Measuring your personal IT value

For most of us, our jobs aren't about systems or reports or lines of code — they are about how we pay our bills, spend our free time, and create a future for ourselves and our families.

Having spoken to hundreds of software developers all over the world, I have heard from many customers that they often feel underappreciated, undervalued and generally not in the mainstream of their IT organizations. While I'd like to think this is because Adabas and Natural are so trouble-free that they turn those who support our products into experts at online solitaire, I know better than that.

The truth is that many of us have carved out sort of a Rodney Dangerfield niche for ourselves within our organizations because of the way we think and speak about the work we do. This is not just true about Adabas and Natural users, but IT employees in general.

Psychologists tell us that all groups have a "currency of acceptance," and if you have it, the group will wrap its collective arms around you and embrace you despite your many other shortcomings. For example, on the PGA Tour, the currency of acceptance is consistent performance on the golf course. You may be a lousy dresser, a party freak and an obnoxious motor mouth, but if you demonstrate on the golf course that you can consistently shoot in the 60s and drive 300+ yards, you'll be "in" with the PGA Tour crowd.

Every business has a currency of acceptance as well. The business leaders (the ones who determine head counts, budgets, raises, bonuses — all the stuff we want) know exactly what this currency of acceptance is, and they make sure they have a lot of it.