Respect?

["Geoff Hart (by way of \"Eric J. Ray\" <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>)" <ght -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

Adam ROBERTS wondered <<What's the quickest way to gain respect as a
technical writer in a =company unused to such strange people?>>

Killing the pointy-headed boss with your bare hands, mano a mano, in
plain view of those from whom you demand respect works for me. Of
course, that's a tad violent, and you can only do the trick once...
per boss. <g>

Seriously? The only way to gain respect is to be accepted as a human
being rather than another cog in the wheel. Establish friendly
relationships with everyone you'll be working with and everyone who
will be affected by your work... and don't only talk about business
or arrive with questions or work for them. That's a tall order, but
they won't start paying real attention to the work you do until they
get used to thinking of you as a person they like rather than as the
faceless, anonymous soul who dumps review copies on their desk
whenever they're not in the office and harangues them on the phone.


This will take time and patience; apart from the homicide strategy,
there's no quick way to earn respect, but lots of quick ways to lose
it. Showing that you understand the work they do (or at least admit
your ignorance and demonstrate a willingness to learn) helps a lot;
failing at either of these can seriously hinder you.

--Geoff Hart @8^{)}
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

"Patience comes to those who wait."--Anon.

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