I have a better story than this one about making bad assumptions, but it involves the HP-EDS merger and that information is confidential.   I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you and I might get fired regardless.  So, I’ll save that for another time.

It’s relevant, though, because I made an assumption at work that almost got me into trouble when that assumption was wrong and then two days later discovered that another one did get me into trouble in my personal life.  In both situations, I was slammed in the face with the fact that assumptions can be bad, bad things when they are incorrect.
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Technorati Tags: assumptions, PODS

Note: This article originally ran on July 6 2007, is slightly edited for reprint in an effort to share previously published ideas with new readers.

Every once in awhile, it happens. You are in a review meeting of some kind with your boss or, worse, your boss’ boss. The topic is some contentious issue your group is having with some other group and inevitably the big question comes from the most important person in the meeting and is directed to you:

“Can you come to the meeting I have with the other high level manager on this as my back up?”

That knot you feel in your stomach as the question hangs in the air is the realization that you are pre-whacked out Tom Cruise as Maverick and you’ve just been ordered to go after Soviet MIGs as Val Kilmer’s wingman.

What this manager has asked you to do is come to a meeting with high powered people and make sure he or she doesn’t make a fool of themselves because you understand the details that nobody else does. While you can turn this into a positive, it puts you in a very difficult situation because the stakes are usually higher than you are used to in meetings like this and there is a probability you can inadvertently make somebody responsible for your raises look like an idiot. That’s bad.

Here are 5 tips to consider when being put in this situation to help insure your continued employment:
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Jeff Atwood had an interesting post over the weekend entitled “Quantity Always Trumps Quality” where he quotes a story from a book called “Art and Fear”, a curious scenario from a pottery class: Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: coding horror, learning, mistakes

You’ve finished your day’s work, about to leave your desk, only there’s a reporter in the hallway who has an audio recorder or maybe even a camera crew and wants a few minutes of your time. “How did it go today?,” she might ask. “Do you think your manager made the right decisions today to make your team successful?,” might be another inquiry. “What do you really think of your upper management and the company strategy?” And so it could go.

Among the reasons I like writing about pro sports in this space is that many of them rely upon cohesive teamwork in order to achieve desired outcomes, just like most project teams in other businesses. A big difference is that the interactions among the people in pro sports is extremely public. It’s one thing to trash your boss on an email where you accidentally press “reply all”, it’s quite another to have a poorly thought out sound bite replayed on SportsCenter for days on end.

It is from that perspective that I find the Brett Favre saga especially interesting because it asks a basic question that plays out in lots of other companies today:

Is there such a thing as loyalty between an employer and an employee?
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Technorati Tags: favre, loyalty, nfl

It’s very cool to be living in a long tail world like we do today.

Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from Thomas Friedman’s publisher informing me that they are having a promotion where they are giving away audio copies of “The World Is Flat” to generate some buzz around his new book out in September on environmental issues called Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America.   As you might recall, I enjoyed “The World is Flat” quite a bit, hence I’m passing word of this promotion onto you.  The promotion ends August 4, so get it while you can.

For a publisher to find a guy with a small blog, who enjoyed an author’s previous work, to help in promoting awareness of a subsequent title is pretty cool.  Even if I am a bit starstruck, that’s a 21st centry approach that not all businesses grok quite yet.

UPDATE 8/4:

The promotion has been extended to August 11.

Technorati Tags: hot flat and crowded, the world is flat

“Always tell the truth.  That way, you don’t have to remember what you said.” —Mark Twain

Within a 24 hour period the other day, I received over 100 emails and attended 5 hours of meetings.  During that time, I got asked a lot of questions that required answering and I had more than one opportunity to stretch the truth or flat out lie about something to make myself look better.  This would have been a really bad idea because people remember when you don’t tell the truth.

For example, I never ask my Dad what time it is for this very reason.
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Technorati Tags: honesty, networking, perspective

I realize I’m dating myself (again) but I thought it was very cool that somebody from half way across the world could get a job as a replacement lead singer for an iconic 80’s band through YouTube. The Monster Blog tells the story of how Journey found Arnel Pinedas, which is similar to the Mark Wahlberg 2001 film Rock Star (not worth the Netflix rental) only without Jennifer Aniston.

