IT Career Energizer 267: Build Better Business Relationships And Welcome Feedback Gratefully with Doug Arcuri
Phil’s guest on the show this time is Doug Arcuri, a Software Engineering Manager for IBM who has worked in the IT industry for 15 years. His interest in computers began when his parents purchased a Gateway PC in 1998 which led to him developing a few successful game modifications for Half Life. Subsequently, Doug went on to learn engineering concepts, C++, website design and game modification tooling setting the foundation for his IT career.
Doug and Phil talk about the importance of building effective business relationships over being entirely purpose-driven, and why people should be the foundations of any career.
Doug also talks about why feedback should always be welcomed as a way of helping us grow and develop, instead of being seen as criticism.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
TOP CAREER TIP
Don’t be entirely purpose-driven. It’s important to focus on the business and upon delivery, but we must also pay consideration to building effective, empowering relationships.
WORST CAREER MOMENT
After finding himself out of a job, Doug decided to not only hone his interviewing skills for the next opportunity, but to keep it going as a regular concern, meeting often ever since to further practice and develop the skills needed in order to keep sharp.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
As a leader, Doug has been responsible for not only hiring, but developing his team members. Using his three stage method of making sure the direction of the team is correct, mentoring others in the team and setting boundaries, and some project management, Doug has found great success is developing people.
THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
Doug is particularly excited by The Developer’s Experience concept, which has many facets, and which shows that tools are opportunities for engineers to develop. Semantic Code Analysis, also, uses AI to gain clear feedback for code reviews, which should provide a new sense of expediency.
THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Doug grew up with video games, and found that he had an early knack for tweaking the experience through technical means. When he discovered a far more technical route to the same in later life, the career choice became obvious.
What’s the best career advice you received? – To write for the community at large. Writing helps to clarify thought, and to inspire others.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – To make things up. Working “off message” only leads to confusion and dissatisfaction.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Doug would have nurtured the skill of building relationships with others, and sought more opportunities for collaboration.
What are your current career objectives? – To become better as a software engineer manager, focusing heavily on the meta of the role.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – To find the humour in conversations with software engineers.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Focussing on hobbies, such as scale-modelling, helps to keep the mind sharp. It also teaches the value of success and failure.
What do you do away from technology? – Spending time with family, especially in the recent lockdown period, is a great source of comfort and happiness.
FINAL CAREER TIP
When you receive feedback, you should view it as a gift and accept it gratefully. We tend to have problems in accepting feedback objectively, but we should endeavor to remember that it can make us better in some way.
BEST MOMENTS
(4:14) – Doug- “For a business to be effective, and for you to be effective wherever you are, you really need to get to know the people first”
(6:01) – Doug - “In order to be successful in interviewing, it’s a skill, you have to practice it”
(14:23) – Doug - “Clarify your priorities with your partners and product and project management, and make sure that those priorities are clear”
(19:50) – Doug - “When we receive feedback it’s a gift, and you should simply say thank you, take it in, and reflect on it”
ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS
Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations to design, develop, and implement software solutions. Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers. And in 2017 Phil started the I.T. Career Energizer podcast to try to help as many people as possible to learn from the career advice and experiences of those that have been, and still are, on that same career journey.
CONTACT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS
Phil can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/philtechcareer
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess
Facebook: https://facebook.com/philtechcareer
Instagram: https://instagram.com/philtechcareer
Website: https://itcareerenergizer.com/contact
Phil is also reachable by email at phil@itcareerenergizer.com and via the podcast’s website, https://itcareerenergizer.com
Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer
ABOUT THE GUEST – DOUG ARCURI
Doug Arcuri is a Software Engineering Manager for IBM who has worked in the IT industry for 15 years. His interest in computers began when his parents purchased a Gateway PC in 1998 which led to him developing a few successful game modifications for Half Life. Subsequently, Doug went on to learn engineering concepts, C++, website design and game modification tooling setting the foundation for his IT career.
CONTACT THE GUEST – DOUG ARCURI
Doug Arcuri can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dougarcuri
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglaswarcuri/
Website: https://medium.com/@solidi