What do you want?
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Chris Austin wrote:
I pay them well and am very flexible about working conditions, time off and, I don't nickel and dime them over hours.
It sounds like you provide a great environment for people. The fact that you actually care about these things is a real advantage in terms of retention. One thing that might help you get more results (i.e. less :baaaa!:-ishness) is if you started linking some of the perks with actions / attitudes that you'd like to encourage. Right now, everyone probably says, "This is a great place to work." While that's a good start, you'll get more action when people see that they're also recognized and tangibly rewarded for taking the initiative. This doesn't mean your "perks" budget has to get bigger. You could simply take some of the things you were planning to do, and instead of just handing them out, waiting for someone to be an exemplar. When they do, even if the first one isn't truly astounding, you throw a perk at them, make a big deal of it, and say, "That's what I'm talking about." It's often not even the size of the perk - it's making a big deal of it. People work for money. They'll walk on water for recognition, as long as it's sincere and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies. You could simply buy 'em two shots at the bar - "This one's for coming up with the idea, and this one's for making it happen!" Others will begin to see that you treat your innovators like rock stars, and they'll be inspired to compete amongst themselves to see who can be the most brilliant and innovative. When that happens, and you see one guy off in the corner ignoring it all, well, that shows you where you can cut expenses. If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs. :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs.
Thats pretty reasonable and great insight. I've always been better with the carrot than the stick.
Christopher Duncan wrote:
and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies.
LOL! I got one of those once and left it in my cube when I left the company 3 weeks later. The only thing worse IMO are "cake" celebrations.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
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Dunno, probably depends how well you write the book.
-- If you view money as inherently evil, I view it as my duty to assist in making you more virtuous.
Then clearly, I'm in trouble. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs.
Thats pretty reasonable and great insight. I've always been better with the carrot than the stick.
Christopher Duncan wrote:
and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies.
LOL! I got one of those once and left it in my cube when I left the company 3 weeks later. The only thing worse IMO are "cake" celebrations.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
Chris Austin wrote:
The only thing worse IMO are "cake" celebrations.
Hey, at least you can have a food fight with it. :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Right now I have all of them but there are worries about layoffs with the merger. I'm hedging my bets because I love it here. Except the Chatty Cathy's. Although the Fran Drescher Laugher is moving to another building. :-D
leckey wrote:
Except the Chatty Cathy's.
Well, now we know what to get you for Christmas. A caseload of Nerf bats. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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I want an office with a door. I am tired of the cubicle life. I need the reduced interruptions that an office provides. I would also appreciate the respect that it brings.
A severed foot is the ultimate stocking stuffer. - Mitch Hedberg
Tom Welch wrote:
I want an office with a door.
Amen. I work in a "remote" office and all the developers work in a cubicle farm. However, all the developers at our main office have individual offices. On our company's recruiting page it talks of how the developers are isolated so they can concentrate on their work. Yeah right. I'm getting real tired of the guy across the aisle from me. He seems to come down with a case of Turretts syndrome when his code doesn't work (which is almost daily).
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Just as soon as I can get the damned Delorean to start again. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Shucks, and here I am all out of flux capacitors to give you. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] Donate to help Conquer Cancer[^]
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leckey wrote:
Except the Chatty Cathy's.
Well, now we know what to get you for Christmas. A caseload of Nerf bats. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
I've worked here over a year. A guy from my group was talking to one of the Chatty Cathy's (who sits a whole 2 cubicles from me) and he said, 'send it to Leckey' (although he used my first name.' CC said, "Leckey who?" Am I freaking invisible?
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I want an office with a door. I am tired of the cubicle life. I need the reduced interruptions that an office provides. I would also appreciate the respect that it brings.
A severed foot is the ultimate stocking stuffer. - Mitch Hedberg
Tom Welch wrote:
I want an office with a door.
Yep. The first time I had one it was as if my world had suddenly changed. The next time you are job hunting make working conditions a priority over pay. I did just that 4.5 years ago and it was 100% worth it.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
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I know just what you mean. In fact, that's why I named my company Practical Strategy Consulting. If stuff doesn't work out on the streets, it's pretty much useless. Do you think if I gave them the step one, two, three approach that more would be motivated to start taking charge of their careers?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
The problem with the step approach is you miss steps. I really don't know what would be the best chapter by chapter approach, probably why I am not published.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest Hemingway -
I've worked here over a year. A guy from my group was talking to one of the Chatty Cathy's (who sits a whole 2 cubicles from me) and he said, 'send it to Leckey' (although he used my first name.' CC said, "Leckey who?" Am I freaking invisible?
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs.
Thats pretty reasonable and great insight. I've always been better with the carrot than the stick.
Christopher Duncan wrote:
and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies.
LOL! I got one of those once and left it in my cube when I left the company 3 weeks later. The only thing worse IMO are "cake" celebrations.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
Chris Austin wrote:
LOL! I got one of those once and left it in my cube when I left the company 3 weeks later.
