The blessing AND the curse confronting ServiceNow new entrants

| View this email in your browser "Could you tell me what niche I should...." NO! But I mean that in the best way. WHAT IS A NICHEA niche is a specialization. By its definition it is something that not everyone does. This s fundamental to your ServiceNow journey. The most common question I'm asked is "what's the best niche". If there was such a thing there wouldn't be niches. Niches are perpetually emerging form new or less appreciated techs, underserved or explosively growing markets. Niches are everywhere "the masses" aren't, or aren't "yet".WHERE ARE NICHES FOUNDI strongly recommend understanding Now Learning's certification paths. This is not representative of every job in the space... but be shrewd! ServiceNow went after the biggest and most obvious first. Business Analysts in particular... look at this list VERY carefully - notice anything missing? Its very important to understand the type of work you want to do. Some roles serve niches. Other roles contain niches. I believe there are 3 Dimensions of NicheDimension 1: TechnologyYou can niche in technology alone. Pure ServiceNow Developer being the obvious one, but there are also those who specialize in Discovery, ServiceMappings, or Integrations. Other examples include Service Portal, Virtual Agent, and Automated Testing Framework. Dimension 2: ProcessTech niches aren't for everyone, but there's plenty of opportunity for process experts too. ITIL, Customer Service Management, Field Service Management, Project Management, Vulnerability Management. It is essential that we foster ServiceNow experts who can speak these languages and understand the daily lives of people who work these processes. I've seen what happens when you take an ITSM generalist and tell them to deploy ITBM having no knowledge of how a PMO works. The Duke suggests that even in Process Niches you understand *deeply* how the tool works. You don't have to be the one adding business rules or whatever. But if you're an ITBM specialized you darn well better know exactly how Investment Portal works, and the difference between manual and auto-calc projects, and the difference between Budgets and Cost Plans. And if you can explain how "when actually actualizing your actual actuals which actuals are actually the most actual actuals" won't hurt either.Dimension 3: IndustryRead my missive on Insights from Health Care deployments to understand the DEEP differences in approach industries have with techs and processes of ServiceNow. Yesterday I was asked "I came from healthcare, so what niche would be good for me?". How about... healthcare! Deep industry experience is INVALUABLE to ServiceNow deployments of any type in that industry. If you're lucky enough to have it, embrace it! Even if your Industry of origin doesn't have an analog in ServiceNow, it pays to consider how your experience matters. Were you a nurse? Then you know more about engagement management than any of your peers, because engagement management is IT speak for bedside manner. The three most rapidly matured industry niches in ServiceNow are government, healthcare, and manufacturing. But niches emerge!THE LUDICROUS PERMUTATION OF NICHEThink of how we measure cubes. Length, width, height. The volume is a multiple of each. ServiceNow niches are the same. You can niche into ITBM. You can niche in Healthcare. You can niche in ITBM in Healthcare. THE THREE NICHING DILEMMASEarly ServiceNow adopters were dragged into niches by circumstance. New entrants are confronted by the vast expanse of ServiceNow and experience *tremendous* pressure to pick one. Saying "I do ServiceNow work" is no longer sufficient. Its like saying "I do construction". As what? An architect? A tile-setter? A painter? A mason? Electricial? General contractor? Industrialist building a skyscraper? The selection is doubly hard because...Niche is more than Doctrine Docs, blogs, bootcamps, and official ServiceNow training have 1 thing in common. They're all doctrine. They are the cardio workouts and bag-time of the boxer. But no matter how hard you train here, nothing is going to acclimate you to reality like getting punched in the face. To this end you CAN NOT fully form a niche without field experience. Once you learn the doctrine there are no "tips & tricks" or special insights you can gain. You must find ways to work within that niche. This is why it is super, SUPER important to be shrewd about niche pursuit. Some of you are telling me about the 5 - 10 things you want to niche in. Its IMPOSSIBLE to "niche" that wide. See this video. "But What if I Pick The Wrong Niche?"This is a definitive risk, as you won't know until you gain field experience. Understand: Niches are not like conventional marriages. It is irrational to pick one and only one niche FOREVER. Crcumstances will steer you into new niches or even deeper niches within your niche. This is NOT a fixed path. Everyone who worked ServiceNow on the 10 year horizon never had a niche picked in the first place.The Dangers Of Too Many Niche Pursuits ORThe Fork In The RoadMany of you have approached me recently pursuing ServiceNow as one of many techs. This is one of two valid strategies Strategy One: Go wide to get inIf you learn ServiceNow AND Jira that's twice as many techs to get hired in, thus "better dice" on finding that first role. This definitely optimizes for the start of your journey BUT it contends with... Strategy Two: Go deep to get inYou only have so much learning bandwidth. The more you split that bandwidth the less deeply you learn a tech. Rather than optimizing for number of opportunities, you can optimize for capability in a one or two. Know something in ServiceNow DEEP enough to get that job. The Duke is partial to Strategy 2 because the second you land a position, the other unrelated skills you picked up will immediately start to rust. Main point here: its VERY hard to think of ServiceNow niches if you're also pursuing other unrelated techs!! HOW DO I EVEN PICK A SERVICENOW NICHE Niche finding is a function of 3 inputs:1) Interest2) Capability3) Distance to opportunity. Only you can evalaute 1&2. 3 is life's wildcard. Examples: Before I started with ServiceNow 14 years ago I was already obsessed with reporting and process performance from other tools. So I crash landed in the space with a niche in hand. Fully 5+ years in, a customer begged me to do their ITBM implementation. "I don't know that module very well". "Yes but your consulting style is important to us... we'll learn it together". MOVING FORWARDI'm now officially available for Career Coaching. Rates contingent on where you are in your career and what coaching you need. I'll also be starting a group coaching session, specifically on Niche Finding. If you'd like to be part of that small inaugural group, reach [email protected] IN THE NEXT EMAILHyper valuable skills that transcend niche and age like wine. Did You Enjoy This Content?Taking my content survey helps me navigate what to create.If you'd like to sponsor my content, reply to this message for options & rates. If you get tremendous value, consider a donation. If not, I still greatly appreciate your readership. VICTORY through superior design and story telling friends. I remain yours truly, Robert "The Duke" Fedoruk Want to change how you receive these emails?You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |
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