Getting your team up to date

Many brands make the mistake of hiring hip 20-something hoodie wearers that can do some basic code, and expect that their entire company will magically become tech savvy. It simply doesn’t work that way. There’s no magic wand, it’s a process, and modernizing is essential to survival. It’s about more than being trendy, it’s about becoming more efficient and productive while better serving consumers.

Jim Deters is the founder and CEO of Galvanize – an education company teaching coding and other essential technology job skills. Galvanize has six campuses across the country and will open one in Austin and another in Phoenix later this year.

“Having a tech-savvy or technology-competent workforce is becoming more and more important to business success,” Deters said. “You may not need every team member to be able to write code or build an app. But the more your team understands what tech is and how it works, the more agile and flexible they will be—and the more competitive your business will be.”

4 ways to level up your team’s tech skills

In his own words below, Deters offers the four ways that any company can improve their team’s tech skills.

1. Empower and reward self-learning. Create a learning culture – recognizing badges and certifications, reward employees who invest in growing their skills and, where possible, subsidize their efforts.

2. Bring in mentors, seasons experts in the fields – pair up your team members with outside experts who can help them grow.

3. Meetups and networking events – send your team to meet professionals at networking events or host those meetings at your place of business

4. Send team members to school – learn the basics for free, online or send your team members to more intensive tech bootcamps like Galvanize.

#LevelUp