The one I got had a $25 gift certificate which is the only thing that I ever pinned to my cubicle wall. :laugh:
This blanket smells like ham
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That's the sort of thing I can easily cover in a book. Do you think if techniques for understanding these things were outlined that techies would be motivated to try them, or would it be too traumatic for them to interact with others?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
techniques for understanding these things were outlined that techies would be motivated to try them
It seems to me that motivation comes from within. If a person is motivated, and now armed with these techniques from your book, yes the person will try them. An unmotivated person who reads the same book, not so much. Of course there are often times outside factors driving one's motivation. But reading a book on career development, no matter how good it is, just doesn't seem like one to me. So to actually answer your question, probably. ;) Those who find it "too traumatic," well there's likely no helping them. BDF
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That certainly sounds like a modest and achievable goal. What's standing in the way of you getting it?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
I have requested one, but the main thing in the way is corporate politics. Senior and middle management are given offices. Everyone else goes without. Other than that, they would have to build more office space. And that's doable. They are already building more offices for new management positions.
A severed foot is the ultimate stocking stuffer. - Mitch Hedberg
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Other than the lazy part, you'd be surprised by how little all the rest has to do with your ability to make more money.
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
That lazy part's a real doozy though. Why else would i spend time thinking up all the other excuses instead of doing something useful? :->
every night, i kneel at the foot of my bed and thank the Great Overseeing Politicians for protecting my freedoms by reducing their number, as if they were deer in a state park. -- Chris Losinger, Online Poker Players?
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Shucks, and here I am all out of flux capacitors to give you. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] Donate to help Conquer Cancer[^]
How to tell your a Nerd 101 Lesson 1: talk about lending flux capacitors to other people :-D
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown
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TDDragon wrote:
Car: no problem just a company polacy, only after working there for at least 1.5 years you get a car
You're talking about a company car then, not a personally owned vehicle? That wasn't apparent in your original post.
-- If you view money as inherently evil, I view it as my duty to assist in making you more virtuous.
yeah sorry about that I was talking about company car I just bought a second hand car for the first 1.5 years now so...
If my help was helpfull let me know, if not let me know why. The only way we learn is by making mistakes.
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TDDragon wrote:
More money: only started working 7 months ago so it's normall that that's not going to happen soon.
That's an invalid assumption, but as long as you believe it, it will be true. My careers in several industries over the years have verified that it's all about how you present yourself. When I started programming in '89, I had no college and only 5 months of self training on the living room computer at my house. I took my first job for $16k (little more than minimum wage). 10 months later, I started changing jobs once a year (or less), increasing a minimum of $10k per job. If I believed I had to slug it out with one company and accept what most people accept, 5 years later I would have only received a modest increase. Promotion and car work the same way. The only difference between me and you is that when I started programming, it was already my third career. That means I had enough road behind me to realize I could get whatever I could sell. No need to settle for less, man. Just show people why you're worth it. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Good advice thank you But I promised myself to at least work for 2 years at this company since I had 3 other jobs before this one each for about 2 months or so (but I got bored of them or they weren't what I expected)so... But I have been keeping track off the jobopenings at other companies just to see what's out there. anyway I'll keep you'r advice in mind thank you
If my help was helpfull let me know, if not let me know why. The only way we learn is by making mistakes.
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I want the skills necessary to achieve the direct contracts, the pinnacle of success as I see it, in the consulting world.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayEnnis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
I want the skills necessary to achieve the direct contracts
SBIR contracts. Three times a year, multi-skills, everything from translating software languages to building advanced neutron collectors from lego sets (okay, the latter is a slight exaggeration). :)
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Hey, folks. I'm doing more research for my next book, and as many of you know I tend to focus on the career aspects of the biz rather than techie stuff. I figure we have a pretty good variety of people here, which gives you a strong collective voice. What non-techie things do you want from your job / career (promotion, more money, work / life balance, more decision making authority, flexibility, etc.), and what are the problems that keep you from getting them?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
What non-techie things do you want from your job / career (promotion, more money, work / life balance, more decision making authority, flexibility, etc.), and what are the problems that keep you from getting them?
startup steps. I know it has been done, but it seems everyone wants to put their fingers in the pot. You either pay someone to do it for you, or you start making calls, find their requirements, and find out who has put in an extra form you have to get approved before you get started. :) I wish there was a better way.... Calgon take me away!!!.... ;P
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
What non-techie things do you want from your job / career (promotion, more money, work / life balance, more decision making authority, flexibility, etc.), and what are the problems that keep you from getting them?
startup steps. I know it has been done, but it seems everyone wants to put their fingers in the pot. You either pay someone to do it for you, or you start making calls, find their requirements, and find out who has put in an extra form you have to get approved before you get started. :) I wish there was a better way.... Calgon take me away!!!.... ;P
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Of course, you have the best of both worlds. The joys of entrepreneurship, and the delight of corporate and governmental bureucracy. Oh, joy. Paying someone else has never looked so good. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com