January 6, 2011 at 10:12 am
gserdijn (1/6/2011)
Ok, this is off-topic, but I can't help it.From the original article:
In 4 BC, the Gauls sacked Rome, a horde of individual warriors defeating other individual warriors. But by the end of the Second Punic War, mostly due to Scipio Africanus, the Roman Army was unlike any other in the world.
4 BC? Not really. 387 BCE is the correct date, see for instance
Which goes to show process is most important. Had we followed the process of checking our sources first...
Dave
January 6, 2011 at 10:39 am
TravisDBA (1/6/2011)
Or even better, just offshore their job to India. Seems like the thing to do nowadays anyway.:-D
I think that as more Indian developers purchase their first home, while a surplus of un-employed American developers continue losing theirs, we will see a reverse trend where US corporations find it more economical to hire locally.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
January 6, 2011 at 10:47 am
I am speechless (but still able to type) at the comment that processes and procedures are not important, that thoughts, ideas, and brain power is.
Without process, all the brain power in the world is useless to solving problems.
Dave
January 6, 2011 at 10:51 am
Joe Johnson-482549 (1/6/2011)
200 years to be a force to be reckoned with? That just doesn't seem that impressive.What's really impressive is that in 5 years (from Pearl Harbor), the US military went from being somewhere around 15th in the world to the primary military power. Talk about process improvement. Wow!
Too bad we've lost that initiative.
We haven't lost the initiative, ultra-left wing idiots are trying to end our strength on the misguided notion that all other countries are trustworthy because they oppose the US.
Dave
January 6, 2011 at 11:00 am
Eric Russell 13013 (1/6/2011)
TravisDBA (1/6/2011)
Or even better, just offshore their job to India. Seems like the thing to do nowadays anyway.:-D
I think that as more Indian developers purchase their first home, while a surplus of un-employed American developers continue losing theirs, we will see a reverse trend where US corporations find it more economical to hire locally.
The only way I see that happening is if they are legislated into it.:-D
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
January 6, 2011 at 11:46 am
We can't expect a good result simply by wrapping process around un-trustworthy people. The fast food and financial industry have proven that. More can be done in less time by a small group of competent and trustworthy people than a large group of people randomly thrown together. Really how a company recruits employees is the one process that matters most.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
January 6, 2011 at 11:55 am
Eric Russell 13013 (1/6/2011)
We can't expect a good result simply by wrapping process around un-trustworthy people. The fast food and financial industry have proven that. More can be done in less time by a small group of competent and trustworthy people than a large group of people randomly thrown together. Really how a company recruits employees is the one process that matters most.
Words to live by, but even then, there are no guarantees when it comes to the dynamics of good old greed. It's seduced a lot of great people in the world and the prisons are full of them. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
January 6, 2011 at 12:05 pm
TravisDBA (1/6/2011)
Eric Russell 13013 (1/6/2011)
We can't expect a good result simply by wrapping process around un-trustworthy people. The fast food and financial industry have proven that. More can be done in less time by a small group of competent and trustworthy people than a large group of people randomly thrown together. Really how a company recruits employees is the one process that matters most.Words to live by, but even then, there are no guarantees when it comes to the dynamics of good old greed. It's seduced a lot of great people in the world and the prisons are full of them. 😀
Heh, so are the C-level Company Boards. What's best for us long term vs. what's best for profit always seems to weigh in on the latter end of that spectrum.
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
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January 6, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Americans (the culture I am most familiar with) seems to have a dangerous fascination with the hero who breaks the rules-- the A team, the renegade cop or sheriff who cleans up the city. And it makes a good movie.
In the real world, however, more often than not, the renegade creates problems. He may be working from limited understanding of the big picture, or he may let his judgement and biases supplant the protections of our legal system, in the end, he may take down the bad guy, or the wrong guy, or simply create distrust for the whole operation of law.
The point is not to be totally compliant... if the system is wrong challenge the system.. make noise, a lot of noise if ncessary. But as a football team needs to know where each player is going to be on a specific play (and a great player violating the play book does not help), an organization needs to know where everyone is, even if the overall plan is sub optimal.
...
