lead in to questions around how you handle conflict within a team, so be prepared.

6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved?

Note that if you say no, most interviewers will keep drilling deeper to find a conflict. The key is how you behaviorally reacted to conflict and what you did to resolve it. For example: "Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but there have been disagreements that needed to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs, it helps to fully understand the other persons perspective, so I take time to listen to their point of view, then I seek to work out a collaborative solution.". Focus your answer on the behavioral process for resolving the conflict and working collaboratively.

7. What is your greatest weakness?

Most career books I read tell you to select a strength and present it as a weakness. Such as: "I work too much. I just work and work and work." Wrong. First of all, using a strength and presenting it as a weakness is deceiving. Second, it misses the point of the question. You should select a weakness that you have been actively working to overcome. For example: "I have had trouble in the past with planning and prioritization. However, Im now taking steps to correct this. I just started using a pocket planner...then show them your planner and how you are using it." Talk about a true weakness and show what you are doing to overcome it. Don't lie. Everybody has a wekness, and it is not a problem in itself if you realize it is there and doing something about it.

8. If I were to ask your professors to describe you, what would they say?

This is a threat of reference check question. Do not wait for the interview to know the answer. Ask any prior bosses or professors in advance. And if they are willing to provide a positive reference, ask them for a letter of recommendation. Then you can answer the question like this: "I believe he/she would say I'm a very energetic person, that I am results oriented and one of the best people he/she has ever worked with. Actually, I know he/she would say that, because those are her very words. May I show you her letter of recommendation?". So be prepared in advance with your letters of recommendation. Most interviews in Croatia today don't require them because we are a small country where "everybody knows everybody", but there were occasions were they were required and it was considered a great plus if you had them. Times in Croatia are also changing, not so quickly, but they are...and we will have to adapt.

9. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?

Sooner or later you will be a manager - if you are capable. If you are not you will remain in the low ranks of operation guys forever. Which is fine. But one day you might have to answer this question. Focus on two words: leadership and vision. Here is a sample of how to respond: "The key quality in a successful manager should be leadership - the ability to be the visionary for the people who are working under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. The highest calling of a true leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. I'd like to tell you about a person whom I consider to be a true leader...". Always examples, examples and even more examples. It shows preperation, interest and desire to learn. Then, perhaps, give an example of someone who has touched your life and how their impact has helped in your personal development.

10. If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

Focus on a key turning point in your life or missed opportunity. Yet also tie it forward to what you are doing to still seek to make that change. For example: "Although Im overall very happy with where I am at in my life, the one aspect I likely would have changed would be focusing earlier on my chosen career. I had a great internship this past year and look forward to more experience in the field. I simply wish I would have focused here earlier. For example, I learned on my recent internship..." - and then provide examples. Stay focused on positive direction in your life and back it up with even more examples.

11. What did you dislike about your last job? Why did you leave your last job?

You need to be cautious about these kinds of questions and make sure you do not end up sounding bitter. You should talk as little as possible about your current/former company, the boss, or your former/current co-workers. You need to have a good understanding about the job for which you're applying to turn this question into a positive one. It may be best to say that you really enjoyed many aspects of your job, then focus on how this new job will give you the opportunity to contribute more in a particular area that is key to the position.

In reviewing these questions and responses, please remember that they are only to be viewed as my ideas of possible answers. Please do not rehearse them verbatim or adopt them as your own. They are meant to stir your creative juices and get you thinking about how to properly answer the broader range of questions that you will face. And to make you understand the value of education...and only education - professional AND academic - as the only real capital in business life. Preparation is the key to answering any question with poise and confidence. Always keep in mind - whatever the question is - that the interviewer is trying to uncover if you are a good fit and can make a positive contribution in the job.

This is again from one "geek-coffee" event yesterday. As we are now in the career phase where we are leading/managing projects, the question "What to do after this?" becomes very relevant - what is our next target position?

For some maybe nothing - a career in project management can be a life-long adventure, and one that is very highly respected. But for others, in this case everybody at the table, by my opinion, it is a very difficult question to answer. For we are in our early thirtees, technically experienced but lacking real management experience. And we are willing to learn...just to find the right company and the right position to enable us to do this is not easy or simple. I believe there are two approaches - general discussion or personal question. To the second one - you either know or don't know - and the one way to realize whether you know or not is to ask yourself the basic question "What do I really want to do" and then align next steps to those goals. Being honest with oneself in answering this question can be difficult. We are influenced by good pay/prestige that can come with following an easier development path that we may not be as passionate about.

