Comments on: First make someone responsible and put them in the middle http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/ Working with nerds for fun and profit Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:54:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: zoey http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-33880 zoey Tue, 05 Dec 2006 01:21:31 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-33880 I got one of these jobs once by accident. I worked really hard on a project, some one noticed and when the project was over I didn't want to go back to what I normally did so I was offered this officially non-existent position. Actually someone had retired and after a couple of weeks people started to realize that he had been working after all. I kicked ass and got things running smoothly in spite of not knowing anything about the technology. I was under paid, worked crazy long hours, took the work home in my head, spent sleepless nights solving problems and eventually got an award (I was a Hidden Hero!) at a big event where I met a vice president on a stage in front of hundreds of people and went home with a back pack full of branded goodies. My position had a time limit and once the goal was achieved I was supposed to find myself another job within the company. I realized that while I was really good at this kind of management it was making me crazy so I took some time off and went back to school (to finish the BA I hadn't finished the first time out). Fast forward to today- I am almost finished with that BA (actually a BS) and I really don't want any of the jobs that it will qualify me for. I find my self longing for my "in the middle job." I think that I have learned enough along the way to do it without driving my self nuts. The thing is that I don't know how to get that job. I don't think it gets listed on Monster. Any thoughts on how to find one of these would be appreciated. zoeyka at yahoo dot com I got one of these jobs once by accident. I worked really hard on a project, some one noticed and when the project was over I didn’t want to go back to what I normally did so I was offered this officially non-existent position. Actually someone had retired and after a couple of weeks people started to realize that he had been working after all. I kicked ass and got things running smoothly in spite of not knowing anything about the technology. I was under paid, worked crazy long hours, took the work home in my head, spent sleepless nights solving problems and eventually got an award (I was a Hidden Hero!) at a big event where I met a vice president on a stage in front of hundreds of people and went home with a back pack full of branded goodies. My position had a time limit and once the goal was achieved I was supposed to find myself another job within the company. I realized that while I was really good at this kind of management it was making me crazy so I took some time off and went back to school (to finish the BA I hadn’t finished the first time out).

Fast forward to today- I am almost finished with that BA (actually a BS) and I really don’t want any of the jobs that it will qualify me for. I find my self longing for my “in the middle job.” I think that I have learned enough along the way to do it without driving my self nuts. The thing is that I don’t know how to get that job. I don’t think it gets listed on Monster.

Any thoughts on how to find one of these would be appreciated.
zoeyka at yahoo dot com

]]> By: Nerdherding for Beginners » Blog Archive » Make someone responsible and put them in the middle (part 2) http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27672 Nerdherding for Beginners » Blog Archive » Make someone responsible and put them in the middle (part 2) Wed, 10 May 2006 10:21:46 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27672 [...] There were a couple of comments on my First make someone responsible… post that I’d like to highlight. [...] […] There were a couple of comments on my First make someone responsible… post that I’d like to highlight. […]

]]> By: musings of an iconoclast: tarun upadhyay’s blog » how to deliver good software without a process? http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27558 musings of an iconoclast: tarun upadhyay’s blog » how to deliver good software without a process? Mon, 08 May 2006 22:04:49 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27558 [...] Interesting point made at Nerdherding, that sometimes - and only sometimes - things work even when you have no process. Your projects still come under time and on budget. The expectations of your executives and customers are met. Yeah, you have a good, smart team but what else? [...] […] Interesting point made at Nerdherding, that sometimes - and only sometimes - things work even when you have no process. Your projects still come under time and on budget. The expectations of your executives and customers are met. Yeah, you have a good, smart team but what else? […]

]]> By: Tarun Upadhyay http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27557 Tarun Upadhyay Mon, 08 May 2006 21:47:32 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27557 Been there. Done that. Completely agree. I will agree that this role is useful when you dont have a full-fledged process but regardless of whether you have or do not have a process; if you have a late or overbudget project then this is probably the only thing you can quickly change that will make a significat difference to its time-frames or cost. Been there. Done that.

Completely agree. I will agree that this role is useful when you dont have a full-fledged process but regardless of whether you have or do not have a process; if you have a late or overbudget project then this is probably the only thing you can quickly change that will make a significat difference to its time-frames or cost.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27365 Anonymous Thu, 04 May 2006 17:07:13 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27365 From my experience, the difficult part of this is finding someone or getting someone to really CARE about the project. Any resources or thoughts you have on getting people to CARE? From my experience, the difficult part of this is finding someone or getting someone to really CARE about the project. Any resources or thoughts you have on getting people to CARE?

]]> By: MattH http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27334 MattH Thu, 04 May 2006 00:46:49 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27334 Great post and great comment by Iang! You both hit the nail on the head. The man (or woman) in the middle has to bridge the gap between nerds and management and be content with the fact that both sides think the middle layer is unnecessary. Keeping both sides happy and getting none of the credit takes a special individual. Ahhhh, middle management. Great post and great comment by Iang! You both hit the nail on the head. The man (or woman) in the middle has to bridge the gap between nerds and management and be content with the fact that both sides think the middle layer is unnecessary. Keeping both sides happy and getting none of the credit takes a special individual. Ahhhh, middle management.

]]> By: Iang http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27321 Iang Wed, 03 May 2006 17:15:21 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/05/02/first-make-someone-responsible-and-put-them-in-the-middle/#comment-27321 I definately agree, but in my experience, few really want to do the job. It's a mess of contradictions - the job is mostly communications, but you need to be a technical expert otherwise the techies will snow you. The job is about compromise, negotiation and swallowing ones ego; but getting the technical skills required to face up to the people you are managing requires the reverse of that. The Internet age has made it even worse, taking 'coolness' and mindless babble on web pages to new heights. Worse, neither the big cheeses nor the bright shining stars really value or understand the role ... so the quiet communicator is less well paid than the noisy star. When the pay for the coordinator is better, everyone wonders why, because he or she never seems to actually ... do anything! And when they finally succeed in taking over the lucrative position, and discover what the job is, your average guru doesn't last 2 weeks before he's found some secret niche he can hide away in and do some 'special project' ... leaving the real job open again. I definately agree, but in my experience, few really want to do the job.

It’s a mess of contradictions - the job is mostly communications, but you need to be a technical expert otherwise the techies will snow you. The job is about compromise, negotiation and swallowing ones ego; but getting the technical skills required to face up to the people you are managing requires the reverse of that. The Internet age has made it even worse, taking ‘coolness’ and mindless babble on web pages to new heights.

Worse, neither the big cheeses nor the bright shining stars really value or understand the role … so the quiet communicator is less well paid than the noisy star. When the pay for the coordinator is better, everyone wonders why, because he or she never seems to actually … do anything! And when they finally succeed in taking over the lucrative position, and discover what the job is, your average guru doesn’t last 2 weeks before he’s found some secret niche he can hide away in and do some ’special project’ … leaving the real job open again.

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