Two of my favourite quotes

The corporate world is a funny place. It seems to take otherwise rational and likeable human beings and turn them into strange caricatures. When I mention this to people, some know what I mean and others can't see my point. It really boils down to two camps -- those who act the way they want to act, and those who act the way that they think their peers or superiors want them to act.

In my job, I visit a lot of different companies and meet a lot of different people. In general I find that people who live and work outside large metropolitan areas are more "real" -- they are more personable, friendly and understanding. Most of the people I find in larger cities and companies are the exact opposite.

I think that this second set of people tend to be more insecure. These people all in some way exhibit one or more of the following characteristics:

1. The need to be superior - These people always question everything you say and if they find a way to correct you, it is the prize that they can hold over you for the rest of the time you work with them. It does not matter if you are right on everything else, you were wrong once and they had the insight to see it. This is actually quite comical in the IT sector when you see the "geek wars" even among co-workers. It's the geek equivalent to picking the alpha geek or silverback (as in gorillas).
2. The need to be right - Have you ever met someone who is right all the time? I've met a number of such people and they hold their heads up high every time they are proven right and you never catch them when they are wrong. However, ask their co-workers. It seems these people from the invertebrate section can change their minds (and loyalties) so quickly that they are always right and never ever held the other opinion (unless a more powerful person takes that stance and then they bend back).
3. Always needs to say something - I used to work for a company where the 3 hour conference call was not unheard of. Now, I'm a person who loathes any type of meeting that seems to go on and on without a point. The people who pissed me off the most on these calls were the ones who sat silent throughout the call and then -- just as the meeting was wrapping up -- decided to put in their incoherent 2 cents worth for the next 10 minutes or so. I came to realize that their self-worth was based on them having said something -- anything -- during the meeting so that they can claim that they added to the conversation.
4. Never make a decision - I have had the misfortune of working with and for people like this. These are people who are in positions where decisions are expected and required and they refuse to make them. Usually they hide this in the form of "consensus building" or "individual development" or "getting advice from superiors". All of those are good things and have their place, but when the chips are down and a decision has to be made, those practices can also act as elegant stalling tactics. These Teflon-coated experts do this for a reason -- if the decision is wrong they can always cover themselves by blaming the person or people they "got input" from.

This entry has become a lot longer than I had originally intended. I was trying to come up with a lead-in to two quotes I believe came from Winston Churchill. Every day at work I think of one or both of these quotes as I apply them, or see their lack of application in others. You will have to excuse me if I do not get them the exact way they were spoken.

"It is better to be silent and thought a fool then to open up your mouth and remove all doubt."

"Every once in a while, people stumble across the truth. Most of the time they pick themselves up, brush themselves off, and continue on as though nothing had ever happened."

While I'm at it, I'll throw in Einstein's formula for a success:

Success = X + Y + Z

where

X=Work

Y=Play

Z=Keep your mouth shut