Re: boss problem

["Mike O." <obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Brian described his boss:
> She's got a training background, but doesn't have strong tech skills 
> and has only a vague understanding of what documentation is all
about. 

Perfect. This kind of manager is absolutely essential to insulate you
from upper management. Cultivate and nurture this boss, stay on her
good side, and keep her informed about what you are doing, otherwise
you will soon have somebody worse to deal with (especially in a small
company). 

> She knows the product very well, but not in a very technical way, 

She is exactly the kind of SME you need to provide business-related
info you need for your docs. With her training background, she has/had
customer contact and knows what the customers (users) think.  

This doesn't sound like much of a problem. However, the first part of
your post (not being allowed to talk directly to people) is
mind-blowing. I have experienced this myself once or twice (but not so
directly), and as I recall the last time I described this on the list
several folks helpfully pointed out that I probably had some kind of
character flaw that was causing the problem. That could be -- but
actually I think it is yet more evidence of the pathological attitude
the industry has toward tech writers. 

Mike O.



 

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