Paul Glen

Paul Glen: We techies can put users on edge

When we hear a good idea, we often start to explore its edges until we find an exception that we then just have to blurt out. Surprise! Users hate that. Insider (registration required)

Fixing the Technology Isn't Always Enough

Users want us to acknowledge the emotions that accompany their technology problems. Relax, though; you don't have to be Dr. Phil to do that. Insider (registration required)

Words Are First Hurdle for New Tech Managers

New managers lack the language to understand and express the value of management itself. Insider (registration required)

Paul Glen: In Tech, Management Is Not a Promotion

To move from a technical role to management is to abandon one career for another.

Paul Glen: The 'Low Affect' Effect

Business people expect their colleagues to express enthusiasm openly, and they don't recognize hard work as an expression of commitment to their goals.

Paul Glen: Want to own the future? Build rich relationships

Technologies come and go, says columnist Paul Glen, but the ability to connect business and technical people will always be the rarest and most valuable skill an IT professional can offer. (Insider, registration required.)

Paul Glen: 'Nothing but the facts' approach just won't work with business people

The reason techies' presentations to business people often bomb is that we make the mistake of believing that they think like we do. (Insider, registration required)

Talking to the Business: Our Problems, Their Visions

For IT, problems are our life's work, but business people want to avoid them at all costs. Insider (registration required)

When Techies Speak, the Devil's in the Details

For technical types, details reveal truth, but for nontechnical folks, details cloud truth.

Next Up: Real IT Workers of New Jersey

It may be that many of our partners on the business side watch people work on reality shows because they have a deep yearning to feel more connected to products and people. We can help them with that.

Projects and Avoidance

One thing that project team leaders have in common is that none of them is terribly concerned about their relationship with the others.

Is It 'Us vs. Them' or 'All Together Now'?

Six simple words can tell you all you need to know about the relationship between a project team and the business sponsor.

The Three Ways Users Experience IT

Now that technology has pervaded almost every facet of the enterprise, the number of ways in which IT interacts with users has expanded significantly.

IT, the Business and the Clash of Cultures

Business groups need IT more than ever, but the levels of mutual trust remain low and frustration remains high.

How to Be a Proactive Task Handler

Taking on delegated tasks should not be a passive activity.

What to Do When You Get a New Boss

First, get your emotions in check, and see things from her point of view.

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Code

The key to a bright future in a technical career is to be a good writer. Here's why.

Moving Morale

The first step is toward improving your team's morale is to articulate the emotional state of your employees beyond saying, 'They have low morale.'

Paul Glen: Why does IT have so little influence in the organization?

IT folks frequently grumble about their lack of influence, but they seem just as often to avoid taking part in the conversations in which decisions are made and policies are established.

Processes and the People Factor

A good process has much in common with good code, but code is executed by machines, not humans.