Quintessential Fellows’ Skills

In case you’re intrigued about the possibility of joining The Quintessential Group community of fellows, or building a similar organisation yourself (we’d love to help), here’s a description of the set of skills we consider useful in Quintessential fellows.

Not that skills are the only criteria. Yet, we hope this post will help you consider whether a further conversation with The Quintessential Group and our community might be worthwhile.

Oh, and in case I didn’t mention it already, we’re enrolling our first cohort of fellows soon! Limited places remaining.

What Skills Does It Take To Be or Become A Quintessential Fellow?

In February, ITPro ranked the humble Software Delivery specialist as the Number One most in-demand tech job, not just of the here and now, but of the future too. And that means competition for the best jobs on the market is exceptionally high. So, how do you set yourself apart from this growing crowd of talented Software Delivery specialists? And how do companies set themselves apart from the mass of lame places also hiring people?

When thinking of technical roles such as software delivery, we often jump to considering skills and qualifications within the realm of coding, development, DevOps, Cloud security, etc.. While these skills are essential to the role of a Software Delivery specialist, there are a number of other attributes that are just as crucial. Maybe even more so.

With the right soft skills, Software Delivery specialists are better equipped to use their hard skills to the full extent. And customers have their software delivery needs better attended to, too.

Quintessential Software Delivery Skills

At The Quintessential Group we look for and encourage the following skills and abilities in our fellows:

Top Skills

Dialogue

Skilled dialogue and the ability to hold effective adult-to-adult conversations with clients, peers and others is rare. And dialogue entails listening. Something we find a necessary part of both skilled dialogue and the broader Thinking Environment.

Listening

Listening, especial NVC (Nonviolence Communication) style listening can contribute significantly to effective dialogue

Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

You may not realise that nonviolent communication (and nonviolence more generally) is a skill – until you try to produce it on demand.

Emotional Intelligence

Also known as EQ. Emotional intelligence is the ability to learn about yourself and apply that wisdom to the world around you.

Thinking Different

Using one’s System 2 in preference to System 1 thinking (Kahneman 2011).

Solicitation And Elaboration Of Folks’ Needs

A more practical skill, this, often found to a greater or lesser degree in the field of “requirements analysis” – which we prefer to call e.g. “needs analysis”. And drawing on a range of skills previously listed above.

Ideal Team Player

Described by Patrick Lencioni as consisting of: Humility, hunger and people-smarts.

Digital Transformation

See: Rightshifting and the Marshall Model. An in-house asset.

Value Streams

The Quintessential Group is presently structured along value stream lines, rather than the typical functional silos model. Some familiarity with value streams and, ideally, Prod•gnosis, will be useful.

Risk Management

The ability to identify risks which may impact a particular software delivery effort, and manage those risks, on behalf of all the Folks That Matter™.

Other Desirable Skills

Defect prevention Cf Phil Crosby
Toyota Kata
Interaction design
User experience
Emotioneering
Solution architectures
Artist
Writer
PR and (internal) marketing
Cybrarian
Amanuensis
Content Maven
CI/CD toolchains
Methods and practices maven
Metricant
Toolsmith
Database designer
Issues maven
Style maven
Accessibility maven
Subcontracts maven
Scrounger
Delivery approaches maven
Facilitator

Enrolling Now

In case I didn’t mention it already, we’re enrolling our first cohort of fellows for orientation soon! Limited places remaining.

– Bob

2 comments

tomhitchman said: April 29, 20224:43 pm

NONVIOLENCE
You may not realise that nonviolence is a skill – until you try to produce it on demand.

Further Reading
Rosenberg, M.B. (2015). Nonviolent Communication : A Language Of Life. Puddledancer Press.
Bob,
Many would say that non violent communication and non violence are not the same.

I think your heading would be better as Non Violent Communication.

Reply ↓
- flowchainsensei said: April 29, 20225:08 pm
  
  Thanks Tom, now updated.
  
  Reply ↓

—Think Different

Helping organisations that want to change

Quintessential Fellows’ Skills

Quintessential Fellows’ Skills