RE: On Office Politics and Being the New Kid

["Dubin, David" <David -dot- Dubin -at- sage -dot- com>]

I agree with Gene's assessment. Before you move forward, you really need to
know what your manager's expectations are for your position and for you,
personally. While initiative is a good thing, often an excellent effort is
expanded with negative results. If you act outside the scope of your
expected requirements, even with the best intentions, it can get your boss
in hot water -which means that you are in hot water with him/her as well.
As far as Lori's statement, "She also said that she doesn't like
documentation that tells someone exactly what to do to run the system," this
sounds to be one of the following to me. Either this person feels that
knowledge is power and she does not want to share, or she has no concept of
adult learning theory. Adults learn in a progressive basis, like walking up
a set of steps. We build on our existing knowledge and use that base
knowledge to expand our understanding of the new knowledge. Enumerating each
step of a process is the easiest way for an adult to learn it.
Good luck, Lori. I'd really like to hear the eventual outcome, as I been in
similar situations, but I let management straighten it out. 
David B. Dubin, PHR 
Senior Curriculum Developer 
Sage Software 
727-579-1111 x 3356
david -dot- dubin -at- sage -dot- com
Your business in mind.

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+david -dot- dubin=sage -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+david -dot- dubin=sage -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 1:07 PM
To: Lori Olcott; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: On Office Politics and Being the New Kid

Your first step should be to discuss with your manager exactly what
*your* responsibilities are with regard to documentation.  Are you
supposed to produce it, or is that this other person's responsibility,
with yours merely to provide "input?"  If you are now supposed to
produce the docs and this other person's job is to "maintain the
group's intranet site," then produce the docs, let the appropriate
people know they exist and leave it to her to decide whether or not
they go on the site (and deal with grumbles from those who know
there are docs they don't have access to); if you are just supposed
to provide "input" to her documents and it's her call on what is and
is not incorporated, then you're done and you should ask your
manager what your next assignment is.

Gene Kim-Eng
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