TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> And yeah... often, nobody else will pat you on the back for a job
> particularly well done, so you might as well do it yourself.
It's okay for us to pat ourselves on the back occasionally, as long as we
don't break our arms by doing it too often (or make someone else want to
break our arms for us!). :-)
> Regarding arrogance in OTHER people... I can deal with somebody who is
> arrogant, but who is really good at what they do... I can still respect
> them. What I CAN't abide are people who are EXTREMELY arrogant, but
largely
> incompetent. Because they are not capable of improving, because their
> arrogance blinds them to their own shortcomings.
Well said, Lynne, and my sentiments exactly.
I have little tolerance/respect for people who think highly of themselves
without having anything to back that up (except maybe inflated job titles
that don't necessarily reflect their abilities). These people try to find
flaws in everyone else's work in an attempt to hide their own inadequacies,
and they refuse to admit that they might not be as skilled or knowledgeable
in certain areas. Rather than trying to learn, they waste their time trying
to prove why they were right all along.
If I come across as arrogant on a particular topic, it's because I have
taken the time to learn about it, and I can't hide the knowledge that I have
and the confidence that comes with it. If I'm not familiar with something, I
freely admit it and ask/look for more information. That's a much better
approach than pretending that I know everything or having an opinion on
everything because I stick my foot in my mouth much less. (What's the old
saying? "It's better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and
eliminate all doubt.") I know from past experience that just because I have
always done something a certain way doesn't mean that there isn't a better
way to do it. Rather than feeling more arrogant, I am humbled by the
realization of how much I do not yet know and may never know.
I respect each person who I work with for his/her skill set, individual
abilities, and unique viewpoint, and I defer to other people's skills and
knowledge when they surpass my own. I also expect people to respect me for
the same reasons. There are some things that I happen to know how to do well
(such as using FrameMaker), possibly better than most of the people
immediately around me, and I make sure that my coworkers know what I am
capable of so they can rely on my skills when necessary. Is that arrogance
on my part or just the ability to make the best use of resources? I prefer
to think of it as the latter. However, there might be some arrogance
involved, now that I think about it. When someone could have or should have
come to me and chose not to, I take a mean pleasure in it if he/she fails,
particularly if that person has to come to me later asking for help. I try
not to let that feeling show, but the smugness is there inside me. What can
I say? At least I stop myself from dancing around, pointing, and hollering,
"YOU! YOU! YOU!"
Now, have I ever written something and immediately thought of how wonderful
it is and been amazed at the brilliance or wisdom reflected in those words?
Of course! I do it constantly (I'm doing it now, as a matter of fact!). :-)
I love being a writer, so I love putting my thoughts into words, and I find
my own thinking to be profound (at least while it's first bouncing around my
neurons). However, that fleeting feeling is no excuse to allow my head to
swell to hot-air-balloon-sized proportions. No matter what I write, there
will be someone, somewhere who can refute all or part of it, or I'll find a
glaring typo or grammatical error in it right after I press Send... (I hate
it when that happens!)
Donna
---------------
Donna L. Jones
Technical Writer
Zebra Technologies Corp.
Vernon Hills, IL
- CONFIDENTIAL -
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also
be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not
review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in
error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete
this email.
SEE THE ALL NEW ROBOHELP X5 IN ACTION: RoboHelp X5 is a giant leap forward
in Help authoring technology, featuring Word 2003 support, Content
Management, Multi-Author support, PDF and XML support and much more! http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrldemo
>From a single set of Word documents, create quality printed documentation,
HTML Help, cross-platform HTML, WinHelp and JavaHelp, with ComponentOne's
DoctoHelp 7 Professional, http://www.componentone.com/doctohelp
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
