Blasted Question #2

Interesting admission, this week I was asked to answer five questions for The Architect Newsletter.

The questions came to me in email, so I decided to use the Pomodoro Technique to quickly answer and meet the deadline.

The Pomodoro Technique is a simple way to focus exclusively on one task / project for a set amount of time (traditionally 25 minutes) and then take a break (traditionally 5 minutes) and then going back in for another 25 minutes. I use it every mornings and lunch for email.

Basically, I turn off distractions (IM, text, and other), set my cell phone timer for 25 minutes and open up email and hyper focus. When the timer goes off, I stop, save what I was working on to draft and take a break. After the break, I repeat.

So, anyway, I decided to use the Pomodoro Technique to answer the questions which I successfully did sans one question. My first pass, I answered question one then skipped two and went on to answer three, four and five hoping to circle around to the question. But my 25 minute timer went off as I stared blankly on question number two. Break time.

Five minutes later, I stared at question number two:

  2. What are the top competencies necessary for you to be effective in this role?

Several attempts, finally at the deadline I recalled one of my first managers at Wells Fargo telling me that social intelligence, emotional leadership and prudence are competencies that differentiate leaders from managers.

• Social intelligence is the ability to successfully build relationships and navigate social environments. Think for a moment about your protoconversation. You know, the micro expressions, voice intonations, gestures and pheromones that our brain is “taking in” for every conversation. These impact how we respond to others (social awareness) and how we have effective interactions (social facility). Both are instrumental and often show up when triggered (and think about them triggered when blindsided!).

• Emotional leadership (or emotional intelligence) is the ability to accurately perceive your own (an others) emotions in order to see the signals and how they impact relationships. Essential when influencing towards a common goal, individuals with this competency can create an “emotional contagion” that sets the tone for group level dynamics.

• Prudence is wisdom or common sense. Prudence as described in the Cardinal Virtues is the ability to discern the appropriate course of action to be taken in a given situation at the appropriate time.

These three are, in my opinion, the most critical competences to have in business regardless of role.

So my response was: One of my first managers at Wells Fargo told me that social intelligence, emotional leadership and prudence were the most critical competences to have in business regardless of role.

If those are foundational, then I would add to be successful as an architect, additional competencies include:
• Communicate - to describe technology to your audience whether it be someone highly technical or in layman’s terms.
• Inquire – to probe and ask questions to get to the “facts”
• Conceptualize – to take all that you have heard and pull it together into a consumable artifact whether that be a diagram, design, model, or something else.
• Execute – ability to take what you have designed and make it a reality.

Do you agree? Disagree?

What would have been your response to question number two? Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy Thursday!