This is a very legal, highlycontrolled method of communicating with your people (or your boss) and mustbe done correctly to be effective. I've been working withcomputers for 23 years as of 2001 and plan on continuing my education andcareer in a positive direction until the day that I die.After all, I've been a Vice President of Consulting (twice for two differentcompanies), Vice President of Development, Senior Technical specialist manytimes and now I am a Director Of Technical Services. Computers I could understand, but people?That was a different question. Email is just another form of communication,and it's best used to ensure that others are on the same page as you.This same man is a great example at how a lack of communication can doom aperson. This is especially true of IT people, as many of ustended to get into the field in the first place because we are introverts. When Fredrick starteda new consulting company he needed to get someone on board who could programbut was also very inexpensive.All communications between our group and the outside world had tobe approved by him, and he often insisted on performing the communicationhimself. If a person is not doing well, hemust know about it long before the Ratchet Tie Downs Manufacturers review so he has a chance to correct hismistakes.

I excelled in this classand spent a great deal of time talking to the teacher. Do the same with people who work for you, customers, vendors, andother co-workers.Use performance reviews as a method of letting your people know where theyare doing well and where they need to improve. This allows your people to be more effective,which in turn allows you to be more effective. Don't get mewrong, communication is not always fun and definitely isn't easy sometimes,but it is absolutely vital to any kind of career movement.For example, I had a boss a number of years ago who thought the main purposeof email was to ensure that everyone understood whatever had gone wrong wassomeone else's fault.Career Advice by Richard Lowe I often get asked questions about careers in IT Information Technology.The managers who excel in their career have learned these lessons and applydaily to their jobs without even thinking. This is a very powerful tool,and if you've ever been on the wrong end of a public reprimand or thesubject of water-cooler gossip you understand exactly what I mean. If you try and sling mud at others aroundyou, it's very possible you will find yourself not only covered in mud, buteven tarred and feathered.In college I had a professor named Fredrick.

One golden rule of reviews is nothingshould ever be a surprise to the employee.If you use your emails to cover your behind, you will soon find it isexposed and ready to be kicked.So what would I recommend to anyone seeking or currently holding a career inIT? What are the qualities that make an IT person invaluable to a company?I think one of the most valuable traits that anyone in any career can fosteris simple communication.To advance in your career it is necessary to make sure people understandyour intentions. Ensure that he or she fullyunderstands what you can do and what you want to do (thus greasing the skidsfor additional training and promotions).Ensure your boss knows that you want to contribute to the success of thegroup and, more importantly, that he completely understands how valuable youcan be. I remember on several occasions our department hadfailed to provide service to the users, and our boss had us write emailsthat went on for pages, patiently explaining how these failures were thefault of someone else.Another rule of mine is that all critical comments must be done in private,one on one (unless there are legal reasons, such as a reprimand for sexualharassment, for witnesses).So to sum it all up, what's my advice? Use communication to your advantage. Conversely, it's great to give positive remarks andreinforcement in public  in fact, generally the more public the better. Istayed there for six years, and by the time the company was purchased by aBritish conglomerate I was the Vice President of Development. Discuss how your talents can helpthe company achieve it's goals and how you can help your boss achieve thosegoals.

That's the main tool of thetrade. He taught a class in assemblylanguage - which was very advanced for the school.If you are a supervisor, you need to let the people who work for you knownot only exactly what is expected of them, but also other details such ashow they fit into the organization, how their efforts contribute to thebottom line and the goals and objectives of the company, department,sub-department and group.What you do is talk to your boss regularly.Remember that communication is very powerful, and used properly it, combinedwith your knowledge, talents and abilities, can propel you up the corporateladder. Forexample, it's usually a good idea to send an email after a meeting to thosewho were in attendance, briefly explaining what was discussed and whatyou've committed to produce. As you meet those commitments, you can also useemail to make it known. Idon't know about you, but when I started with computers over 23 years ago, Ididn't want to talk with anyone. Because I had been communicating with the manduring his class, he offered me a job as a programmer in his new company. Never give reprimands, no matter how minor, in apublic location. Thus, it became impossible for any of us to do our job - and itbecame very difficult for anyone in the department to understand how theyfit into the overall company business. Use communication to give positive feedback and to let everyone knowyour commitments and understandings, as well as other areas in which youcould be helpful.Use email to your advantage. In fact, when he finally left the company, we felt such a feeling ofrelief that it was amusing. Use communication very poorly and you may findyourself jobless in short order. He tried to build a wall between our department and the rest of thecompany.Equally important, don't abuse communications.As I matured I began to open up to people, and after a few years I foundthat the more I communicated, the better my career progressed. My god, we all got so tired of protecting our bossesbehind. Simple communication. More importantly, it is critical that they understand thatyou understand.On the other hand, when used improperly you will certainly succeed installing your career. You want people (those you supervise as well as yoursupervisors to know your capabilities and how those can aid them and thecompany that you all work for.