October 16, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item When Times are Tough, Do You Rise to the Occasion?
Brad M. McGehee
DBA
October 16, 2010 at 1:35 pm
As frustrating as such scenarios can be on a personal level it is important to remember that we are professionals and that we should conduct ourselves in a professional manner no matter what the situation is. Given whatever situation we should never take it personally and always give the best, most honest advice we can give based on the actual circumstances. With that being said I also know there are lots of politics played especially during tough times, so it is also important to point out all the reasons why an organization is in any given situation and how things could have been different, but always from the perspective of looking forward to find ways not to repeat the same mistakes again.
October 16, 2010 at 3:57 pm
I agree with the previous reply to be a professional, but definitely cannot agree with that fact, that you has to just accept the non fair under belt kick from your surroubding, what can be your company, manager etc.
I think the most important thing in this kind of situation is to identify what is important for you in life- what are your prioritees. Because maybe the fired DBA and the cutted headcount is the opportunity to show your qualiities. But maybe the unfairness pushes you to decide no to waste your time with those people and simply move on. Definitely if you have a clear vision about your goals and you are aware of your values, you know what to do.
October 16, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Scenario 1: As per this scenario, the DBA should gets hands on the new third party application and try to find out why it is performing poorly on the Sql Server and see upto what level things can be fixed. Also let the management know the problem exist in the third party application if there is any and try to involve that third party for fixing the issues.
Scenario 2: As per this scenario, there are two aspects
a. In tough time yes, person should show professionalism, but we should also remember that a company is not run by a single professional person (you), but it is run by all professional employees including the decision makers. If the decision makers try to become un-professional and if problems starts affecting your performance, work-life balance, they you need to sit and prioratize the important things ahead in your life and take course of action accordingly.
b. related to purchase of hardware, I think DBA responsibility is to inform the management about the current situation and tell him upto what limit he can go ahead and manage the things/performance and when the break down will happen. If management is dumb to understand the situation and ready to put entire operation/company into jeopardy it is better to leave company.
October 16, 2010 at 5:07 pm
A couple of things before we go on and on about professionalism.
What is professionalism? Does professionalism mean that I sacrifice my life for the good of the corporation? Does it mean that I subsume myself to the larger mission, regardless of the consequences? Nope. Didn't think so.
Here are three things my dad told me that I carry with me every day. They factor in every decision I make:
1. There are only twenty-four hours in a day.
2. You can't put ten pounds of potatoes in a five-pound bag.
3. If the situation is killing you, get the hell out.
Number 1 is immutable. Number 2 is your call as it applies to your situation. Number 3 is not negotiable.
October 16, 2010 at 7:38 pm
I was told many times in the past is it better to be right or employed?
October 16, 2010 at 8:06 pm
a. be thankful that you still have a job.
b. think like the manager and help him/her guide their decisions to suit you. They have to make
hard choices too and if you are there to help make those hard choices right, then it benefits
you as well.
- Prioritize the hardware purchases needed or create alternatives
- Discuss the pros/cons and risks associated with not replacing or doing the alternative
- Document the activities that the other DBA is doing and ask to purchase tools that
can alleviate the additional workload.
October 16, 2010 at 9:53 pm
is it better to be right or employed?
For the small day to day irritations, maybe it's better to be employed. Maybe. For the big issues it's better to be right - assuming being "right" means being true your standards and ethics and values.
Before you decide it's better to be employed, ask yourself what's going to happen when your boss asks you (out the side of her mouth) to alter that query for the annual report ever so slightly so that a "small problem" gets put to one side for the time being? Try explaining to the judge that you were just following orders. If your boss is smart she won't put it in writing and you're on your own.
Many years ago I was asked verbally to "optimise" data in order to take advantage of a particular government funding stream. Even as a pimply-faced callow youth I knew it stank so I said "I'm happy to do what ever you give me clear written instructions to do." Nothing more came of it. A few years later I read in the paper that staff at a similar organisation had been sacked for doing much the same thing that I had baulked at. The organisation had been caught with its hand in the government cookie jar and do you think it was management that carried the can? Of course not, it was the expendable plebs at the bottom of the food chain that got the boot because there was no paper trail and they did not question the verbal instructions they had been given.
