Month: November 2008

On Assumption

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Friday morning, I woke up with a horrendous cold. My throat was sore, my sinuses were stuffy, my ears hurt, and my nose couldn’t find the “off” valve on the snot spigot. (Hope you weren’t eating…) I couldn’t sleep, and my brain was as stuffy as my sinuses. I decided to stay home, since I was non-functional and felt pretty crappy.

Mid-morning, I had to troubleshoot a minor (but extremely annoying) issue that some of the users were having. I felt like it was a Sisyphean task with my stuffy brain, but got it done. The next issue, however, I could not in any way solve, and I had to leave that to my extremely capable staff.

Obviously, I found it frustrating that I wasn’t operating at 100%. I knew that I had disappointed people, who were hoping that I had some insight to add to the technical challenge.

After my nap, I realized that I tend to assume that my geeks will always be operating at 100%, and so do our customers (the infamous “users”). And this is a fundamental fallacy that many leaders tend to follow, because not everyone can be 100% all the time. In fact, in today’s stressful world, it is probably rare to find someone at 100% any part of the time.

I haven’t yet figured out a way to communicate this to the users (“Please be patient–we’re human and trying our best, but we can only do so much” doesn’t play well), but I can certainly keep it in mind while leading my geeks.

New About Post

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I realized my first one was way out of date:

Having the misfortune of sharing a name with a porn star (boy, did that shock my father when he Googled me!!), I realized that I wanted to look at my online personal brand and start building it. Then I realized that I cared less about personal branding and more about sharing my thoughts with the World. My thoughts on leading fellow geeks or complaints about grammar, that is.

My name is Jenn Steele, and I am a Leader of Geeks.

I am the director of information technology at Morrison Mahoney LLP. I hold an MBA from the Simmons School of Management (2008) and a B.S. in biology from MIT, with a minor in expository writing. Prior to Morrison Mahoney, I was the director of information technology at Donovan Hatem LLP from 2002-2007, and the senior applications specialist at Burns & Levinson LLP from 2000-2002. I also have held positions in the health and human services industry.

I live in Waltham, Mass. with my husband and utter lack of any other living things (pets, plants, children, etc.). My hobbies include fine wine, single malt scotch, physical fitness, science fiction television, and epic fantasy novels. I have an obsession with figuring out what motivates people, and tend to concentrate on scientists and technologists. I have a severe Blackberry addiction with no plans for rehab any time soon, much to my husband’s chagrin (although I did take it off vibrate mode and now only check it every 20-30 minutes or so while at home).

Words that have been used to describe me include:

  • Refreshing
  • Straightforward
  • Honest
  • Intimidating
  • Inspirational
  • Odd
  • Funny
  • Intelligent
  • Blunt
  • Perceptive
  • Weird

My speaking engagements and articles include the topics of interpersonal conflict resolution, social networking, professional development, and business disaster recovery/business continuity.

My Myers-Briggs type is ENFJ. This likely gives me an amusing perspective on geek life.

My goal in life? I want to lead geeks. Or lead those who lead geeks. I think that the general mindset of those who choose to go into technology is, uh, different, and thus requires more thoughtful leadership. My personal strengths are in strategy and leadership. Apparently, I have been accused of having people skills and a sense of humor as well. As such, I can be a liaison between geeks and Other Folks.

I also blog for Simmons at http://www.simmons.edu/reconnect/jenn-steele/.

Enjoy!

The Grammar Geek LOVES This

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From http://www.laughitout.com/2008/11/english-is-such-difficult-language.html

  • The bandage was wound around the wound.
  • The farm was used to produce produce.
  • The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse
  • We must polish the Polish furniture.
  • He could lead if he would get the lead out.
  • The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
  • Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
  • A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
  • When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
  • I did not object to the object.
  • The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
  • There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
  • They were too close to the door to close it.
  • The buck does funny things when the does are present.
  • A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
  • To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
  • The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
  • After a number of injections my jaw got number.
  • Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
  • I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
  • How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?