Already a member?
Welcome to Brazen Careerist!
Emily Ma is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Emily Ma and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Brazen careerist
Where ambitious young professionals connect and grow
Email
Print
People who make our jobs harder never cease to amaze me. Because of some fleeting whimsy, they dole out orders, execute actions or change procedure giving little forethought to the consequences.
For example, a co-worker of mine has to clean out a database filled with contacts from imported lists. These lists sometimes contain duplicates, sometimes not.
How do you know?
An indicator in the form of a question mark appears next to each name. So, you can ferret out the ones that are duplicates. Then, merge them with the originals already existing in the database.
Did I mention that there are thousands of contacts?
Yes, it’s a boring, tedious and repetitive task, but it needs to get done. But having a little help made the work easier, nonetheless.
Unfortunately, somebody decided they didn’t like the way question marks looked in the database. They removed them. Every. Single. One. Also, the double whammy is that this certain somebody needs to have the list free and clear of duplicate contacts because they desperately want to avoid calling existing customers. If not, they’ll be in trouble. BIG TROUBLE.
Of course this person was told about the “mistake.” Their response, “I didn’t like the question marks.”
Now, my co-worker has to go through each and every contact. Search for duplicates, whether they exist or not. It slows down the project. And perhaps, the department’s time line is shot.
Oh well. Somebody didn’t like question marks.
So, you see folks, people who make your job harder don’t have good reasons for making it harder. And if they do, you know why up front - not afterwards. But usually, they just make things harder for themselves, whether they realize it or not.
Plainly, that just makes them idiots.
For more timely, relevant, and engaging articles,
subscribe to Brazen Careerist.
- How To Find a Writing Partner Who Can Help You Achieve Your Goals and Make More Money
- A New Kind of Business Mover and Shaker
- The Anti-Stalker’s Guide for Converting Online Contact into Real World Collaboration
- Continuing Education: Extending Learning Beyond Your Campus Years
- Why You Might Be Better Off Without a Job After College
Comments
01.07.09
Despair.Com (of course) has the final words:
"When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do."
"Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up."
"Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk."
There is more at http://despair.com/viewall.html
01.08.09
That site is actually hilarious Jrandom...where do you come up with this stuff?
01.08.09
Some of it is from Despair.Com and their mockery of those motivational posters. Most of it is from my own experience. Some people call it cynical, but it's more satirical than anything else. It follows that old idea that, if something is so big, so important and so sacred, that you can't make fun of its absurdities, then something is very wrong.
Got Something To Say?
Got Something To Say?
Not a Member? Brazen Careerist is a career management tool for next-generation professionals. Set up a free account today to comment on this post and start sharing your ideas. Learn more.
Login to view your networks!
 |
 |
|
|
 |
