> 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 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 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 > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! 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