The Work Life Balance for Men

A great piece by LZ Granderson, and one that really make me stop and think a bit. Work and life is always a balance, and men certainly don’t have it easier. We make different choices, or we set different priorities. It’s worth the read, and as you do, before you dismiss it, consider this: how would work life look if women had been a part of business and work for all of history?

I sometimes look at the way I do things, and wonder if I’m balancing too far one way or the other. Ultimately I don’t know if I’m doing it right, but I keep an eye on it.

Reduce Your Incompetence

Are you unconsciously incompetent?

I hope you answered “yes”, because if you didn’t, you’re really unconsciously incompetent.

I’m not trying to offend you, but it’s a fact that all of us don’t know various things, but there’s an even larger set of things that we aren’t even aware that we can’t do.

For example, in databases, I wasn’t aware that there was a DBCC Check Constraints until I read this post. I didn’t know this was even an option, much less what it did. There are probably lots of people in a similar situation in my field, people that don’t know some feature or option exists, and never use it.

That’s the case for most of us in many fields, but also in our own. One of the ways to advance your career, maybe shape it in a way that suits you, is to learn something new about your field, try to expand your horizons. You may learn there’s an area you’d like to move into, or one you want to avoid (perhaps more important).

You don’t have to do this, or any specific piece of advice I give, but do something.

It’s Working–Touch Your Resume

I stress in my talk a few times that you should touch your resume every quarter. It’s the last thing I leave people with, but I’ve rarely heard people come back to me and tell me they’re doing it.

That changed, as a friend mentioned me in his post recently called Dust Off That Resume.

Glad to see the advice is being repeated, and I think it’s the single best thing you can do for your career. Have this up to date, and thinking about the change you make, or don’t have to make, is a good way to keep you focused on your career.

Speaking Advice

From a Pluralsight author, there’s a difference between talking and teaching.

Overall I think it’s good. I try to keep some of these points in mind when I talk, though I haven’t always kept the agenda slides in. I’ve tried them in a few places, and I like them for pacing myself and transitioning things. It also reminds me to ask for questions.

I completely agree that “You probably already know this” is poor technique, whether writing or speaking. Don’t assume people know something, and if you have doubts, ask.

Speaking well takes practice, as much for your delivery, as for the comfort you get after lots of talks. The better you feel, the better your talk will be for the audience.