So what's a "big issue"? Well, anything that smacks remotely of fraud is a good starting point. Trouble is that so few people involved with data (whether entry, administration or reporting) know what fraud is. In my part of the world (can't speak for anything more widely than that) you don't have to receive a cash (or any other tangible) benefit to be guilty of committing fraud. Any sort of intangible benefit you might get for misrepresenting the actual state of affairs can be deemed to be fraud. For example you might be trying to impress your boss to set yourself up for a nice promotion down the track, if you produce data that makes your boss look good. You'll be seen as "compliant" and "cooperative" and "helpful". Once you buy into that sort of behaviour at any level though, you can easily become trapped. Just don't do it. Sure, by “being right” you might miss a few promotions and you may even be encouraged to leave if you get a reputation for being difficult, but if you're both diligent and principled you will be employable. Maybe you won't get the fancy new convertible or the bragging rights over your friends, or the beachside villa. At the end of the day, who cares?
...One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that ones work is terribly important.... Bertrand Russell
October 17, 2010 at 4:44 am
GPO, I agree with your comments 100%. I am no longer with that company not by choice but it worked out anyway.
The good news on that is the pain in the *** manager got the boot with me.
I would never do anything unethical or load the data deck to change the outcome of anything. Now if I were asked to make such a change I would get it in writing print it out and forward it to my personnel email account. Always CYA
Now when it comes to CYA I TNO(trust no one) do not rely on files,email.... being saved on some network.
I have had whole email threads disappear when you go to reference them. Email administrators may be asked to do something off the record too.
October 17, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Wow,
sounds like you guys have worked for some shifty employers! In 10 years of working in IT I've never even heard of anyone being involved in any kind of cloak and dagger stuff. If someone asked me to get involved in anything unethical, I'd ask for the request in writing and then ensure that the "proper authorities" were made aware. . . now where did I put that whistle????
October 17, 2010 at 8:57 pm
For me, as I always practiced and believed, we DBAs must stand firm in protecting the integrity of the data and a proper change management process must be practiced accordingly - no matter who the requester is and no matter how small or temporary the request might be.
It is not just about the job or being employed. It is all about integrity. Same goes when you are asked to recommend certain product while you favors a different one. Would you stick with your choice or the one that is recommended to you?
Well, back to the scenarios:
A) The DBA, may need to work extra hours to identify the problem and tune the database performance as necessary. But, make sure the boss aware of this effort officially so that the DBA will (hopefully) be rewarded accordingly for the efforts.
B) The DBA should make as many ppl aware of the man power issue to ease up the pressure. And, if he/she is up for it, take all the responsibilities up and do a good job at it, and ask for rewards (big bonus/promotion). If no reward is given what so ever, it shows that the company is lacking in staff recognition. Hence, if the workload pressure is too much and no one is taking care of the DBA, then IMHO he/she better seek for a new job.
One thing that many employers failed to do is to recognize the the importance of DBAs. Most of the time, unfortunately, DBAs are viewed as staffs with less importance with small and redundant job scope since the company already have maintenance contract with the 3rd party vendors.
I used to be treated as such but now not anymore. But one thing that is not changed is the pressure and the reponsibilities. No matter where I go, the pressure of being the DBA is mainly the same. But, I love my job and I accepted the risks that comes with my job. 🙂
October 17, 2010 at 9:27 pm
As has been said many times, 'Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.'
Not being born wise, I've hopefully learnt enough by experience to 'know the difference'.
Scenario A would likely require some research why the application is performing poorly on SQL Server, followed by a discussion with the vendor to review the research and consider possible remedies. At no time should the discussion take on an adversarial tone. The goal is to find mutually-acceptable solutions. Even if none is found, others will note the effort was made.
Scenario B seems all too common in this era of fiscal constraints. Each individual's personal circumstances are different, and the additional demands placed by an employer on one's time and energies may be acceptable to one person, but not to another.
My own philosophy is that an employer's demands must not cross certain 'red lines':
* They must not adversely affect my health, both physical and emotional.
* They must not adversely affect my ability to be an attentive, caring spouse and parent.
* They must not present a long-term impediment to my career growth and goals.
If any demands prove to cross these lines, it's time to find a new job. No-one should be asked to give of one's self to the point of surrender.
October 17, 2010 at 10:44 pm
The answer is the same answer as to anything else... "It Depends".
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
October 18, 2010 at 4:20 am
Jeff Moden (10/17/2010)
The answer is the same answer as to anything else... "It Depends".
sadly it is......
at my previous place, I was on good terms with my management, so would happily laugh at them when they did not listen to me and had things go wrong.
Current place I would not do it in the same manner.
one of my other previous places had similar happen, I spoke to management who said nothing they can do, I have to live with it. My response was to resign... They were not interested in me, job satisfaction, quality of life, they just wanted to save money. So I happily walked.
October 18, 2010 at 5:02 am
This situation is already reality for 2 years and counting 😉
other options are:
- cope with it
- wait for an occasion
- accept you can only do as much as you can. (that is actually a benefit for yourself as for your company)
Johan
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