Evangelism and IT
Guy Kawasaki has a great new blog out there, and today he's talking about The Art of Evangelism, which is about having a good understanding of your process, your market, your target audience and how to reach them. But I think it's more than that, I think Evangelism is something that IT Departments and Consultants need to get involved with.
There are a lot of companies that right now don't understand that their IT Department is a valuable part of their infrastructure and treat it instead like dead money. This is because many IT departments don't properly evangelize themselves. They don't represent themselves well to other departments, and make their own value. I've been as guilty of this as many before me, and it's something that I'm working on.
The rules that are most important in Guy's article that apply to IT professionals:
Learn to give a demo. An “evangelist who cannot give a great demo” is an oxymoron. A person simply cannot be an evangelist if she cannot demo the product. If a person cannot give a demo that quickens the pulse of everyone in the audience, he should stay in sales or in marketing.
It's crucial that an IT guy know how to demonstrate a technique or a program or explain how a program works to a client or fellow employee. This is a skill that many IT folks sorely lack, because many lack the people skills to make it work.
Ignore pedigrees. Good evangelists aren't proud. They don't focus on the people with big titles and big reputations. Frankly, they'll meet with, and help, anyone who “gets it” and is willing to help them. This is much more likely to be the database administrator or secretary than the CIO.
From the receptionist to the president of the organization, good service means good service for everyone.
Never tell a lie. Very simply, lying is morally and ethically wrong. It also takes more energy because if one lies, then it is necessary to keep track of the lies. If one always tells the truth, then there's nothing to keep track of. Evangelists know their stuff, so they never have to tell a lie to cover their ignorance.
Saying “I don't know, but I can find out” is something IT pros have to be able to do. Grace under pressure, and the ability to speak honestly are two absolutely crucial concepts for IT Pros, and they come back to the same basic principle of honesty. Never promise things you're not sure you can do. Never exaggerate your skillset.
Comments: