An Old Knight – in a Rusted Suit of Armor
This morning I was chatting with my Boss, and we were talking about the progress that was being made - and I had to admit, that we are starting to at least work together - as opposed to hold meetings where we disagree, but make no decisions, and just table the discussion for the next meeting. This works to simply make no progress, and it can be quite effective. But we're not there, and that's a really solid move in the right direction.
But that is not to say that yesterday wasn't a challenge. I understand how oppressive a job can be where you are not valued, where you are not listened to - I've worked in them. But the flip-side is no better - where every person in the company feels entitled to reject an assignment because they are self-empowered, and the management team does nothing to dissuade them of that opinion.
So I find myself in the position of, once again, patiently explaining requirements for a project to members of a team that simply will not accept it, and so won't be on the implementation team, and we'll simply have to get new folks. These guys can support the legacy stuff - it's all their stuff, and it'll be around for at least a year or so, so they have jobs, and comfortable ones, but they won't be on the new stuff - because they don't believe in it.
And that got me to make the statement:
I feel like an Old Knight - in a Rusted Suit of Armor. Way past his time.
and it struck me that this was a turning point for me. To see that Honor, Integrity, and Commitment are so vital to me, and so completely foreign to them. For example, I may not like what I'm doing, but it's the Job. It's the social contract on employment - I agree to do the job they ask me, and they agree to pay me the promised wage.
That's it.
No arguments.
My choice, and my power is to change jobs. That's perfectly acceptable. I can change jobs as often as I want, and for whatever reasons I wish. That's my choice and power. But if I'm here, and taking the wage, then by golly, if they ask you to do the job then you do it. Period.
This isn't about being hired as a Data Scientist, and being asked to pick up an AK-47 and defend the CEO's mansion from zombies... this is about accepting a job to develop software, and being asked do just that. It's simple.
But clearly, in today's environment, it isn't. Which is why I feel so completely out of time with many of my co-workers. They can't understand me because they don't have the same sense of what's important to me, and while I can understand why they feel entitled (too many Participation Trophies) it doesn't excuse the behavior.
Just like an Old Knight... in a rusted suit of armor.