> training, OCPs/OCMs, etc, but how many of us have taken a corporate
> communication class or engaged a business/personal coach?
I've taken several. Citibank was good about training people to deal
with people.
- Daniel Fink <Daniel.Fink_at_Sun.COM> wrote:
> Robert,
>
> Well said. I think the problem goes farther back than just us sitting
> in our
> cubes. I hate to stereotype, but there is some truth in saying that
> 'geeks'
> tend to be somewhat introverted, where many in management are
> somewhat
> extroverted. This year's IOUG-A Live was a great example. Here we all
> are, the
> best and brightest in the world of Oracle, walking the halls, having
> intense
> conversations. In the midst of it all, a pharmecutical sales
> convention starts
> sharing our hallways. Talk about polar opposites! It reminded me of
> high school
> with the 'serious' students and the popular crowd. Is this any
> different than
> work? Especially those people who work in non-IT companies. We all
> focus on
> training, OCPs/OCMs, etc, but how many of us have taken a corporate
> communication class or engaged a business/personal coach?
>
> As for management, I've had great ones and god-awful ones. One
> manager tore me
> a new one because I explained that one of our systems was 5 minutes
> behind the
> others (in explaining the entries in a log file). I've also had ones
> that would
> step up to bat for you, even when they could easily justify the
> opposite. You
> have to figure out the political landscape, find the mines in the
> battlefield
> and step carefully.
>
> We can no longer sit in our cubes, writing complex C programs,
> laughing at the
> foibles of 'damagement' and 'lusers'. We have to find a way to
> integrate
> ourselves into the business. It's not that you have to agree 100%
> with what is
> done. If you are going to disagree, do so respectfully and with
> proper
> reasoning and documentation. Communication is composed of two pieces,
> what you
> say and what the other person hears.
>
> As for the geek work, there will always be places for those who excel
> at
> something. More appropriately, they will have a place if they can
> make their
> skills relevant. This requires understanding the bits and bytes, AND
> being able
> to put that into the context of the business need. I've enjoyed the
> past few
> years really exploring UNDO, but it is really irrelevant in the
> business world
> I live in. What is relevant here? Well, that's my next big project.
> I'll still
> be hacking away at Oracle, learning how it REALLY works, doing things
> that they
> say should/could not be done. But my goal is to make myself more
> proficient in
> a skill that will benefit the organization.
>
> My $0.03 (I'm a little long winded today...)
>
> Daniel Fink
>
> Freeman Robert - IL wrote:
>
> > Mladen, this is not directed specifically at you, but you have
> raised
> > something in my mind that often just irritates the heck out of me.
> >
> > I often hear the term Damagement, damagers, etc... and I understand
> it, and
> > have had more than a few occasions where a damager has killed
> me....
> > Management is far from perfect, and I've met a number of managers
> who
> > deserve to be kicked in the back side and sent out on the street.
> >
> > Yet, I often also wonder how much of this is OUR OWN FAULT. How
> many IT guys
> > have I met that are way to passive, more than content to sit in
> there cubes
> > and blame management, when the fault, at least in part, lies
> squarely with
> > them. More than I can count. Lack of communication, lack of passion
> for ones
> > own work, lack of vision, contentment in not understanding the big
> picture,
> > the "I'm not paid to do this" syndrome or the "It's not my job" POV
> all in
> > my eyes lead to as much failure as management. The guys who will
> not get
> > their lazy behinds out of their chairs and go TALK to someone
> (other than
> > the really good looking blonde down the isle) deserve to have their
> head
> > chopped off as much as the manager they can't stand.
> >
> > I've met so many who will sit in meetings and let managers say
> STUPID
> > things, never correct, never interject and so the cycle of
> stupidity is
> > perpetuated. Sure, there may be cultures that foster this type of
> behavior,
> > but I see it in cultures that are quite open too.
> >
> > Bottom line is that we have to refuse to be silent. We must go out
> and take
> > a stand, and take some risk. We must LEARN about more than how
> Oracle works,
> > we must learn how the business works. Those who do this are the
> successful
> > ones, and my observation is that I rarely hear them cussing
> management. This
> > is usually because, they either change the world around them, or
> they move
> > on to a place where they can be effective.
> >
> > My opinion, YMMV,
> >
> > Robert
> > begin:vcard
> n:Fink;Daniel
> x-mozilla-html:FALSE
> org:Sun Microsystems, Inc.
> adr:;;;;;;
> version:2.1
> title:Lead, Database Services
> x-mozilla-cpt:;9168
> fn:Daniel W. Fink
> end:vcard
>
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