A Compassionate Geek

Time management training for today’s IT workplace: This practical time management training course helps IT professionals reduce chaos, handle interruptions, prioritize effectively, and protect focused work time. Learn proven strategies for managing tickets, messaging systems, task lists, and daily workloads while improving productivity, customer service, teamwork, and communication. Designed for…

TLDR: Certification is Important for IT Careers • Certifications help IT professionals fill knowledge gaps and strengthen troubleshooting skills. • Customer service certifications improve communication, empathy, and professionalism with end-users. • Technical skills alone aren’t enough. The best IT pros combine competence with people skills. • Certifications paired with real-world experience…

Nick was the CEO of a manufacturing company in Lenexa, Kansas. I sat next to him on a flight out of Kansas City. As often happens, we talked about what we do for a living. “I work with IT people on people skills,” I said. Nick jumped in, “You can’t teach people skills. Someone’s either got ‘em, or they don’t!”  This happens so often. I hear IT managers, CIOs, and MSP owners say they hire for…

How a Lost Necklace Won a Customer My friend Deb wasn’t trying to get her money back. She bought a necklace from Solstice Designs, a small jewelry shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Less than 24 hours later, the clasp broke, and the necklace was gone. Frustrating? Absolutely. But she didn’t fire off an angry message demanding a refund. She simply emailed the store to let them know the clasp…

Robert was a network administrator. He was competent on server software including Windows, Linux, and UNIX. He held Cisco certifications. His networks were fast and reliable. His people skills, however, were lacking. For example, if you asked Robert a question that he thought was stupid, he’d squint at you, cock his head like a dog, and go back to what he was doing without saying a word. You can…

What do end-users actually want from IT support? Consider this. Jan was the administrative assistant to the general manager. When I answered her call, it was clear that she was frustrated. Her computer had bluescreened right in the middle of a big project for her boss. Actually, she was more than frustrated, frantic would be a better word! She needed her system working immediately, and she was…

Here’s the truth most organizations don’t want to admit: we don’t promote people into leadership because they’re ready to lead. New managers and supervisors get promoted because they were good at their last job. That’s exactly what happened to me. I was promoted to a leadership position, not because I was qualified as a leader, but because I was good at what I did. And if you’ve been around IT,…

I needed to add my wife to one of our online banking profiles. You’d think it would be a simple and straightforward process. Here’s the reality we encountered: It started with a request to a banker to create a new account for my wife’s business. That turned into a week-long process, but even when it was finished, she still couldn’t see her account under her profile. We asked the banker how to do…

Welcome to The Competence/Charisma Model. I created it to describe the two broad skill families that are required for success in IT careers. For the purpose of this model, competence is your technical skills. It’s your ability to perform the tasks of your job. If you’re a server administrator, for example, it’s your ability to configure and manage Linux, or Windows, or UNIX. If you’re a…

TLDR: Leadership Blind Spots Leaders often make fast judgments about others while overlooking similar flaws in themselves. Assumptions about motives can quietly erode trust, culture, and team performance. What we label as weakness in others often shows up in us under a different name. Humility and self-awareness are strategic leadership strengths, not soft skills. The most dangerous blind…