Some good points on self promotion and some nice links at the bottom make it worth a read.

Technorati Tags: arnel pinedas, journey, monster blog

In case you didn’t catch it, Randy Pausch died on Friday.  I will always be amazed that someone facing such a horrible truth could be so positive about it and inspire millions in the process.  I can’t imagine what his family is going through now, but they certainly have a lot to remember him by.  If you haven’t read his book or watched the video of his lecture, you need to find time to do it.   “The walls are there for other people.”

On a much lighter note, my friend Liz Handlin ran a piece last Thursday enlightening those of us that are Digg challenged to a hilarious post over at JobMob entitled “150 Funniest Resume Mistakes, Bloopers, and Blunders Ever“.  Aside from invoking my favorite Homer Simpson image (”insert brain here”), it brought some humor to what was a tough Friday for me.  I found these particularly funny:

• “Finished eighth in my class of ten.”
• “I am loyal to my employer at all costs..Please feel free to respond to my resume on my office voice mail.”
• Why Interested in Position: “to keep my parole officer from putting back me in jail”
• Work experience: “Two years as a blackjack and baccarat dealer. Strong emphasis on customer relations - a constant challenge considering how much money people lose and how angry they can get.”
• “Skills: Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self Motivated, Attention to Detail”
• Reason for leaving last job: “Bounty hunting was outlawed in my state.”

It’s a great list that the folks over there took a lot of time to assemble, take a look.

Technorati Tags: funny resumes, last lecture, randy pausch

Note: This article originally ran on July 31 2007, is slightly edited for reprint in an effort to share previously published ideas with new readers.

Often times, when interacting with a new group of people it can be difficult to decode the roles and responsibilities that have already been established among them. Inadvertently directing comments to the wrong person can spark insults or waste time, generally yielding poor results. Taking the time to ask about who is in charge of what can make a big difference for everyone involved.

When my maternal grandfather (inventor of concussion grenade fishing) died in 2002, my Mom went back to Oklahoma City before Dad and I could join her for the services that would be held. My grandmother wasn’t up to planning the funeral so her 3 daughters and son did the job.

My Mom (back left) with her siblings and parents, circa 1982.

As much as we all love them, it’s a known fact that my Mom and her sisters all got the family “bossy gene”. They have a need to be in charge. Don’t get me wrong, all of them use their powers for good instead of evil. When any of them are on the case, stuff gets done and you don’t have to give it a second thought.

As a result of being raised in a house with these people, my uncle is an extremely laid back guy. He’s a very hard worker, but he’s always had other people around him to do the worrying so he doesn’t do a whole lot of it himself (and, by extension, he was more fun to play with when I was a kid, a comment I’ll surely take flak for from my aunts). If you had three people barking orders at you all the time throughout your childhood who weren’t even your parents, you’d be the same way.

So, the four of them are sitting in the funeral director’s office planning how the services would go. The conversation quickly fell into a pattern. A gentleman in his mid 50s, the funeral director would address his questions directly to my uncle, who would say nothing when eventually the silence would be filled by one of his sisters interjecting the answer. Not understanding the dynamic, the funeral director continued to address my uncle almost exclusively, presumably because he’s male and the assumed leader of the group despite evidence to the contrary. After awhile, my uncle couldn’t stand it any more and with his gentle drawl, politely said:

“Excuse me, sir, but are you under the impression that I’m in charge here?”

Needless to say, the format of the conversation changed for the better after that and helped them all achieve a much swifter resolution to the issues they were there to discuss.

The next time you find yourself confronted with a new group of people with a prior relationship, take a minute to assess who is playing what roles. If you can’t figure that out for yourself, ask. Knowing who is interested in what is half the battle.

When having a dispute with someone, I like to think of the situation in two parts:

1. Make sure everybody has the same set of facts
2. Try to understand what in the other persons perspective is causing them to have an opinion different from yours despite #1

I spend a lot of time in this space writing about #2, but was reminded recently that you can’t forget #1 in the process.
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Technorati Tags: argument strategies, dispute