If you work in large company with developed processes your next step might be to visit your local HR representative and ask for their progression plan for you. But for Croatia that level of personal development planning is probably a decade away for most companies. In times when most companies struggle for survival in times of "crisis" ( although I would say bad strategic long-term management, but that's another subject ), most people are happy to have a pay check at the end ot the month. That is bad for everyone - companies, employees and the profession itself.

But if you are lucky enough to work in a company that actually cares about people and personal development, somebody in your "chain of command" should have a vision of your development. Sometimes it is a formal process, with requirements to achieve the next position/pay level ( along with incremental skills/experience/education ), sometimes just an agreement in the form "do this to get that". Whatever the way it works in your enviroment, your development plan is your responsibility but your HR department and/or boss are responsible for supporting this effort. If you do not feel they supply you with enough information to develop a robust development plan, talk to them, if possible. Showing interest in your career development is a very positive business trait.

It is much easier, for instance in annual performance reviews, to talk about training needs versus creating/discussing a development plan. Do the development plan first before discussing training for the coming year. Make it a critical on-going personal career document that is updated. A development plan does not have to be a huge undertaking - write it on a file or a personal notebook ( yes, those paper-ones still exist :) ) - just do it. Start small and build from there. Committing to maintaining a development plan can be a great time saver in the long run. For instance, you can cut/paste development plan info during annual performance review preparation - there is in one company in Croatia I know of ( and only one :( ) where HR people will not even talk to employees on the annual review unless they first share their current development plan.

So now we come back to the original question - "What next for a project manager". If we ask this as a general question, I would say that we have to seriously focus on involvement in activities that effectively increase experience/knowledge about overall business operations. I would put special attention on learning more about the integration points across various business functions. For example, if one's project manager work is focused in IT, understand the touch points with other functional project managers, say in Finance. Understand the small incremental differences between these roles. Use HR to review progression plans for these other business functional roles ( if they exist ). Being able to identify what these small responsibility gaps are means less effort on one's part to transition into these other roles. Obviously, it should take less effort to progress following the normal project management career path ( especially one defined by company ) - for instance: project manager -> senior project manager -> business analyst -> program manager -> ... What is the development thread for this sequence? It is gaining more knowledge about overall business operations and learning how to integrate cross functional projects/programs to deliver successful overall business systems/processes. Development should involve key activities that help speed up learning overall business interrelationships. Doing this will bring recognition and rewards and will open up many more advancement possibilities and other business opportunities.

Some time ago, on a lunch break with some friends, we started a philosophical discussion about the subject of success. So I thought...that's a nice theme of the next article. What does it take to succeed? A positive attitude? Well, sure, but that’s hardly enough. The Law of Attraction? The Secret? These ideas might act as spurs to action, but without the action itself, they don’t do much. Success, however it’s defined, takes action, and taking good and appropriate action takes skills.

Some of these skills (not enough, though) are taught in school (not well enough, either), others are taught on the job, and still others we learn from general life experience. Below is a list of general skills that, by my opinion, will help anyone get ahead in practically any field, from running a company to running a chess club. Of course, there are skills specific to each field as well – but my concern here is with the skills that translate across disciplines, the ones that can be learned by anyone in any position. We also must never forget that there is always a limit that we can't cross, which defines us as individuals, but that doesn't mean that we always don't have to strive for personal excellence - for the world of today and tommorow doesn't tolerate average people that didn't at least try.

1. Public Speaking

The ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and forcefully in front of an audience – whether an audience of 1 or of thousands – is one of the most important skills anyone can develop. People who are effective speakers come across as more comfortable with themselves, more confident, and more attractive to be around. Being able to speak effectively means you can sell anything – products, of course, but also ideas, ideologies, worldviews. And yourself – which means more opportunities for career advancement, bigger clients, or business funding.

