Re: On Office Politics and Being the New Kid

[Beth Agnew <beth -dot- agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>]

Gene is spot on. The problem is that there are so many poor managers in 
high tech companies. Yes, there are many excellent managers too, but 
having a manager who has no conception of how to organize and brief 
staff is an all-too-common occurrence. As technical communicators, we 
are supposed to be experts at facilitating communication. Usually this 
is with our user audience, and we know we often must smooth out 
communications with our colleagues, developers, and SMEs. Add to that 
list the ability to communicate effectively with one's manager. Some 
managers are promoted because of their technical abilities, not their 
people skills. Few are given adequate training in people skills once 
they are promoted.

Gone are the days when we could rely on our skilled manager to help us 
in our careers. Knowledge workers need to be proactive in establishing 
productive relationships with people in their companies, in securing the 
training they need, and in ensuring their career path is one that 
benefits them. You are fortunate if your manager knows how to help you 
in this. Otherwise, you must develop the finesse to make your own way in 
the job, and do the best you can to build bridges with everyone 
important to letting you get the job done.
--Beth

Gene Kim-Eng wrote: