Pick your way through the career jungle

Hostile end users... technically challenged bosses... outrageous board expectations... alien cultures... the crushing pace of technology change...

You're an IT professional in the 21st century, and to be a success in your job you have to accept challenges as a fact of life. But compound those threats with the personal demon believed to afflict many IT professionals - communication deficit disorder - and there's no doubt that it's a career jungle out there.

That's the bad news. The good news is that most of the hazards are well mapped out, and strategies for success abound. You can survive in that jungle; you just have to work at it.

Even the most successful IT executive could be excused for feeling the pressure. That could be why the Institute of Personnel reports that the average tenure of a senior IT professional is shorter than that of top executives in finance, sales, manufacturing and human resources.

Computing has harnessed the views of three veterans of the industry, each with more than 25 years' IT experience. Despite their widely differing career paths and areas of expertise, over the years our panel has learnt what separates the winners from the also-rans. All three agree on one crucial thing: spending more time with your nose in a Unix manual isn't the key to career success.

Rule one: Communication is the most important career tool

Good executive relationships can save you when things go wrong; poor ones will send you down faster than the Hindenburg in flames. If there's one thing that marks out successful people, it's their communication skills. "You have to have good people skills in any job," says Richard Willis, head of research at news agency Reuters. "In IT, communication is the most important of those skills by far."

Successful managers talk in terms that people outside their department understand, says Phil Matthews, director of technology and innovation at British Airways. "The most important skill in my strategy role is being able to describe in clear and simple terms what the choices are, and what represents the best way forward."

That's based on which new technologies most closely fit the company's specific business aims. "Most people in this industry want to be convinced and buy into an important direction rather than just be told," he says. The ability to spot the important points in the eyes of the receivers is vital, he adds.

IT directors would also do well to avoid putting all their relationship eggs in one executive basket, advises Phil Barton, group telecoms director at pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. "It's not just about managing the people in your team," he points out. "People management applies up, down, across and outside the organisation - it's what the job is all about."

Rule two: Stand in the other person's shoes

Communication isn't always a meeting of the mutual admiration society. Sooner or later, you'll experience conflicts of opinion, whether it's telling a colleague that he's wrong, or the boss that his or her ideas are unworkable. But handling conflict will make you a better candidate for promotion.

"Above all, you need to listen and see the issue from their perspective," advises Matthews. If, after having listened, you still believe that your colleague is wrong, it's a lot easier to stick to your guns, he adds.

It's easy to blow your top when faced with hostility and criticism, but it won't help. "Remember that no one is antagonistic for the sake of it," says Barton. "You have done something that doesn't make sense to them, and the only way to resolve it is to ask if they are right, or to make them see the sense of your actions."

Present your case appropriately, says Willis. "Prepare a proper business case before the meeting," he advises. "Your job is technology, theirs is business, so argue in their terms and be prepared to let the other person adopt your ideas as their own."

This is no place for ego, says Matthews. "At the end of the day a decision has to be made, so having done all, be prepared to compromise."

A manager who isn't scared to back down from conflict when he or she is wrong will earn the respect of his staff, says Barton. "There's no point in being bombastic," he says. "Your staff will let you walk into some bloody great mantraps."

Rule three: Culture is more important than cash

Culture clashes can cause no end of grief, so it's essential to join a company where you'll fit in. Be prepared to turn down lucrative job offers in favour of one that is a 'better fit' - your career could blossom as a result.

"The most important thing is the people that you work with," says Willis. "After that, it's the work that you actually do." In other words, if you aren't interested in your work, you might as well walk. The highlight of your career won't be the day your salary edges past £50,000 - as Willis confirms. "The best thing in my career was architecting the system that carries Reuters' real time information services and seeing it grow successfully," he says.

Similarly, Barton's finest hour came in the 1980s, when he complained to ICL that the company's wide area network was a mess - and was charged with the task of creating a new one. "There was a lot of freedom in that period, and it was very liberating," he says.

Of course, that doesn't mean ignoring what Matthews calls the "hygiene" factors - pay, working environment, conditions of service. "They have to be right," he says. "But what makes the job is the nature of the business and whether you feel excited to be a part of it."

Rule four: Work with technology, but be a business professional

Beyond technology changes, the biggest shift over the last quarter of a century revolves around the outside world's perception of IT. "When we started, the focus was on technology," says Barton. "Now it's on the 'so-what?' factor."

The implication for IT professionals is a whole new set of skills. Barton studied at night school for an accounting qualification to add a financial spin to his existing business skills. "In this sector, there is a lot of concern about total cost of ownership, depreciation and outsourcing costs," he says. "So you have to be able to work out what things really cost, as opposed to the figure on the price tag."

For Matthews, his role has become increasingly that of translator. "Leading the group depends on my ability to articulate and agree both visions and crystal-clear directions for future IT with colleagues," he says.

Simply being a techie today is too easy, Barton warns. "There's nothing simpler than being an expert in one technology. But relating that technology to the business is a lot harder and you have to converse and talk to people," he adds.

This can be a great career opportunity, however - if the boss approaches your department to ask about a technology you know is wrong for the business, use the time to promote other technologies. "You tell them that they're right to think it's great, but that the products aren't around yet, then you tell them about another technology that would work for the business," says Barton.

Willis agrees that you should make the most of contact with business departments. "Any time the senior management wants to talk dirty is a bonus, since most of the time you are seen as a cost centre," he says. "The secret is talking business to them, not technology."

Rule five: Take your job interviews seriously

In the early days, job interviews are your main chance of climbing from the bottom rung. Although many IT professionals don't perform well at interviews, that means that if you do your homework, you're much more likely to stand out from the crowd.

