24 July 2000

Reading:  The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav

Imagine a conversation at a workplace.  It goes something like this:

A: We should sit down later in the week and evaluate X [an internet product].
B: I've already looked at X.  It's not working.

A: Did you tell X's manager?
B: I sent him an email.  *shrug*

A: What did he say?
B: Nothing.  *shrug*  It's not for me to worry about.

A: But it IS your problem.  You have to give an opinion.
B: No.  I don't give opinions here anymore.  

A: But you HAVE to.
B: Nope.  Last time I criticized our IT/Server side staff, I got criticized for wanting them to do their jobs.  My new policy is that I have opinions about the specific job I was hired to do, and no others.  The IT people can worry about the problem.

A: But...
B: Yes?

A: You can't be that way.  You HAVE to let them know what you think.
B: Not anymore.  Everyone can start fixing their own damn problems.  It's really none of my business.

I didn't have to imagine this conversation, because I had the conversation today.  I played person B.  It's funny, because it almost reads like Rand dialogue.  

Some background is in order.  I'm smart and talented.  I have little patience for things that don't make sense.  There are lots of things in our organization that don't make sense.  For some time, this has been frustrating to me.  I offer solutions to problems, and I'm told it can't be fixed that way.  So I demonstrate that it can.  I'm told it won' t be done that way.  So I ask why not?  The question is never really answered, but it's implied that I'm too critical or not patient enough or I have to consider the "feelings" of others (most recently the IT people within the company who have not managed to get a finished internet product on a server in 12 months -- something I have started telling clients because I'm tired of taking the heat for it).  I recently came up with a very simple solution to the problem:  I shall offer no opinions, no solutions, no improvements; I shall simply do the job I was hired to do (which, when you consider it, should be more than enough to keep me busy, considering I do political risk analysis of 112 countries). 

People don't realize how much they need smart, talented, energetic people like me until we stop fixing everyone else's problems.  It's kind of funny, really.  I was about to laugh out loud earlier when I was having the conversation above, because A seemed to be getting upset (which made me even more amused -- I think I get this from my mom!). Why would anyone get upset?  Why am I supposed to worry about how other people do their work?  As Enema would remind everyone (sorry, Erzse -- your nickname Whorry Bitch is good, but Enema, or the related Fleet, wins out for this woman), I'm just a peon.  I'm not the manager of any product.  I'm not the manager of any people.  So it's not my problem.  That's my new attitude at this organization, because that's the attitude the place fosters.  

It is hilarious, though, when certain people realize that maybe, just maybe, they should be careful what they wish for.  They want me to be more patient?  Sure.  They want me to be less critical?  Sure.  They want me to consider the "feelings" of others?  Sure.  They want me to have an opinion?  Sorry, that's incompatible with the rest!  But hey, three out of four ain't bad!  

In any case, my new attitude has made me immensely happy again at work.  I am concentrating on the analysis like I haven't in ages, and it's fun again.  The other things -- things I can't control -- are for someone else to worry about.  I really haven't the time.