-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
January 6, 2011 at 1:01 pm
jay holovacs (1/6/2011)
Americans (the culture I am most familiar with) seems to have a dangerous fascination with the hero who breaks the rules-- the A team, the renegade cop or sheriff who cleans up the city. And it makes a good movie.
Here is the US, we're expected to conform to more regulations, laws, and processes than perhaps anywhere else in the world. That's not generally a bad thing. However, shows like 24 or Leverage are escapist fantasy, a little outlet for viewers who wish they could cut loose and be the cowboy but (most of them) know better and never will.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
January 6, 2011 at 1:03 pm
jay holovacs (1/6/2011)
In the real world, however, more often than not, the renegade creates problems. He may be working from limited understanding of the big picture, or he may let his judgement and biases supplant the protections of our legal system, in the end, he may take down the bad guy, or the wrong guy, or simply create distrust for the whole operation of law.
Good point Jay! I have always referred to them as "cowboys". They treat the systems as if they are riding a bucking bronco and many times I have seen them bring systems down for the exact reasons that you stated above. I have also seen many of them come and go over the years (and by go I mean escorted by security off the premises). 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
January 6, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Todd Payne (1/6/2011)
"Put your trust in systems, not in geniusTo continue with the army analogy, The problem I see most often is that the soilders are forced to obey commands that no longer defeat the enemy, and the officers place the blame on the soilders . Those soilders can't be asked to follow orders without a say in what the tactics should be. I think the heirarchy can lead to a eletist attitude at the top, and we fail to see the wisdom of those who have recent battle experiance.
It doesn't matter if it is soldiers or just worker bees. The fact is that the people at the bottom have a far better understanding of the details than those at the top, while those at the top have a far better understanding of the big picture. Too often those on top refuse to acknowledge the expertise below, but that has nothing to do with process. Those at the bottom need to follow the process in order to stay within the big picture view of where the organization is going.
Dave
January 6, 2011 at 2:03 pm
jay holovacs (1/6/2011)But as a football team needs to know where each player is going to be on a specific play (and a great player violating the play book does not help), an organization needs to know where everyone is, even if the overall plan is sub optimal.
Being European, I think soccer when I read the workd football. And because I know next to nothing about football, I'll answer in soccer style.
The truly great soccer coaches recognise the truly talented soccer players - and give them a free role in their system. They devise a more or less (depending on their preferences and their players' talents) strict system for the other 10 players - but the single top talent is just told to "do what he does best".
I think organizations need to do something similar for their top talents - or lose them.
January 6, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Hugo Kornelis (1/6/2011)
Being European, I think soccer when I read the workd football. And because I know next to nothing about football, I'll answer in soccer style.The truly great soccer coaches recognise the truly talented soccer players - and give them a free role in their system. They devise a more or less (depending on their preferences and their players' talents) strict system for the other 10 players - but the single top talent is just told to "do what he does best".
I think organizations need to do something similar for their top talents - or lose them.
Being European, too, I have to disagree. Even the top player cannot decide to be a goalkeeper on one day and a striker on another day just because he's considered being the "single top talent". He still has his position in the team (maybe he's good at two or three positions), but it's still due to the coach to put him into the position where he can best support the team. But history has shown that even in European soccer you'll find a cowboy here and there. I don't know of anyone being successful over a long period though. Soccer still is a team sport. 😉 And even a soccer team needs a coach to guide them.
January 7, 2011 at 12:21 am
djackson 22568 (1/6/2011)
Joe Johnson-482549 (1/6/2011)
200 years to be a force to be reckoned with? That just doesn't seem that impressive.What's really impressive is that in 5 years (from Pearl Harbor), the US military went from being somewhere around 15th in the world to the primary military power. Talk about process improvement. Wow!
Too bad we've lost that initiative.
We haven't lost the initiative, ultra-left wing idiots are trying to end our strength on the misguided notion that all other countries are trustworthy because they oppose the US.
1. Compared to the Dutch political spectrum those ultra-left wings are considered right-wing conservatives.
2. The story of Hugo Kornelis triggered something in my memory: a Procrustean bed. It was used to make long people shorter and short people longer.
3. If this weren't a site about SQL Server I'd ask to elaborate on 'oppose the US'. :ermm:
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