2. Writing

Writing well offers many of the same advantages that speaking well offers: good writers are better at selling products, ideas, and themselves than poor writers. Learning to write well involves not just mastery of grammar but the development of the ability to organize one’s thoughts into a coherent form and target it to an audience in the most effective way possible. Given the huge amount of text generated by almost every transaction – from court briefs and legislation running into the thousands of pages to those foot-long receipts you get when you buy gum these days – a person who is a master of the written word can expect doors to open in just about every field.

3. Self-Management

If success depends on effective action, effective action depends on the ability to focus your attention where it is needed most, when it is needed most. Strong organizational skills, effective productivity habits, and a strong sense of discipline are needed to keep yourself on track.

4. Networking

Networking is not only for finding jobs or clients. In an economy dominated by ideas and innovation, networking creates the channel through which ideas flow and in which new ideas are created. A large network, carefully cultivated, ties one into not just a body of people but a body of relationships, and those relationships are more than just the sum of their parts. The interactions those relationships make possible give rise to innovation and creativity – and provide the support to nurture new ideas until they can be realized.

5. Critical Thinking

We are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of times more information on a daily basis than our great-grandparents were. Being able to evaluate that information, sort the potentially valuable from the trivial, analyze its relevance and meaning, and relate it to other information is crucial – and woefully under-taught. Good critical thinking skills immediately distinguish you from the mass of people these days.

6. Decision-Making

The bridge that leads from analysis to action is effective decision-making – knowing what to do based on the information available. While not being critical can be dangerous, so too can over-analyzing, or waiting for more information before making a decision. Being able to take in the scene and respond quickly and effectively is what separates the doers from the wannabes.

7. Math

You don’t have to be able to integrate polynomials to be successful. However, the ability to quickly work with figures in your head, to make rough but fairly accurate estimates, and to understand things like compound interest and basic statistics gives you a big lead on most people. All of these skills will help you to analyze data more effectively – and more quickly – and to make better decisions based on it.

8. Research

Nobody can be expected to know everything, or even a tiny fraction of everything. Even within your field, chances are there’s far more that you don’t know than you do know. You don’t have to know everything – but you should be able to quickly and painlessly find out what you need to know. That means learning to use the Internet effectively, learning to use a library, learning to read productively, and learning how to leverage your network of contacts – and what kinds of research are going to work best in any given situation.

9. Relaxation

Stress will not only kill you, it leads to poor decision-making, poor thinking, and poor socialization. So be failing to relax, you knock out at least three of the skills in this list – and really more. Plus, working yourself to death in order to keep up, and not having any time to enjoy the fruits of your work, isn’t really “success”. It’s obsession. Being able to face even the most pressing crises with your wits about you and in the most productive way is possibly the most important thing on this list.

10. Basic Accounting

It is a simple fact in our society that money is necessary. Even the simple pleasures in life, like hugging your child, ultimately need money – or you’re not going to survive to hug for very long. Knowing how to track and record your expenses and income is important just to survive, let alone to thrive. But more than that, the principles of accounting apply more widely to things like tracking the time you spend on a project or determining whether the value of an action outweighs the costs in money, time, and effort. It’s a shame that basic accounting isn’t a required part of the IT curriculum.

What Else?

Surely there are more important skills I’m not thinking of – what are they? What have I missed? What lessons have you learned that were key to your successes – and what have you ignored to your peril?

Few days ago I stood in the hallway of the company I work for and started a discussion on how it is very difficult to teach people programming ( it this case it was SQL, which is probably one of the easiest things to learn, specially on the beginner's level ) that don't have a formal IT education of faculty level or at least a developed IT ( engineering ) way of thinking and high school education level ( very, very few people have engineering thinking at high school education level - they lack something I call the "desire to really learn", something highly intangible, but required to be really good ). I was very strongly opposed by a colleague of completely different opinion who thinks that "development is for the masses" and that everybody can learn it... In general I could ( somewhat ) agree..everybody can learn some specific IT aspect...and ( in most cases ) become a bad to average developer. Because unlike him, I believe that programming is part skill/knowledge, part science and part art. So this made me to start writing this article in the attempt to further develop this question and to try to answer ( partially to myself ), even if that is true, is it good for the IT as a serious profession.

To be frank, I don't want IT to be for the masses. For masses may learn the methods of a specific language, but they will never learn the beauty and the depth of writing quality code. And the last thing this profession needs is the influx of people "that think they know". It is bad for everybody. But this is not a new thing, over the last few years there is a distrubing trend brought about by the idea of "bringing programming to the masses". In one Microsoft blog I read there is a "growing community of 18 million recreational and hobbyist developers." I see marketing/sales reasons for this, but is it good overall is totally another question...

