RE: Technician having to play politics

I have a book at home on "Managers who are too nice for their own good."

Theory being that gradually management has replaced entrepreneurs, the self-reliant go-getters like the U.S. forefathers have been replaced by managers whose main task is to be nice to each other, be a conduit for information, to be "a good fit".

It was entertaining to read.

Pat.
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 5:35 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Is 'managing people' one of those military euphemisms?

Henry

-----Original Message-----
Scott.Shafer_at_dcpds.cpms.osd.mil
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 1:24 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Paula,

I work in a similiar environment (DOD Civilian project), and have seen all you listed on a daily basis. When I had a major malfunction with one particular individual, I ended up requesting a sit-down (Tony Soprano style) with a mediator. It helped. I did have to change some of my own personal "style" (if you will), but it has allowed me to continue on.

The stress and backbiting hasn't gone away by any means, but solving the one situation helped, and I'm learning more about managing people (blech! I'm becoming Damagement - unclean! unclean!)...

Scott Shafer
San Antonio, TX
210.581.6217

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paula_Stankus_at_doh.state.fl.us [SMTP:Paula_Stankus_at_doh.state.fl.us]
> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2003 2:29 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
> Subject: OT: Technician having to play politics
>
> Dear Ann (hehe),
>
> Previous to this assignment I have been considered to be principled about
> technology but reasonable and pragmatic. At this assignment I was given a
> big send up and there were some real insecurities already in-place from
> people put into high-level IT jobs without any real IT experience. I was
> told to take a proactive role (at first) and I did but I feel that this
> has only caused more resentment - plus I am not the best e-mail writer in
> the universe and e-mail can lead to miscommunications. Now, I look back
> at the last 3 years and realize that unconsciously people hear me with a
> certain perspective - miss know-it-all, technical geek -B*. Outside of my
> job I am considered patient, team-playing, caretaker type. I realize that
> the one thing I need to do is use this opportunity to hone my personal
> skills and I am not a person to easily give-up (worked one place for 10
> years, married high-school sweetheart, dedicated wife, mother, daughter of
> elderly parents). However, with a bad start and the last 3 years of
> dodging more personal missiles then I can think of (including being
> personally insulted in meetings with users - something I would never do to
> another) I don't know what to do. The IT market is pretty stiff and right
> now I have 2 small children, a husband and elderly parents relying on me
> and my income. Sometimes I feel that what I am feeling could be somewhat
> due to the tightening market and insecure overall economy and the fact
> that this particular organization has not had a strong CIO for the last 7
> years - leading to more emphasis on political positioning (wow - learning
> much more about politics then I ever wanted to know) and that I am not
> alone. This environment I have used to temper my standards and responses,
> got Oracle OCP after holding out for 8 years, heck considering to write a
> book on the IT government industry - kind of a parody in light of P.J.
> O'Rourke. Please understand that not everyone in this environment has
> these issues. In otherwords, I am not Schizophrenic feeling everyone is
> against me. However, this environment is not balanced and so the
> moderate, objective voices seem to get lost in the storm. So I am trying
> to find a way to turn this whole thing around - I believe there is one
> person especially who is at the heart of this. Others have reported this
> as so. I do not wish to cause this person any harm. I just want to turn
> this thing around without having to get another job. I would like to see
> a win-win. My dream is to work with other technical professionals to
> development products of lasting quality that really address business
> needs. I have something significant invested in the users here, the
> technology, the other technicians and management. Any ideas/advice?
>

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  INET: Scott.Shafer_at_dcpds.cpms.osd.mil

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Author: Henry Poras
  INET: hporas_at_etal.uri.edu

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Author: Boivin, Patrice J
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