FWD: Followup and Conclusion to DemonSME

Subject: FWD: Followup and Conclusion to DemonSME
From: "Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 11:48:33 -0600

Name withheld upon request. Please don't reply
unless you have something critical to add--I think
the discussion has run its course.

*************************************************

I'd like to thank everyone for their advice, even those of you who
think I'm exaggerating. I have a hard time believing it sometimes
myself. Unfortunately, though, I'm really not misrepresenting
my situation. Both my coworkers and my supervisor have noticed the
situation I'm in and have expressed amazement at this SME's vitriol.
Unfortunately, that's as far as it's gone: "Hey, wow. She's being
ridiculous."

I never said I was doing a great job on this project. I am capable of
doing great work, and I generally do. I win prizes. I'm published in
the open market. I've never gotten a negative review. Ever. This
project, however, requires a lot of very environment-specific
information that I cannot get any way other than through this SME. I
am new here, and she has effectively shut down my communications with
anyone else in her group. The only thing some of these people know
about me is that this SME thinks I might be helped by taking a
computer literacy class. This is just comical to those who know me,
but these complete strangers have apparently taken it at face value.
I've rewritten this book several times, based solely on grossly
incorrect information from this SME, and I just don't care anymore
how this project turns out. I do not care if this is the worst
technical manual ever. Maybe it'll win prizes for that. Regardless,
it's not going into my portfolio. I have resolved myself to the fact
that I have no control over this project or its outcome. The politics
involved in this area are too pervasive for me to do anything about
it, and I've gotten more apathetic over the course of the past few
months.

I am a master diplomat, believe it or not. I've been 'working' with
this woman for months, and have only recently stopped pretending to
be friendly. A coworker even told me that he was amazed at how calmly
I handled one of her attacks in a recent meeting. However, I can
barely choke back the bile in her presence. I am having a very
difficult time not wishing real misfortune on her. I will not be
baking her any brownies. I'm not saying that she is a worthless human
being and has no hope of ever becoming one. I'm sure she has some
value as a human being, but I am not responsible for helping her
figure just what it is. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be doing her
any favors by letting her get away with this sort of thing. She needs
to learn that actions have consequences. Currently, I have shut her
off and will only accept written comments or edits from her.

I also want to make it clear that I do not blame my boss. He is a
good person, and he is very enlightened and capable. He's
great to work with, and he starts all the goofiness, not me
(usually.) As a matter of fact, I think Michael Johnson nailed it
when he said,

...If you are too calm and surgical about it, maybe your manager
won't get the message that there's a real problem here that's
affecting the company and you. ...

Ouch. This sounds really familiar. Many years ago, I was attacked by
a crazy man in a parking lot. The guy grabbed me, stomped on my feet,
spit on me, and said some of the most disgusting, obscene things I've
ever heard. I got a description of his vehicle and his license plate
number and called the cops. They showed up and I calmly told them
what had happened. They charged him not with assault, but with some
misdemeanor. When I asked why, they told me that I obviously wasn't
really assaulted because I was so calm and collected when I gave them
the report. I suspect that the same sort of thing may be happening
right now.

While I won't pretend to cry or anything, I am going to make it very
clear to my supervisor that this situation is completely
unacceptable; that I am going to finish this project, but that this
is a heroic effort and must be treated as such; and that this
particular SME should never, ever work with people again.

And if things don't change, I'll just find a real job.

From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=




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