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Somebody wrote something to me today that I've heard thousands of times,
but it really hit me today seeing as how we're debating doc plans.
A lot of the issues we debate on TECHWR-L boil down single issue. Those of
you seeking to find some reasoning to my intense opposition to
documentation plans, single-sourcing, and a whole ton of other issues can
look to this simple axiom: ?There is a constant battle between doing
things the right way, and doing things right.?
We all enter the corporate world thinking their are "rules." This
unwritten, ethereal code that governs our actions, work products, and
timelines. Hence, we strive to "do things the right way." I firmly
believe that most of the people working today have the best intentions for
their company, their career, and their lives. Unfortunately, there are
metric tons of good intentions paving roads that lead to oblivion. WebVan,
PointCast, BetaMax, and Iridium all had good intentions, but they didn?t
succeed. Doing things the right way, doesn?t mean you?re doing the job
right.
This reminds me of an incident I had recently with an account manager at
my firm. I was angry with her because in six months, she had not been
able to close a single deal. She kept insisting on how hard she was
working and how she fully intended to close some deals.
In scanning through her work, I can honestly say she tried very hard. She
kept copious notes and documented her every move. She left behind a
wealth of leads, information, data, and opportunities. But none of this
amounted to any deals? Why?
This account representative was consumed with doing things the right way,
and in the process she completely forgot that her job was not to keep
accurate logs and detailed meeting notes, it was to get customers and
close deals. She thought all this busy work amounted to a job well done.
It didn?t. When I tried to explain this to her, she became defensive,
angry, and finally quit. I didn?t need her to document her every move, I
needed her to close deals.
I feel sorry for her, as I do a lot of people who wind up in tough
situations. Its hard having to face the boss who is saying ?I don?t see
results.? When you are convinced your working your butt off. However, if
you are burning away all your time and energy MANAGING your job, then your
not DOING your job. A good boss does not care how you do it, he/she just
wants to see good results.
This is why it is so very important to be questioning WHY you are doing
things. Don?t just do things because they sound right. You need reasons.
Nothing should ever exist in a vacuum. If you think there is a better way
to do a job ? PROVE IT. Don?t waste your company?s time championing
technologies, solutions, and procedures that PROMISE improvements.
Demonstrate the actual improvement gained.
And if you feel you are being worked to death, then question the
underlying premise. A new fancy-schmantsy tool won?t make you a better
writer if you spend a billion hours fiddling with it. A new process that
more finely documents your work isn?t beneficial if all it does is heap a
new clerical task on top of endemic corporate problems. Single-sourcing
and information mapping might sound and feel really good, but do they
actually provide any real, tangible results.
Why are you adopting things? Because you're not getting docs done on time?
Why? Is there too much work? Is it too complex? Or are you just looking
for an excuse to go to seminars?
At Anitian there is a sign on my door. It reads: "Work harder, not
smarter."
Its a joke. Its also the truth. I can?t stand people who redirect their
efforts into ?feel good? busy work and then claim they?re doing a good
job. They think they are working smarter, doing things the right way ?
when in fact they are just avoiding the inevitable truth: they don?t want
to work, they don?t know what to do, and they?re way in over their heads.
They can't do the work right, so they try to do it the right way. Hell, if
you can sell firewalls and intrusion detection systems while dancing nude
in the street - come on over to Anitian. I don't care how you do it - just
produce results (and keep your undies off my servers!)
You don't need a better mouse trap, you need cats that are dedicated to
catching mice. When those cats are focused they will catch mice. And
eventually, they will become so good at it, they will be infinitely more
efficient than any mouse trap.
Thats enough profundity for today. Hrain burts.
Andrew Plato
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