Re:The unspoken truth about managing geeks
by allenp on Thursday September 10, 2009 @01:43PM
(#815747)
I don't disagree with the accuracy of the quote, however I think there is something worth point out.
The problem for the business person (manager) is that the logic complaints don't do them a lot of good and are easy to dismiss. The manager's job isn't to be logical (or to even deal in it) but to corral those that are and extract value from things they make. These managers know the world isn't logical, that people and business processes often don't make sense, and that your complaints have been voiced by a million different people a million times before. Simply put, for the manager, your complaints are useless unless they provide a direct action your manager can take to make your work better and help you produce more value for your company.
IT pros complain primarily about logic, and primarily to people they respect. If you are dismissive of complaints, fail to recognize an illogical event or behave in deceptive ways, IT pros will likely stop complaining to you. You might mistake this as a behavioral improvement, when it's actually a show of disrespect. It means you are no longer worth talking to, which leads to insubordination.