Create a table with five rows and six columns.

• In the first column, write down your top 5 skills that you offer the business community.
• In the second column, rate them from one to five as to what you feel is your best (1) to least best (5) skills. No reuse of numbers.
• In the third column, rate them from one to five as to the years of experience you have with 1 being the most and 5 being the least. No reuse of numbers.
• In the forth column, rate each skill as to which skill you enjoy the most (1) to the least (5). No reuse of numbers.
• In the fifth column, rate each skill as to which you think is the most important skill you offer the business community (1 for best; 5 for least). No reuse of numbers.

Now, for the 6th column...

• Put an "X" in column 6 if any of the skills are technical in nature.
• Put an "X" in column 6 if any of the skills are process oriented.

Any cells left? (If you are new to this column, the answer is probably no or maybe one or two rows without an "X").

"X" doesn't mark the spot. "X" marks the skills that the business community assumes you already excel at and requires minimal involvement on their part. In other words, these skills would not be on their list of top skills they want from you.

Are any of the following skills included in your list?

• Friendly
• Trusted Advisor
• Likeable
• Responsive
• Listener
• Optimist
• Helpful
• Enthusiastic
• Respectful
• Creative

What business wants is to work with someone that is enjoyable to work with on an ongoing basis. They want to have an experience that is remarkable.

Go ahead. Make another table with those skills in the first column. Can you rate them as you did your technical or managerial skills?

I had a day of facilitation sessions: one session in the morning and one in the afternoon. During the second session, an executive walked into the conference room and said, "I'm here because I was told by someone that attended the morning session that this was painless. In fact, it was fun."

In other words, it was something the morning executive thought was worth mentioning to other executives...I was remarkable. Translated another way, it was a pleasant experience.

I wound up being the manager of that project. Through each stage of the process, I held reviews with the business community. Each time, I made sure that the experience was not painful, but enjoyable.

If a developer had a question, I asked him to explain his question in terms of a story. At first, the stories were more of a scenario with no personalization. I recommended to the developer to name a specific fictional customer in the scenario...his name was Bill.

While testing the system, Bill caused some unique problems: problems that were easily expressed to the developers. It wasn't, "Your program doesn't work." It was, "Bill caused this to happen." That is much more helpful, respectful and enjoyable. Yes, it was a pleasant experience.

It became an ongoing joke that "Bill" had more "Oh No" experiences than Mr. Bill (Saturday Night Live: http://www.mrbill.com/) himself. That didn't matter. It helped tell a story that involved a scenario in which we had open questions. It helped the business community tell a story in which "Bill" was able to complete or avoid certain scenarios. It became a fun way to resolve issues that was painful and remarkable for the business community. Mr. Bill improved the EXPERIENCE of the development process. When the system went live, the business sponsor raised his glass to toast "Bill" for his contribution.

Using Bill, we were able to add some levity to the project. Bill provided something concrete on which to focus our questions. Bill helped the business express its requests and answers. It was creative and permitted more outlandish thinking. It was respectful because it never directly and awkwardly challenged the user, the developers, the testers, and all the other project participants.

• Bill was clumsy (not the user).
• Bill made odd turns (not the client).
• Bill tripped over the process (not that the user didn't explain it right).
• Bill supplied inconsistent or incomplete information (not the internal customer).
• Bill didn't add time to the project...he reduced the effort.

Bill was the bridge between business and IT. The use of "Bill" helped create an experience: one that the internal customers and the IT project members remarked about for years.

The team dispersed after the first implementation. Each one of us were recommended to work on a more challenging (and cream of the crop) project. I was assigned a mission critical project that would have dramatic impact on the company's revenue. I arranged a meeting with the project sponsor (a board member). His first question, said with a big smile, was "Who will be our 'Bill'?" Of course I let him pick the name of all the "characters."

What's in it for you?

This particular team was creative. Even shy members found they had a sense of humor that could be used around top executives. This experience made each one of them feel comfortable talking with superiors. Would you like an opportunity to reduce your fear of talking with executives?

The business community was engaged from the beginning to the end of the project. Even very business- knowledge workers had time to share a "Bill" story that was concise and explained, in detail, what happens. Thus, they were supplying valuable information. Would you like the business community to be involved from beginning to the end?

During and after the project was completed, the business community smiled when he or she met anyone from the IT project team. A friendly bond had developed. "Bill" was the mortar, the common thread to initiate any discussion. Would you like to be greeted by the business community with a smile…always?

"Bill" created a fun experience that was memorable. People loosened their corporate stuffiness and created an environment in which everyone could be creative and challenging and friendly. Because people like to work with people they like, each IT project team member was first thought of when a cream of the crop project came along. Would you like to be selected for the best projects?

When I left this assignment, the business community and IT project team chipped in to present me with a card and a "Bill" doll. Inside the card was a testimonial that I could show all future clients. Would you like to be memorable enough to receive an unsolicited friendly testimonial?

Your technical and process skills are assumed. Creating a friendly and memorable experience that is remarkable is priceless.

SBDi speaks both Business and IT languages. Bring SBDi in to help communication between both organizations. Let us help you find the right flexible solution that will help business increase revenue.

Pat Ferdinandi, Chief Thought Translator