Individual Contributions

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item Individual Contributions

  • Yup. A team has to have people in different roles. All have some kind of value, and people aren't all paid the same - that's the way it is. It's funny, people always ask me "why didn't you ever get rid of so and so" - I usually tell them the same thing "I was getting my money's worth - you know he wasn't making that much money". I wasn't expecting to get any better work out of a junior level position.

    While you can expect people to do their best and to push themselves, every kitchen needs a chef, a line cook, and a dishwasher. And it isn't really reasonable to expect that the dishwasher wants to be the greatest dishwasher in the world. And you wouldn't expect the chef to complain that the dishwasher isn't pulling his weight on the team because they can't get orders out on time.

    It is reasonable to expect clean dishes, though.

  • Absolutely right.. Every one has their unique values and skills.

    Really motivating topic.. Thanks

  • Hay Steve,

    Nice article motivating everyl level of technical people.

    - SAMJI
    If you marry one they will fight with you, If you marry 2 they will fight for you 🙂

  • Well said Steve, point well made

  • Steve, in South Africa we have a saying and it actually sounds better in Afrikaans (dialect of Dutch). We say you hit the nail on its head. Well said there. People complaining about another person till they have to do their job. The problem is they forget quickly and it's not long then the complaining starts again.;-);-);-);-);-);-)

    :-PManie Verster
    Developer
    Johannesburg
    South Africa

    I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Holy Bible
    I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times. - Everett Mckinley Dirkson (Well, I am trying. - Manie Verster)

  • "Never underestimate what you can bring to the table."

    and the corollary...

    Never overestimate what you actually bring to the table."

    Nice reminder to remain humble.

    Neil

  • Sounds like the real problem was a culture of complaining.

  • Couldn't agree more, I think the problem at times is that it's very easy to forget how little you knew x years ago, or when you first started in computing.

    I'd actually argue that a less experienced person can be as valuable in real monetary terms as your most experienced person, as by handling those low level jobs it frees up time for the experienced staff to do the difficult jobs.

    We've got a young guy here who we like to think of as our very own PFY, can he do many of the things that I and some of the others here can? No. Does his knowledge of what we do come close to mine? No. Does his 6 months of experience in the industry match my 10 years? Of course not. Would we change him? Hell no. There are plenty of jobs he can do, and for every job he picks up, it's one less I have to do. In turn that gives me more time to get the bigger, harder and more interesting jobs done.

    If we employed someone with as much experience as me then we might have more highly skilled resource, but those little jobs still need to be done, and one of us would have to do it. Suddenly doing those simple jobs gets a lot more expensive for the company!

  • In many cases, coworkers simply don't see or fully understand the scope of another's job. Some people are talented, but don't like to "toot their own horn", or maybe they are just so good at what they do, they make it all seem effortless.

    However in the information technology profession in particular, there is untapped potential in almost every team member. Sometimes that potential may be even kept hidden by the individual themelves. For example, the girl who keeps to herself, avoiding high pressure assignments, punching in at 9am and out at 5pm, may have a gig on the side where she leverages technical skills that are outside the scope of how she's been typecast by coworkers on her day job. It would be in the best interest of the company to draw these people out, acknowledge them, and develope them to the fullest of their potential, before they get lured away by a competitor.

    There is a book called "The Invisible Employee" by Gostick and Elton that every manager should read.

    "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

  • All right this is getting spooky. Do you have a web cam installed somewhere in our office? :w00t: Our help desk/at your desk/crawl under your desk guy is out on a 10 day hike, finishing off at the top of McKinley. We all hate it when he leaves because we know the calls are going to come in at double the rate, just to torture us.

    Eric, we appreciate you! Come back!

  • keith-710920 (8/26/2010)


    ...

    I'd actually argue that a less experienced person can be as valuable in real monetary terms as your most experienced person, as by handling those low level jobs it frees up time for the experienced staff to do the difficult jobs.

    ...

    Excellent point and I wish I'd said that.

  • If you are really valuable to the organization, you should make a point of taking a long vacation every year so that people have to get along without you.

    "I’m off on a two week safari to Ngorongoro Crater. Too bad they don’t have cell phone coverage there. See you when I get back."

  • I recall an internsive software development project where the under-qualified and inexperienced junior developer proved very valuable.

    Firsly, he could complete the simple modules I assigned to him.

    But, even more importantly, his cheerfulness and humour sustained the rest of us.

    And we finished on schedule.

    As with Joe Celko's young lady, it's not only the hard skills and experience that make a positive contribution.

    Martin

  • Great Article Steve. Want to add few words to what others are saying...it is *likely* people realize your worth sometimes when you are gone, it is also likely to go one or two ways..one they get along without you and figure you are not needed, two they realize you are important and don't particularly like it since they may not be contributing as much and don't want to. Am just suggesting all the different gray areas there are in office politics. That said have a poem on my desk for a long time.. i dont know the author but i think i took it out of Dale Carnegie's 'How to win friends and influence people' and it has always inspired me.

    We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,

    There's something for all of us here.

    There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,

    And the task we must do is the near.

    If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,

    If you can't be the sun be a star;

    It isn't by size that you win or you fail--

    Be the best of whatever you are!

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