Part 2: Practical Steps - Balancing technical skills with interpersonal abilities requires a delicate dance that deserves to be perfected
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Table of contents
Continuing on from the first article: Balancing technical skills with interpersonal abilities requires a delicate dance that deserves to be perfected. Let’s delve into actionable strategies that a software engineer can embrace to enhance their interpersonal aptitudes and non-technical proficiencies.
Enhancing people skills is an ongoing journey, but as a software engineer there are specific areas you should target:
Effective Communication
Develop the ability to express ideas clearly and concisely both written and verbally, whether that means polishing up emails and code documentation, attending meetings, presenting complex ideas to non-technical teammates or simply explaining complex ideas to non-technical team members. Instead of saying, “I fixed the bug”, use language such as, “I corrected a bug in the payment module which caused an overcharge of 10%; hopefully this should result in less customer complaints going forward”.
Collaboration
Software engineering often relies on teamwork. Develop skills in working well with others, understanding their perspectives and contributing positively to group projects. When participating on one, actively seek feedback, provide assistance when necessary and share credit when successes arise.
Active listening
Active listening means more than simply hearing words; it involves understanding their intent. When your colleague explains an issue, don’t just wait to speak - try really understanding their perspective by repeating back what you understood so as not to misinterpret their point.
Empathy
Empathy can be developed by understanding other people’s perspectives, particularly those from non-tech backgrounds. If a non-technical colleague struggles to understand a concept, instead of dismissing them outright try explaining it to them in terms they can understand - remember, once upon a time you too weren’t grasping its importance!
Feedback
Give and accept constructive criticism gracefully. When giving it, follow the “sandwich” approach (positive, negative, and positive), while when receiving it consider it as an opportunity for growth and improvement.
Conflict Resolution
Misunderstandings and disagreements can arise in any workplace, so having the ability to navigate them and find solutions is an invaluable people skill. For instance, if there’s disagreement on a task’s approach or procedure, facilitate a discussion to gather everyone’s perspectives before reaching consensus or finding compromise solutions.
Leadership
Even if you don’t hold managerial responsibilities, showing leadership means taking initiative, mentoring others and leading by example. This could include anything from taking charge on a difficult coding task or helping out a new team member as needed.
Learning these skills requires practice and stepping outside your comfort zone, so don’t be intimidated to ask for feedback and continue honing your abilities.
If you want to learn more, consider listening to these various episode’s from the Life in Tech with Jay and Saad podcast:
#6 Conflict in the tech office