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See yourself as others see you
Posted by Chris
on
Monday, March 23, 2009
Another revelation today (while not actually getting much work done).
I have no idea how other people see me. I have finally decided that I'm a bit nerdy and came to this conclusion because I spend too long becoming expert in any subject that takes my interest. I can be quite boring to talk to (unless talking to another nerdy person, and then you should see the sparks fly!) and I'm not exactly the life and soul of any party. I'm also pretty conscientious and like to see a job done properly.
So if you're familiar with the Dilbert Cartoons you'll understand how distressing it is to be miscast as any of the major characters.
I work in an IT department (surprise surprise) with a guy who is devilishly clever at avoiding work - in fact, he puts more effort into not working than if he just did the job in the first place! Let's call him Wally.
Then there's the management layer, one in particular who comes up will all manner of crazy and clueless schemes. She will come up with a half-baked idea and - not understanding what is involved - decides it must be simple to implement and sets an impossible deadline. Let's call her a pointy-haired-boss (PHB) - ok the gender is not quite accurate but bear with me.
I was a little too slow clicking the minimize button the other day, just as said manager walked in - she too was a Dilbert fan and identified with the same characters. But she got it totally messed up! In her mind, she was Wally (but in a "aren't-I-clever-pulling-this-being-lazy-stunt" way) while my Wally-like colleague had become the hapless and put-upon Dilbert but the killer was that I'D BECOME THE PHB!! She figured that I was the one who didn't know what was going on because I couldn't decipher what on earth she was talking about most of the time and that made me the dumb one.
I had to go for a lie down.
If everyone who reads Dilbert cartoons associates all the wrong characters to the wrong workmates, who the hell is who? And more importantly, who the hell am I??
I have no idea how other people see me. I have finally decided that I'm a bit nerdy and came to this conclusion because I spend too long becoming expert in any subject that takes my interest. I can be quite boring to talk to (unless talking to another nerdy person, and then you should see the sparks fly!) and I'm not exactly the life and soul of any party. I'm also pretty conscientious and like to see a job done properly.
So if you're familiar with the Dilbert Cartoons you'll understand how distressing it is to be miscast as any of the major characters.
I work in an IT department (surprise surprise) with a guy who is devilishly clever at avoiding work - in fact, he puts more effort into not working than if he just did the job in the first place! Let's call him Wally.
Then there's the management layer, one in particular who comes up will all manner of crazy and clueless schemes. She will come up with a half-baked idea and - not understanding what is involved - decides it must be simple to implement and sets an impossible deadline. Let's call her a pointy-haired-boss (PHB) - ok the gender is not quite accurate but bear with me.
I was a little too slow clicking the minimize button the other day, just as said manager walked in - she too was a Dilbert fan and identified with the same characters. But she got it totally messed up! In her mind, she was Wally (but in a "aren't-I-clever-pulling-this-being-lazy-stunt" way) while my Wally-like colleague had become the hapless and put-upon Dilbert but the killer was that I'D BECOME THE PHB!! She figured that I was the one who didn't know what was going on because I couldn't decipher what on earth she was talking about most of the time and that made me the dumb one.
I had to go for a lie down.
If everyone who reads Dilbert cartoons associates all the wrong characters to the wrong workmates, who the hell is who? And more importantly, who the hell am I??
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