I was lamenting the confusing interface to a piece of software the other day, when a colleague said it sounded a bit like 'grousing' because I wasn't able to suggest any improvements. I capitulated, admitting I wasn't close enough to the problem to offer any useful feedback at the time.

Later, though, I was thinking about the exchange, and began to put it in perspective, especially regarding a recent post about the truth being filtered as it made its way up the company hierarchy. ⇒ Read more

Suffering from low morale? Wondering why your crew isn't as chipper as you'd like them to be? Thinking of bringing in an outsider to evaluate their state of mind? Consider this sage advice from a seasoned software engineer:

When the company president hires a psychologist to interview all of the engineers (in an effort to find out what is wrong with the development process), it is probably time to leave. Past time, even.
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I assume that the author of that gem has experienced such nonsense. Or he has a fertile imagination. Or both.

Bob Sutton (co-founder STVP, Stanford University) gives a talk about the true costs of allowing assholes in your organization.

This video (Flash player is required) is well worth a watch (or listen.) I suggest you crank it up during the next staff meeting.

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The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't author: Robert I. Sutton asin: 0446526568

The No Asshole Rule, Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isnt [UNABRIDGED CD] (Audiobook) author: Robert I. Sutton asin: B000TKBYX8

I was thinking about the unpleasant things I've encountered in various workplaces. In my experience, there are few things I find more repugnant than explicit, blatant negative reinforcement.

I am reminded of a scene from The Hudsucker Proxy:

Mail Room Orienter: You punch in at 8:30 every morning, except you punch in at 7:30 following a business holiday, unless it's a Monday, then you punch in at 8 o'clock. Punch in late and they dock you. ⇒ Read more

Other People's Habits: How to Use Positive Reinforcement to Bring Out the Best in People Around You author: Aubrey C. Daniels asin: 007135915X

According to Zogby International, there's a strong correlation between your willingness to apologize and your potential income level.

In a survey sponsored by The Pearl Outlet, Zogby found a significant link:

Americans earning over $100,000 a year are almost twice as likely to apologize after an argument with their other half as those earning under $25,000... ...the more you apologize, the more you earn. ⇒ Read more

Cool Careers For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) author: Marty, PhD Nemko asin: 0470117745

I'm here to teach. And to learn.

Once we move beyond the basics of earning a paycheck, why do I show up for work every day?

Simple. I want to learn. And I want to teach. ⇒ Read more

The San Jose Mercury News reports on a Manpower survey about the aging workforce and employer policies towards that workforce.

The conclusion: Most companies do not have policies to attract or retain older workers. (14 percent have policies to attract and 21 percent have policies designed to retain aging workers.) ⇒ Read more

Stack ranking - or curve ranking - where team members are rated against one another - is used at Microsoft and other companies. Basically, it's rare or near impossible to rank all team members at the same high rate, even if all team members have earned it, because the system requires that some are ranked highly, some are ranked as average, and some are ranked as below average. ⇒ Read more

From the mini-microsoft blog (minimsft.blogspot.com) comes this brilliant, incisive, and right-on comment:

Mini-Microsoft: Goals for a Brave New Microsoft Review and Compensation System: "MS is an engineering company. MS is packed with engineers. Engineers are wired and hired to apply their talents to fixing things. Hence the ongoing string of ideas aimed and fixing things here at MS. ⇒ Read more

A New York Magazine article titled "Boss Science: the psychopathology of the modern American corporate leader" asks: Is there some law of office life that dictates that jerks rise to the top? Here's the introduction:

Possibly, your boss is a truly fine person—wise, kind, perceptive, capable, understanding, the all-seeing director of the office sitcom, the sort of individual one might like to have, in an ideal world, as a parent or a confidant. Or not. In the real world, bosses are known to suffer from a long list of social pathologies: naked aggression, credit hogging, micromanaging, bullying, you name it. According to one report, 60 to 75 percent of employees—it doesn’t matter the organization—say the worst aspect of their job is their boss. It’s not difficult to believe, as one office expert concludes, that “every employed adult will have to work for a bad boss for some significant period.” ⇒ Read more