As an IT Practitioner, we often play a role as a coach, mentor, and therapist for a wide variety of stakeholders. Who’s been on your couch lately?
Regardless of whether I’m meeting with a team member, a business stakeholder, or a counterpart in another function, I find that many times I’ve walked into meetings expecting to talk tech, and instead we have an engaging conversation that much more resembles a therapy session. Topics generally include how to cope with various work challenges, how to manage or influence difficult stakeholders, or how to find some level of balance in this otherwise unbalanced profession.
Some IT Practitioners would cringe at having a whole conversation about feelings and soft skills, let alone engage in the discussion willingly. That being said, I find this aspect of working in IT fascinating. To me it’s the secret sauce. The interpersonal skills you develop and hone in your career round out your IT Leadership skills and ultimately help you get things done, every single day.
So, this is why I love IT therapy. It’s an outlet to get creative and talk about the one aspect of IT that isn’t tech oriented but instead is the people side of the equation. The intricacies around what drives human behavior, perceptions, and decisions can’t be tactically planned, designed, or predicted. In these therapy sessions both participants take some time to discuss and analyze the complexities of work and life challenges. We both get something out the discussion, and always look forward to the next session.
Where do you go for IT therapy?
