Why can’t people just leave me alone while I do my work? Developers can be an introverted group. I should know. Slinging code for a few decades has taught me that.

As a group, we can avoid certain skills. This can impact our career growth. Through various mistakes, I have learned some tough lessons.

It might seem like a better idea to learn a new front-end framework. Vue.js and React are sexier… Here are three basics that will be more impactful.

Communication

I thought I was pretty smart. I could figure out most technology. My fatal flaw was working with people.

Slowly I started to realize what the root cause was. What I thought I said and what others heard were different.

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” -Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Simply put I had to work on my communication. Developers can live in their heads. We need to check that with a conversation. Thinking of it as unit-testing your thoughts.

Another good technique is Rubber Duck Debugging. Tell the duck what your code is doing. As you explain it the next step will become apparent.

Then take your ideas to someone. If they don’t understand you need to re-work it. Similar to code a good idea should be easily explained.

Relationships

As a new developer, I did not understand that relationships were important. I just thought people got in the way. Lucky for me I had a good mentor.

John was a Technology Vice President. A mutual friend introduced us. He asked me to help develop his team.

John wanted his team to build better relationships with their stakeholders. He shared that he wanted his team to be more like financial planners instead of bank tellers.

“What do you mean John?” I asked.

He said, “Tom, a bank teller gets a check and deposits a check. Financial Planners build relationships and anticipate needs.”

John’s simple example helped me see where I was missing out. Relationships can help with your work and career.

Influence

Influence is not Jedi mind tricks. We don’t wave our hands like Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is more basic than that.

Influence starts with connection. Dan Miller from 48 Days to the Work you Love puts it this way. “Do people know, like, and trust you?”

Do you listen to people you trust? Or to the jerk from accounting? You get the idea.

In conclusion, as developers, we can’t ignore these soft skills. Our careers will pay a price. We can no longer code in a closet.