Consultant Chronicle

April 2, 2012

No matter your age, at one time or another we have all encountered stress. A good IT Consultant must be able to stand up to stress but they must also be able to “de stress” whenever the opportunity arrives.

I’ve notice something recently with my daughter who is completing her second year of college. Whenever she comes home to visit for a weekend, she carries her homework with her. She rarely does any homework, but that’s the point. If she does homework then she won’t completely de-stress. Instead she plans her trip so she will get back to school in time to complete her work. My daughter has now taken full advantage of her downtime to unwind with family and friends. She is now better prepared for what the new week may bring. This is just one method that an individual may use to cope. Can’t say I blame her since its way better than jumping out of a window. My apologies if that sounded harsh.

When things are quite, (by quite I mean the time you may have between assignments) I recommend the following advise:

Identify your personality. Do you actually know how long it takes to unwind from a tough week or two on the road? Coming home on a Friday night from the East coast and flying out to a client on Sunday gets old fast. How long does it actually take for you to come back down to Earth after presenting a very technical seminar? Plan your down time around this “unwinding” period whenever possible. In a perfect world we have full control over our schedule, we should at the very least be able to recognize the signs of fatigue and stress and plan accordingly.
Reflection. Take stock of your personal interests, family and friends. Get out and do something. Don’t forget your hobby. And please, never feel guilty for taking time off just for yourself. The stress may return as you face new projects and due dates so enjoy the down time.

11:14am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZuFn1wIy-O9K

March 12, 2012

IT Consultants Down Time Part 3

There are a few of us in the industry that are convinced that Social Networking is just a fad, or perhaps it’s just for the young. I disagree on all counts. As technology professionals the tools of Social Networking can be a great benefit when looking for work or projects. Personally, I cannot count how many business opportunities were identified with LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook just in the last three months. I’ve outlined two key areas where Social Media can benefit the IT Professional.

Insight: Use Social Media as a means to gain insight into potential markets, clients and technologies. Remember, as a professional you don’t want to use social media as a personal soapbox. People will tune you out quickly and because of your ranting you won’t really to hear what’s going on in your network. In other words, less talk more listening.

Awareness: We’ve heard the term Brand Awareness, but brand awareness is not just for corporations. As an individual or perhaps you are part of a small team, brand awareness should focus on how you want to be perceived by your clients, friends or partners. Some key words you should consider with your brand could be; Customer service oriented, professionalism, responsive, positive, technically savvy, solution provider. Try to get your message across accurately and consistently. When people see, or hear you they will have already branded you the way you want to be branded.

In summary, when business is slow make the time to visit your social network. I don’t mean read a few headlines in Facebook but make a serious attempt to contribute to the community. Make a serious effort to have lunch, dinner or make some phone calls to the individuals in your social network. I learned a very important lesson in the 80’s which is still true today; most jobs or opportunities are never advertised but are accessible by people who know people. Good luck. Visit the discussion on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/consultantchronicle/

8:36am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZuFn1wHt30rj

February 20, 2012

IT Consultants Down Time Part 2

State your Case

In my last post, I cautioned against spending all your time looking and marketing for work if/when things get slow. Another tip for all the IT consultants out there is to prepare a case study. A case study is a detailed account of a company’s process or project over a given amount of time. During your down time you have the time to reflect back on your recent projects and accomplishments. Your case study should include information about your client’s company objectives, strategies, challenges, results and recommendations. In the long term your case study will detail how smart and creative you are and of course it makes a great resume to a prospective client. I have listed some bulleted points that you should include in your case study. Good luck.

Case
Client: High-tech Company
Topic: Business Planning

Situation
Our client was:

Challenges
The challenges facing us were in:

Actions
The actions we took to address these challenges were:

Results
Our actions resulted in:

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10:52am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZuFn1wGjrRAv

February 8, 2012

IT Consultants Down Time Part 1

Right now in the IT industry there is a lull in new projects and training. One of the traps we should avoid is to spend all of our down time looking and marketing for work. Many Consultants can predict the peaks and valleys in their area of specialty. So I thought we could begin building a list of things that the IT professional can do to improve their current and future engagements.

Industry News: Now is the time to read and learn more about your industry. Look out for trends and new technology. Remember don’t just fall in love with something new because it’s cool. You must know how the technology can benefit your clients. Be prepared to explain it even though you have never sold or implemented the technology. Remember that your clients do want to trust you, even more than an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal.

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7:08pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZuFn1wG5i6Jc

February 1, 2012

5 Tips for New Presenters

My advice to new presenters is to avoid complications. Keep it simple. I have been doing presentations for over fourteen years and once in a while I run into someone who is nervous or is planning a presentation before a large group of people. This is for the newbies.

Assume for purposes of your presentation that something will go wrong with the technology you will be using. Have a suitable backup plan in place.
Always arrive early. At least arrive before your attendees.
Know your timing; your content should be appropriate for the allotted time. It’s better to finish early rather than late, which will result in speeding through your presentations involuntarily.
Your voice is your power. Please use a MIC if the room is too large, or check your audio with someone in the back row if possible. If people can’t hear you they will stop listening.
Finally, stay on topic. You may be tempted to stray off topic in order to add flare, but I highly recommend you avoid doing this if you are new to the game. Experience will be your guide in the future on this topic.

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2:19pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZuFn1wFjmdVk

Filed under: PowerPoint

February 1, 2012

System Center 2012

New Beta Courseware from Microsoft is now available for System center Configuration Manager 2012. This is a sign that the 2012 products are on schedule for release late spring. If anyone is using the System Center 2007 products, you need to start looking at the 2012 products because of the major visual & architectural changes that are coming.