What is This All About

• This is not a talk about technology
• This is not a talk about design
• This is hopefully something that will be useful for you in whatever part of the technology industry you happen to work in.

Hypothesis

• I have worked and studied with some very talented people over the years.
• I've met and talked to people from many really great companies
• Incredibly talented people; far smarter than I.
• I've often wondered, how do these people stay so fresh, so highly skilled and so motivated when the nature of their industry and their business changes so quickly and so often.
• So I asked them. And what they told me was very interesting.
• For some people it's a strategy, a plan
• In most cases these just happen to be some things that really great people seem to have in common.
• So, what are these traits, these strategies?

Talented people understand the fundamentals of what they do

• One of the common traits I found was that really good people apply the same behaviours, attitides and core insights to whatever they happen to be working on
• For most people, technology is about what is "now", but in most cases what is "now" will be irrlevant in 5 years.
• Technologies are useful in and of themselves, but also to expose the fundamentals of what you're trying to do.
• The basic premise is that most technologies rely on the same fundamental concepts
• Skills are transient, knowledge and perspective are timeless
  • Fundamental Concepts of Your Vocation
  • Problem Solving
  • Logical Thinking
  • Teamworking
  • Communication
  • Commercial Awareness

They live outside of their box

• Specialism is great, if you are a heart surgeon or a bomb disposal I am perfectly happy for you to geek out to hearts or bombs and have nothing else going on in your life and to not care about the before and after
• The problem is also that if all you do is focus on what *you* do, all you can ever be is a shiny cog in a bigger machine.
• For the rest of us, having an insight into the people who influence the things you work on, and the people who work on or consume them seems to be a very good thing
• Being excellent at what you do is great, but to be able to put your work in a context that is relevant for others is incredibly powerful. Having a basic understanding of the challenges that face other people is hugely valuable.
• Understanding what other people value and the way in which they communicate is really really useful.
• The main message here is "Don't be the shiny cog"

They are not vending machines

• We come across this all the time
• I want a website, I need it done next week, I have X to spend (where X is not a lot of money)
• There is nothing wrong with this
• This is a transactional model or doing business - like putting coins into a machine and getting a generic product
• So long as you understand that this is the model you are working in, you can be incredibly successful at it
• Cost is likely to be the key differentiator - Consistent, reliable, cheap (price based)
• If this does not sound like the model you want to follow, then you have to find a way to articulate what you do in a way that goes beyond merely transactional
• Really successful people are able to articulate their skills/services/products in a way that is strategic for them. This could be transactional, but a lot of the time it isn't.

They solve problems and "add value" alongside others

• IDEO and Adaptive Path talk about using design to solve both human and business problems
• This is all the rage now; the idea of asking users and clients to help design the services they will eventually go on to use and consume
• It sounds a bit cheeky, but it works and it's actually a very old idea
• Model: Open design session, ethnographic research, puma customised runners, nike +, Flickr, practically any social networking site. The customer adds the critical insight, content and value; the "experts" provide a framework or a product which makes this relevant for other people.
• The most successful businesses happen to be partnerships between both sides, consumers and producers
• It moves the debate away from a buyer, seller model, away from the vending machine
• It lets you become an advisor, not just a cog.

They are able to identify and evaluate trends

• Easy to get caught up, Easy to be a cheerleader
• Difficult to say what is different, special, unique and worthwhile about a new trend or technology
• If you are able to articulate the merits, demerits of a new trend/technology and communicate that you are immediately demonstrating why you understand the fundamentals of what you do, and that you are not an unthinking vending machine
• Critical thinking is not the same as being a jackass/the devil's advocate

They can write or communicate in some other way, very effectively

• The ability to clearly and effectively communicate sets apart every designer, developer, other I have ever met
• The most useful classes I have ever taken have been on writing and public speaking
• The skills you use to write are the same skills you will use to structure design, code
• Being able to talk about your work, defend it, get ideas, give ideas to others means that you can never and will never become irrelevant