Ronn Blankenship wrote:
>
> At 06:02 PM 6/6/02, Julia wrote:
> >Ronn Blankenship wrote:
> >
> > > Other than that, I'd say, based on my experience in the software industry,
> > > let your programmers and other creative and technical types spend their
> > > time programming or doing whatever it is they do, not attending meetings
> > > and filling out paperwork. IOW, hire someone who likes that kind of thing
> > > to deal with all the government, etc., Mickey Mouse, which is what I was
> > > referring to with my question about changing policies imposed by external
> > > entities. And for goodnesss' sake, don't call that paper-pusher a
> > > "manager" or make him the "boss" of the programmers: instead, he is there
> > > to help them and free them up to do what they do best.
> >
> >Call that person an admistrative assistant
>
> Except that these days "administrative assistant" is a PC term for a
> "secretary" (like "sanitation engineer" for "garbage man"), so that
> particular title may make him sound less important than he really is when
> dealing with people outside the company. (This is not to say that
> secretaries are not important. Who do you think really runs the department
> at the university? It's just that some people insist on dealing with
> someone with a big office and a fancy title. If you are not careful,
> though, give a person a big office and a fancy title and some
> responsibility and he will begin to think he is more important than the
> people who actually produce product, which is what seems to happen in such
> businesses.)
Then I guess you want to come up with something that doesn't imply
"secretary" but also doesn't imply "manager". What was the word that
Brooks used to describe someone with this sort of function? I think
there was one. (And I've already packed that book, so I can't go look
it up in our copy.)
> >to the programmers; put the
> >admin under the same boss as the rest of the group. And get someone
> >sharp. If anyone were thinking of such a startup in Austin, I could
> >make a recommendation. (A former co-worker, good at dealing with techie
> >guys.)
Julia
