Orchestration and Automation: The One-Two Punch for Multi-Cloud Simplicity

Success in multi-cloud environments will be characterized by the adoption of an operational framework that can exploit all the advantages of a multi-cloud world.

Securing the Multi-Cloud: It Takes a Village

Even enterprises not in a multi-cloud environment must begin making their security decisions with it in mind. If they don’t, they risk some of their decisions quickly becoming obsolete.

Make yourself a standout

As people manage their careers, it is common sense that they need to stand above their peers if they want to outperform them from a career perspective. This is why you see people working 14- or 16-hour days. It’s become such common behavior that it is a central meme in just about every movie or […]

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Michael Bushong

The post Make yourself a standout appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

Leading cross-functional teams: foot-in-the-door theory

When I was at Juniper, my job was basically to sell internally those ideas that were deemed so controversial or hotly contested that no one could get them through the corporate machinery. This put me in a position that I was almost always leading cross-functional teams whose members did not directly report to me. I […]

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Michael Bushong

The post Leading cross-functional teams: foot-in-the-door theory appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

The Priorities Bill of Rights – 10 practical steps to managing group priorities

Managers everywhere are abusing their employees by using priorities to convey to-do lists. It is not because of anything insidious in their objectives, but the average manager (both low- and high-level, by the way) simply doesn’t think enough about priorities to really do anything meaningful with them. For teams I lead, our entire existence revolves […]

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Michael Bushong

The post The Priorities Bill of Rights – 10 practical steps to managing group priorities appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

The Only Two Ok Responses to Valid Feedback

Earlier this week, I wrote over on the Plexxi blog that the most important thing to look for in a potential new hire is coachability. If being coachable is the most important contributor to sustained long-term growth in employees, then how do you make yourself more coachable? There are countless tips and tricks to being […]

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Michael Bushong

The post The Only Two Ok Responses to Valid Feedback appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

Benchmarking: Be Mindful Where You Set the Bar

At many fast-growing companies, there is a an organizational phenomenon that takes root as the middle management ranks swell. Early on, titles are handed out with thoughtful precision. The Director title, for instance, is held by folks who have demonstrated long-term value. Over time though, the company changes. It usually starts with an outside hire […]

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Michael Bushong

The post Benchmarking: Be Mindful Where You Set the Bar appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

Negotiating your salary

There is probably no more stressful stage in the interview process than negotiating your salary. You usually don’t know entirely what to ask for. You have a feel for what you would like, but most of us have a healthy fear of leaving money on the table. We are less worried about asking for too […]

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Michael Bushong

The post Negotiating your salary appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

Nobody says it but we all feel like frauds

I am going to deviate a little bit from my normal career advice here and talk about something a bit more personal for me. I have told this story to colleagues at times over the past several years, and I am always a little surprised that everyone appears to feel the same way. But we […]

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Michael Bushong

The post Nobody says it but we all feel like frauds appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

You got promoted, now what?

Leadership in most companies is not really something explicitly practiced. Generally, a few people who are naturally inclined kind of do their thing while the rest of the leadership ranks sort of ignore the finer points of people management. But why is that the case? And how do you avoid being one of those leaders […]

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Michael Bushong

The post You got promoted, now what? appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

Change your vocabulary, change your career

When people look at their careers, the focus pretty naturally falls to skills acquisition. Almost everyone believes that their future hinges on learning some skill or mastering some talent. Maybe you want to know more about business or strategy. Perhaps you think you need to read leadership books or find Harvard Business Review articles on […]

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Michael Bushong

The post Change your vocabulary, change your career appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.

You have a new manager – now what do you do?

We’ve all been there – a recent re-org or maybe your boss gets promoted or your boss leaves and you end up with a new manager. As I have mentored people over the years, I’d say that the most common reaction is “Crud! I have to start over.” But once you get past that moment […]

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Michael Bushong

The post You have a new manager – now what do you do? appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Michael Bushong.