Hmm... so, you wanna know about the schmoe who runs this company?
Well, let's start with the basics.

• 6'1"
• 165lbs - 175lbs. Depends on the holiday season.
• Brown hair, green eyes
• 2 kids, 1 cat and 1 wife
• Smoker, Drinker, Womanizer, Meat Eater, Coffee Drinker ...
• Lewd, crude and sociably unacceptable
• Twisted sense of humor
  

Lets see, did I miss anything?
Don't do drugs. I've got enough vices that are bad for me.

The Foundation

I consider myself to be an intensely focused person, who doesn't shy away from the truth. The simplest way to define my character and personality is to refer to my motto:

"Accept no bullshit, make no excuses."

Now, someone, somewhere is probably very offended by that statement. We'll get into tact later in this essay.

My greatest annoyance with people is, when you ask a question, and you get a line of garbage. You know what I'm talking about, one of those off the cuff rambling answers that don't make any sense, or a cover your butt type of answer. I'm a software engineer by trade and in many ways, by nature. I tend to deal with black and white issues; true and false, right or wrong. So, in my book, "I don't know" is an acceptable answer. I have enough faith that the answer will appear sooner or later. The accuracy of information is by far more important to me than speed with which it is delivered.

Don't misunderstand me, in thinking that I'm very rigid in thought or action. I am fully capable of understanding grayscale, fuzzy logic and moral ambiguity. What I am not capable of understanding is outright lying. Off the cuff answers aren't really lying per se, they are just a line of garbage. I learned long time ago that it is pointless to lie; you'll get caught sooner or later.

In many ways truth is a subjective concept. Three people may see an object, and from their perspectives describe the truth. They may conflict in some ways, but that is due to perspective. Each perspective is valid, and through their sum, a complete truth can be determined.

I try through the best of my ability to tell the truth. Sometimes I'm tactless in the use of truth. As a matter of fact, at times, I swing truth like a bludgeon. I don't hold anything back. Unfortunately, at times, people don't want to hear the truth. We live in this feel good society that requires a lot of ego stroking. Idle flattery is annoying. Now, I should note, that there is a difference between idle flattery and praise. For instance, "You did a good job with ..." is different then: "You're the greatest programmer." The only place where idle flattery is acceptable is between spouses.

Contextual Communication

As a society, we take for granted the concept of context. A good example of contextual communication is vulgar speech. As a child, I wouldn't use the 'F' word in front of my mother, unless I had a death wish. But, with play friends, I would use it freely.

Tact is really contextual communication. For instance, while working with a colleague on a project, something became blatantly clear to me. The code my colleague produced didn't work.

Now, if I knew this person well, I could say: "You suck! This is the worst code I have ever seen. Did you even test it before you handed it to me?"

If I don't know the person well, I could say instead: "This code isn't working as designed. Can you check it over once more?"

Now, both of these statements can be perceived as truth. However, one is less grating than the other. I do know how to use speech in a tactful matter. There is a time and place for everything.

The Failure Path

I have two pet peeves in life. They are actually phrases. The first one is: "I'll try". Now, when you think about this phrase, from left to right, I will try, the meaning is clear. You will attempt to do something. Somewhere in the person's consciousness, failure is an acceptable risk. This irks me for the simple fact that a person might be able to do something. If I'm asking for someone to accomplish a given task, I need to know if it is possible for them to do complete this task. Remember, "I don't know" is an acceptable answer. I can wait until either a yes or a no answer is given. I can't wait until the critical moment comes, and the task is not completed. By that time, it's too late.

My second pet peeve is the infamous phrase: It's not my job. Now, in the workplace, my understanding is that every employee has a vested interest in the future of a company. To use this phrase, you are basically saying, you don't care whether failure or success is in the future. As a matter of fact, you are simply stating that you are a parasite to the company, sucking up resources. Now, in keeping with context, it's okay for the janitor to say, It's not my job when a product doesn't work. But, for someone on a software team to say that, well, I take off the gloves when I answer. Tact is definitely not used.

So, in short, I think I've described myself correctly. For more information, you can always keep your eyes open for the Rants, found on the left hand side of the web page.

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.