Don’s Blog

Four Success-Blocking Character Traits (Don’t Do These Things!)

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In recent blog posts and podcasts, I’ve talked about the critical IT career success factors. Just as important as what TO do are the things NOT to do. Here, in no particular order, are four behaviors which are commonly seen in the workplace and which can torpedo your career. Dishonesty This may seem obvious, but if it’s so […]

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The Mysterious Tattooed Barista (or How to be a Good Listener)

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One of my favorite Seattle coffee shops is in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle. My wife and I stopped there this past weekend for a coffee (this is Seattle, after all) and a pastry. While we were waiting in line, one of the baristas, an attractive and mysterious-looking woman, her shoulders festooned with tattoos, was

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How to Change Perceptions of Your IT Department

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Are perceptions reality? The ways in which our customers, end-users, and co-workers perceive us is certainly their reality. Since our relationships with each of those groups of people can affect our career success, our personal and professional reality is affected by their perceptions. I recently received an email from a client asking for some ways

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Emotional Intelligence Interview with George A. Harris, Ph.D.

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George A. Harris, Ph.D. is a well-known psychologist and author. I interviewed him this week on the subject of emotional intelligence. Transcript Don Crawley (00:00): Welcome to the Compassionate Geek podcast and videocast for IT professionals who are interested in improving their customer service and communication skills. My name is Don Crawley and today I’m

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The Five Principles of IT Customer Service

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In last week’s blog post, I talked about the most critical customer service skill for IT career success. There are an additional four critical skills you must learn for IT career success. These skills are the Five Principles of IT Customer Service. They will, when mastered, allow you to positively influence your career, the people

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Customer Service Product Knowledge

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In November of 2011, I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel titled The Four All-Star Traits of the Customer Service Masters, in which I described four characteristics I observed in people who were very good at supporting customers and end-users. Since then, I’ve worked with IT people, including help desk staff, at many different types

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Going Too Far with Authenticity

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Is it possible to be too authentic? In the last two blog posts and podcasts, we’ve talked about the importance of authenticity, the importance of being real. Authenticity has become another popular buzzword in today’s business world and even in society in general. The idea of being authentic in relationships, both business and personal, is

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