RE: [SAGE] Help! Multiple platforms in a Dell Shop

["Brock, Anthony - NET" <Anthony.Brock@oregonstate.edu>]

> On Friday, January 13, 2006 at 9:08 AM, Brad Knowles wrote:
> At 3:17 AM -0800 2006-01-13, Jennifer Davis wrote:
> >>>   I don't think encouraging people to consider themselves 
> a soulless cog in
> >>>   a machine is very appropriate or professional.
> >>
> >>  	You may not like what I said, but that doesn't make it 
> any less accurate.
> >
> >  Disagree.  It's a way of looking at the glass.  Half 
> empty, half full,
> >  enough, not enough.. whatever the case may be.
> 
> 	What you're describing are matters of perception.  But 
> matters of 
> perception don't change facts.

Agreed. However, our perception of events often changes how we deal with
it. The correct attitude and approach at work can directly impact the
influence you wield on coworkers, supervisors and clients.

> 	Yes, we may be able to cajole, wheedle, inform, 
> influence, or do 
> a whole lot of other things to/with upper management, to try to 
> convince them to adhere to the same company policies that everyone 
> else has to.
> 
> 	But that's still completely different from having the authority 
> to outright enforce the policies.
> 
> 	You have to know the boundaries between your circle of concern 
> and your sphere of influence.

I agree that we rarely have the direct authority to impose anything.
However, my experience has show that this usually isn't needed. In fact,
most of the times I've "had the authority and enforced it" resulted in
my loss of the authority.

Very few policies should initially be enforced with "authority". Most
should be encouraged through education, reminders and a more subtle
approach. I've learned to only step up to wielding "authority" when this
fails, which also happens to be when most people will agree that I've
been more than reasonable. Anything else breeds resentment, resistance
and (eventually) a coup.

Ultimately, our jobs are less about enforcing or wielding explicit
authority than developing the influence to encourage decisions that
comply with our needs (which is a more powerful and subtle form of
authority). Just my two cents.

Tony