In this chapter (Be Where You're At) of
My Job Went to India
Chad Fowler warns us to "be ambitious, but don't wear it on your sleeve."
He tells us about his pet peeve as a manager: the "employee who's always aiming for the next rung on the ladder."
Aside from the annoyances of playing office politics, complaining "about the incompetence of The Management,"
and being a general jackass, there's also the way he looks at his daily duties:
He thinks many tasks are beneath him. He avoids them when possible and
does them begrudgingly (and slowly) when not. He cherry-picks work
that he thinks, even if subconciously, is in tune with his level and might
get him closer to his goal of the next promotion.
That's the paragraph that hit home with me, because I used to be that developer. However, I never
looked at it as a way to get ahead (being in such a small company and all). But, I did justify it by
saying things to myself like "this is beneath my skill level - I don't want to
waste money they are paying me by wasting time on these mundane tasks that could be done
by a monkey."
Even until recently, I took this attitude in some regard. So much so, that during our recent
SWOT analysis, I
brought it up as a weakness against myself, and resolved to take the opposite approach.
Now, I find ways to
automate many
of those menial tasks, and in general just do what the job requires, without regard to the
prestige of task at hand.
If you want me to follow an elephant around with a shovel, I'll do it, and I'll try to be
the best damn shit-shoveler you've ever seen.
Know anyone like the horror-story? Anyone who has overcome that
superiority complex?
Hey! Why don't you make your life easier and subscribe to the full post
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