Here's how you and your people can ramp up quickly on the softer skills that you need for a strong Web presence. Calif. The deal allows Galileo to offer its 40,000 travel agency clients and other customers the ability to use the Web to print out postage and more easily send and receive the vast number of airplane tickets they handle daily. Galileo isn't alone. Because of the Web, IT professionals are being called on for a lot more than just technical know-how. They need to be negotiators, deal makers, astute businesspeople and, all too often, counselors to help mitigate disputes among internal and external customers who want the Web to do different things.
Some executives say the Web requires hiring different types of people from the get-go.
Constant Pressure Fueling the change, in part, is the hastened pace of development that's needed to stay competitive on the Web. It's all about learning. You need to listen and understand in two hours what used to take several weeks or months. So, he says, speaking, writing and listening skills are more important than ever in today's IT environment. As IT professionals are called on to carry out more joint deals with technology suppliers to help expand the Web's presence into new areas, they need to understand what types of deals make sense for the business.