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Re: Follow-up: Acceptance of Mediocre Documentation

Subject: Re: Follow-up: Acceptance of Mediocre Documentation
From: Lou Quillio <public -at- quillio -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 20:02:23 -0400


Dick Margulis wrote:

One such strategy is based on Grace Hopper's dictum, "It's easier
to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission"; hence our
advice to just make good documents and present them as fait
accompli rather than seeking approval

I like the formulation "Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission."

Without it, shaky confidence limns certification itches and engineering-cred dreams. Be competent, extend your hand to gear-heads, and press on confidently.

The final pattern -- nod to Jerry Muelver -- is that techcomms aren't subordinate to devs and engineers unless they choose to be. The teen-aged president of the model rocketry club is less influential than the adult supervision.

Nerds flex gangly muscles, easily parried. Don't fight. Better to stake your ground firmly yet quietly, know your shite, make every friend you can, and move the organization forward.

One more thing. Sometimes, the most wounded dev is your best friend. The guy or gal who's sharp but feels run-down and suspect. He or she speaks for an entire culture of tech macho, all of it running scared but some of it puffed-up with title. Win one, then another, and the goodness ripples upstream along with your credibility, quiet influence, and ability to do the job.

Lead away from ego and fear. Build. Do that, and you'll be as certified as anybody needs to be.

LQ

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Follow-Ups:

References:
RE: Follow-up: Acceptance of Mediocre Documentation: From: Katherine Hinchey
Re: Follow-up: Acceptance of Mediocre Documentation: From: Dick Margulis

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