"It amazes me the number of people who fail to research the job and the company before the interview," says Matthews. "They present a non-proactive image as a consequence."

Barton agrees. "Most people expect me, as the interviewer, to do most of the work," he says. When interviewing potential employees, he looks for evidence that the candidate has a passing familiarity with the company and the job - and can offer evidence of being a match for both.

After that, it's down to the dreaded interpersonal skills. "The biggest killers for me are monosyllabic answers and people who don't make eye contact," says Barton. "I have had people come for senior jobs incapable of conversation."

Willis advises potential employees to show some curiosity about the business and where it fits into its sector. "At the very least, ask some intelligent questions," he says.

Rule six: Make friends with the people who matter

Networking isn't just a technical discipline. "You need to ask who are the decision makers in the organisation, and think about how you will get what you want," says Barton.

Use every industry event, new project and meeting as a learning experience and a chance to meet new people, advises Matthews. "Once you've established who the relevant experts are, cultivate the relationship and show interest," he says.

After all, you never know when these contacts will prove useful - which is why you should never fall into the trap of badmouthing a job on your way out, says Willis. "Never leave a job on bad terms," he says. "You never know when you might want to return or when your old boss might turn up as your new boss."

Network with senior IT executives and build an informal advisory board of older, more experienced mentors, such as IT directors, academics, analysts and even vendors.

Barton is currently chairman of a pan-European virtual private network user group. "It allows me to work with senior executives from multinational organisations such as Shell and Unilever."

Matthews, meanwhile, is a fan of analyst groups, and maintains close links with IT experts from organisations such as industry analyst Meta Group. "That kind of expertise is vital in finding out which technologies and which paths I should be taking," he says.

Rule seven: Project management skills are evergreen

For all the talk of shortages of Java programmers or Wap experts, it's the dearth of project management skills that causes the most headaches for our panellists.

"Increasingly, graduates are arriving in the company without basic project management skills," Barton says. "It's like hiring the monkeys to perform by rote instead of scientists who can learn processes."

Managing projects will be core to your success, Matthews believes, and without that ability, your career will stall from day one. His work at BA's Waterside centre and a recently signed outsourcing deal has involved managing very large and senior cross-functional teams of IT and business people.

"To do this effectively, you have to be able to establish and maintain very clear processes and communications," he says. "This means having the skills to anticipate technical and people issues, often before they arrive on your desk, to shape outcomes, to know when to compromise and to lead a virtual team."

The best way to learn these skills is on the job, says Barton. "Ask to become involved in a project, and treat every day as a learning experience," he says. If you're already involved in project management, and your skills aren't up to it, Barton advises involving a customer - who will very quickly tell you whether you are delivering to their needs. "They will tell you if you aren't doing what they want - even if you are doing what they asked for," he says.

Rule eight: Deep technical knowledge is often a waste of time

When it comes to technical knowledge, you can have too much of a good thing. With a non-stop barrage of technologies, the advice is to become a generalist.

"Learn about technologies that seem to have real benefit, ignore those which seem to be one company's hype," says Willis. "Learn enough to know what it does, and how it relates to other technologies." A broad knowledge will help you to generate good solutions to problems, rather than using one solution for all issues, he adds.

"I know what Bluetooth is, but not much more," says Barton. "It isn't a reality for my organisation, we aren't using it, and it isn't on the horizon." When there's a standard and products are on the table, he will look at it in more detail - not before.

Matthews believes that deep technical knowledge is the most overrated skill for people in his job. This isn't to suggest that he's a Luddite - he regularly visits Silicon Valley to keep up with new technologies - but he's aware of the preferences and needs of his company.

"Your company will probably have its own views of the technologies and products that matter," he says. "They're often created by people like me who're influenced by preferred supplier approaches."

Willis's advice is to identify those preferences before deciding which technologies merit most attention. "Factor in the track record of the company and its commitment to the product and that technology area," he says. "If the company is really investing in that area, it will stay among the leaders even taking product leapfrog into account."

Rule nine: He who doesn't ask doesn't get

If you're doing all the right things, schmoozing the boss and earning the respect of colleagues, promotion will be yours, right? Maybe not. "People say that hard work is its own reward," says Barton. "They lie." His preferred motto is he who doesn't ask, doesn't get. "Get over the introspection, and if you deserve a promotion, ask for it," he says.

Make sure you've done the groundwork before approaching your boss, says Willis. "Exceed your targets and help your boss exceed his targets," he says. "Record those achievements, and make sure your boss knows what you have done." That will ensure you can make a case for promotion based on real and visible achievement.

If your company has a solid human resources department, then use the career development scheme, says Matthews. "You should be meeting with your boss twice a year to talk about you," he says. "This is the place to put the stake in the ground on your career aspirations."

You might be opening a can of worms, says Barton, but being turned down isn't all bad news. "You should at the very least come out with a roadmap of how to achieve the rise or the promotion," he says. "You haven't lost anything, and you now have a knowledge of the hurdles."

Rule 10: If you're not having fun, go home now

Making your way to the top in IT depends on a passion for technology. Given the stresses of the job, enthusiasm is sometimes the only thing that will carry you through.

"If you are in this business, and you aren't interested in technology, then you won't succeed," adds Barton. "You have to be able to talk about technology in the bar at the end of the night and not see it as a chore."

Climbing to the dizzy heights of chief information officer or IT director is too hard a job for most people. That explains why those who make it are rewarded accordingly, and salaries continue to escalate. But if you can hack it, there's more to be had than just monetary rewards. How many functional executives enjoy the IT leader's broad impact across an entire enterprise?

The jungle is a dangerous place, - but it's the chief information officer's domain. And it's boundless.