I am a professional developer and project manager, specializing in web development and large databases/BI solutions, mainly on Microsoft platform, although I have significant experience with Oracle and some other tools. I have B. Sc. degree in Computer Science, recently finished my MBA and in the process of finishing my PhD studies in the field of Computer Sciences. I have been an IT professional for almost seven years. All of that aside, I'm not saying that the recreational and hobbyist developer is bad. There are a lot of innovative ideas and applications that come from this segment of the developer community and they should not be left out in the cold.

The problem is that the market has started focusing more attention to this segment of the community. Just look at Microsoft's Express Editions of Visual Studio and SQL Server. These are great tools for the hobbyist developer, but they have a negative impact as well. As the developer tools market focuses more on the hobbyist developer, the industry has started to view developers as a mass market commodity. The fear is that professional developers will be out of a job, replaced by a "mass market developer". A "mass market developer" is usually at the low end of the developer spectrum. They have no formal training and are what could generally be considered to be a "code monkey", but in the derogatory sense. These are the people who stitch together snippets of code found on the Internet and in books to make an application, without having an appreciation or understanding what the principles behind the code or the concept of coding are.

This fear can be alleviated by simply remembering the axiom "you get what you pay for." If a company wants to rely on a "mass market developer", the result is usually an application that is very unstable, overly complicated, and hard to maintain. The result is that professional developers will be required to "clean up the mess". The trend that I have been seeing is the increasing number of discussion forum posts by individuals claiming to be developers (mostly professional developers) asking what I can only call "monkey questions". These are questions that are so basic that they really shouldn't even be asked. Questions that show a complete lack of understanding of programming concepts and the programming language as well as a sheer lack of initiative to learn.

If anyone watches any of the developer community forums, you should quickly see this trend for yourself. Given the frequency these types of questions are occurring, it looks like the developer community is seeing a large increase in the number of sub-hobbyist developers (or "mass market developers"). As an industry, software development is relatively young and still largely undisciplined (when compared to the other technical industries like engineering). I think this trend of "monkey questions" clearly shows the results of a push towards creating "mass market developers" and the steady decline of both the educational (both academic and real-world) requirements and academic standards in the industry. It's time that the industry starts taking steps towards self-correction. Employers need to demand higher quality from their development staff, and realize that there is a trade-off between time-to-market and quality of code. The development community needs to start demanding better academic standards for computer science (and related) degrees and demand a basic level of programming knowledge from their peers. Think about this: Do you want a developer that doesn't understand how to declare an array writing the software that runs your car?

We all know how it should look like...you apply for the job, in a few days/weeks you receive an invitation for testing, then comes the interview ( or more interviews ) and in the end you either get the job or not. And even if you don't you receive a formal notification by e-mail that another candidate has been chosen. Well, that's nice.. in theory.

In my experience and from what colleagues told me only a few companies hold to such practices. And even if you are not chosen, such minimum of professionalism gives the people who are rejected a sense of self - importance and self - respect...and keeps the company looking good, or at least prevents the company from being subjected to gossips spreading among professionals. Although IT is in crisis in Croatia, as everything else is, there is still need to hire the best people, and those, even in this situation, usually have a choice.

I would put companies in three categories. First ones are those that do the job right, inform the people about the process and act professionally along the way ( I could name very few IT companies in Croatia in this category ), second ones are those that play nice at the first level, and when they have decided that you are not the candidate for them just stop responding or communicating with you ( most of the companies ), and there are many that don't even answer even with a formal mail - those companies come immediatelly on my "black list" and are discarded - if they are treating people from beginning like "expandable resources" how will they treat them later?

So what can we do about it? Very little actually - because private employers can choose whome they want and any way they wan't - that's their right. But as the coin has two sides, so does this game - if they act in this way, there is a chance that they can get away with it, but perhaps one day someone from that mass of people will be their business partner or will be a buyer of their product or service. And people have a long memory. So the question is really do you want to have a company that has a bad face or a good face among people...and the fact is that to have a good face in this aspect is neither difficult nor too expensive...e-mail is still free isn't it?