Potential presentation idea: Knowing your limits: are you in over your head?

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Potential presentation idea: Knowing your limits: are you in over your head?

Ray K

SSC-Dedicated

Points: 31163
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May 3, 2016 at 12:13 pm

#400106

Another possible professional development topic for people to scrutinize . . .
There are many times when you either don't have the knowledge, insight, or interest to perform a task, yet you don't recognize it. As a result, you either (1) are incapable of doing the job, or (2) you do a shoddy or inadequate job. As a result, while you can be one of the brightest people around, you come across looking incompetent.
So what can you do to alleviate this situation? What steps can you take to minimize your weaknesses and, instead, leverage your strengths?
I came up with this idea through a combo of observing people's reactions and my own personal experience. This is just an idea that popped into my head, but I think it'd make a viable presentation topic. I'm still trying to figure out how this would work, but that's the gist of it so far.
What do people think?
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Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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Eirikur Eiriksson SSC Guru Points: 182911 More actions · Answer 1

First of all this topic is good, dead centre (bulls eye to the Americans) and very relevant! It goes in line with what I preach/practice "ascoltare vale piu di tante parole", to listen is worth more than one can ever say or in other words if you don't listen you don't learn.

Maybe the challenge is to teach them how to feed them self rather than feeding them.

😎

Alan Burstein SSC Guru Points: 61141 More actions · Answer 2

I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.

It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.

"I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."

-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004321 More actions · Answer 3

Based on the last decade of interviews I've conducted...

I think a huge part of people's ineptitude and some of the really beginner questions come from the fact that 1) BOL is no longer part of the installation package, 2) a lot of people don't even know what it is, 3) aren't willing to spend any time learning about "just a place to store data that isn't really a language", and 4) just want to do their time without doing the time (9-to-5 syndrome and serious lack of intellectual curiosity). They'd rather be heroes in the glory of the front-end or with the shinny new toys that seem to avoid the basics never mind anything that actually requires skill on the SQL Server side.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Ray K SSC-Dedicated Points: 31163 More actions · Answer 4

I freely admit that I, myself, am one of the worst offenders of this syndrome (or whatever you want to call it), and I've only recently started to come to grips with it. This realization is giving me a better sense of direction and purpose, and I think it'll make me better in the long run. (And if I can pull off this presentation, maybe I can help some other people along the way.)

My only regret is not realizing this about ten years ago.

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Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

Eirikur Eiriksson SSC Guru Points: 182911 More actions · Answer 5

Jeff Moden (5/3/2016)
4) just want to do their time without doing the time (9-to-5 syndrome and serious lack of intellectual curiosity).

The question or challenge must then be how to invoke the curiosity?

😎

Eirikur Eiriksson SSC Guru Points: 182911 More actions · Answer 6

Alan.B (5/3/2016)
I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.
It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.

Isn't this another description of the "head down" problem?

😎

Ray K SSC-Dedicated Points: 31163 More actions · Answer 7

Just for grins, I looked to see if there were any topics related to this in social psychology, and came across this (yeah, I know it's Wikipedia; don't judge me).

I'm posting this for my own reference as much as anything else.

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Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

Alan Burstein SSC Guru Points: 61141 More actions · Answer 8

Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.
It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.
Isn't this another description of the "head down" problem?
😎

What do you mean by "head down" problem?

"I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."

-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001

Eirikur Eiriksson SSC Guru Points: 182911 More actions · Answer 9

Alan.B (5/3/2016)
Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.
It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.
Isn't this another description of the "head down" problem?
😎
What do you mean by "head down" problem?

The mentality of staying in your seat, keeping your head down and not rocking the boat

😎

Ray K SSC-Dedicated Points: 31163 More actions · Answer 10

Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.
It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.
Isn't this another description of the "head down" problem?
😎
What do you mean by "head down" problem?
The mentality of staying in your seat, keeping your head down and not rocking the boat
😎

I've come across this in my research on groupthink (which is another presentation idea I'm working on). Might be worthwhile to see if that applies here as well.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

Luis Cazares SSC Guru Points: 183706 More actions · Answer 11

Ray K (5/3/2016)
Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.
It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.
Isn't this another description of the "head down" problem?
😎
What do you mean by "head down" problem?
The mentality of staying in your seat, keeping your head down and not rocking the boat
😎
I've come across this in my research on groupthink (which is another presentation idea I'm working on). Might be worthwhile to see if that applies here as well.

Is the expert-beginner problem[/url] part of your ideas?

Luis C.
General Disclaimer:
Are you seriously taking the advice and code from someone from the internet without testing it? Do you at least understand it? Or can it easily kill your server?

How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help: Option 1 / Option 2

Alan Burstein SSC Guru Points: 61141 More actions · Answer 12

Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.
It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.
Isn't this another description of the "head down" problem?
😎
What do you mean by "head down" problem?
The mentality of staying in your seat, keeping your head down and not rocking the boat
😎

I think I know my strengths, weaknesses and limitations, and how to communicate them. If I have a strength that I feel will make things better but isn't getting used I'll rock the boat.

"I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."

-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001

Eirikur Eiriksson SSC Guru Points: 182911 More actions · Answer 13

Luis Cazares (5/3/2016)
Ray K (5/3/2016)
Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
Eirikur Eiriksson (5/3/2016)
Alan.B (5/3/2016)
I think this is a common problem in the data world for sure.
It all comes down to self-awareness and communication. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and limitations, then knowing how to communicate them.
Isn't this another description of the "head down" problem?
😎
What do you mean by "head down" problem?
The mentality of staying in your seat, keeping your head down and not rocking the boat
😎
I've come across this in my research on groupthink (which is another presentation idea I'm working on). Might be worthwhile to see if that applies here as well.
Is the expert-beginner problem[/url] part of your ideas?

Kind of an "Always done it (once)" type of thing. Back in the age of dinosaurs I was doing mountaineering, an absolute beginner (in my opinion) wrote a book on his first venture like it was something he'd do every day, needless to say I only saw him on that mountain once:-P

😎

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 14

Ray K (5/3/2016)
So what can you do to alleviate this situation? What steps can you take to minimize your weaknesses and, instead, leverage your strengths?

Know a little about as much as you can.

That's why, while I advise specialist, I also say that just specialising on one area and knowing nothing about anything around is dangerous. You need to know enough about the areas around (and very broadly around) your specialty to know what you don't know, and don't ever assume that because you know X well, that you can do Y just as well.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass