what are the characteristics of the "go to" person in the company?

Question

As an junior developer in the company, I sometimes feel I can do a lot better if I have known more stuff or have certain mindset. I wonder What are the characteristics you guys think a "go-to" person should have and how you work toward becoming that person? Thanks!

Answer 1

A couple of ways come to my mind:

• Solve a big problem that no one else has solved
• Develop an expertise in a particular part of the product that no one else has

Be careful what you wish for though...

Answer 2

Id'd suggest focussing on one thing.

If you want others to come ask you stuff, focus on one technology and learn that really really well. Then they'll come to ask you (if you know your stuff).

But I'd not try this, try just learning the stuff for your tasks at hand as good as possible and try communicating with the others. Dialogue often leads to much better solutions :)

Answer 3

Pragmatic, hard-working, responsible, knowledgeable, as Joel Spolsky would say "smart and gets things done." Humility helps, too.

Answer 4

The best way is to concentrate on getting better at your craft. I think that's probably universal to every field. Trying to become the "go to" person misses the point.

On the other hand, being helpful, patient, and GOOD virtually ensures that you'll be someone people look to for help.

Answer 5

I would have to disagree with Tigraine, The "go to" people I know have experience in a wide range of topics and technologies. Keep up on the latest technologies; who knows, maybe you'll come across something that could help you or your company as a whole gain an edge over the competition. Don't be afraid to try new things (say, volunteering for a project done completely in Java, even if you're a .NET guy); you'll gain respect and knowledge.

Answer 6

For me the "go to" guy is not always the smartest. He/she is the one you know will get the job done. They might not know how to do it but will take the initiative to do what is needed to get it done.

For example a "go to" guy might be the guy who is willing to stay late or come in on weekends with a smile. He/she might be the guy that you know that if you give them something a little out there they will take it and run with it.

Skill is important as you can't be a "go to" if you don't know what you are doing. But I think attitude is just as important.

Answer 7

The "go to" person is a catalyst.

In my world, the "go to" person isn't always the person who can do the actual work. The "go to" people that I know are those that know the right people for the task, can help them form the right team and organize the work without being the team leader.

Answer 8

Mostly, start by thinking what characteristics you'd be looking for when selecting one of your colleagues to ask for help.

Reliability - you want someone who is dependable, who will deliver well on the commitments they've made.

Honesty - you want someone who will tell you the truth, even when you don't want to hear it. It's better to be told I don't have the time to do that for you this week, would next week do? than to hear Sure, no problem and then be disappointed.

Communicative - you want someone who will keep you informed about what's happening, so you're not left in the dark. Particularly, you want someone who will inform you promptly if something gets in the way of the previous committments.

Smart - you want someone who understands what you need, and will deliver it

Gets Things Done - you want someone who will deliver, not someone who will talk about it.

Approachable - you want someone who is always willing to be approached, who responds to requests in a friendly, polite manner, even when the answer is No.

Technical skills, while essential, will get you nowhere if people dont' find you dependable.

Updated - ideas from Jonathan Leffler:

Self Aware - knows what they don't know

Connected - knows who to suggest you ask instead of them

Answer 9

Being a go-to person is a very unthankful job.

You'll never receive full credits, and some people will abuse the fact that you're always ready to help other people out.

So here is my advice on how to NOT become the go-to bitch of the office:

1. Make sure to make people who come to you for help feel incompetent and stupid for the fact that they can't solve a problem. That'll make them more wary about approaching you next time;

2. Don't move a finger until people fetch you and your coworkers in the room a coffee. People will first think that you're making a joke, but you need to be strict with this. Now you've turned it into a win-win situation: you'll either get a coffee, or they'll leave you alone;

3. Use bureaucracy to your advantage: demand clearer specifications or official management permission to write hours on project x. Be creative :)

Answer 10

I read a very interesting article about "go-to" people once.

Someone did a survey asking "who do you go to to get things done in a hurry?" in a big workplace. They came up with a list of people who were truly able to get stuff done, but they couldn't figure out why it was these particular people: they weren't connected in the workplace or management structure, they weren't necessarily powerful people, or people with long tenure.

Then someone noticed that they all smoked. Because they were obliged to leave the office and go for a cigarette on the loading dock or whatever, they all knew each other. Smokers always ask each other for a light from time to time, get chatting and so on. And so these people knew people across the organisation, not just in their area.

I'm not suggesting you take up smoking, but I'm saying, people who have knowledge or friendships or ability to do favours beyond the normal hierarchy of a workplace become very useful people.

Answer 11

gotos are considered harmful; you should avoid them whenever possible.

;-)

Answer 12

Extensive knowledge of current systems would be something I'd add. Usually, when I "go-to" a "go-to" person there can be some specific points to where I work that are to be taken into account like coding styles as well as general topics that may also be important.

As for working toward this, generally it takes experience and a really good memory as one builds up to this role in most organizations unless there is massive employee churn. In that case, the few that have been there the longest may get 101 questions as new employees have questions about the existing code.

Other traits like humility, being able to translate various concepts and ideas to people of varying levels of knowledge, teaching, and being resourceful also help. The humility comes from the situation where someone is asked about something and a hoity-toity a.k.a. snooty or snobby response is given may tend to make this person less approachable in the future.