help desk...
I'm supposed to be an account manager, sometimes project planner, sometimes tech adviser. But what I really do all day at my job, is man a help desk. From seven in the morning, until five at night, it seems that all I do is put things right. Which, in and of itself, is not really a bad thing, but sometimes I wonder what would happen if I decided to go four-up one day. What would the guy on the other end of the phone, who probably makes twice what I make, do if suddenly I wasn't there to tell him how to do his job? What would happen if I wasn't there to tell the person who is supposed to know all the processes involved in their portion of the work flow, what they're supposed to be doing next? Would the wheels of progress suddenly grind to a halt? I think not. One of the skills I've tried to impart on people is how to think for themselves. How to not look at the problem, but how the solution effects things very far down the road. How to detach themselves from the "here and now" and think about things from an entirely different, far away perspective. Sometimes it works. Mostly, not...
So, what would happen if I suddenly wasn't there anymore? Probably nothing. They'd find someone else to shoulder their woes and still come out looking like a genius as if they they dialed my extension. It would be interesting for me to learn how to say "I don't know" once in a while, if only to enjoy the stunned silence on the other end of the phone.
I have a friend who works for a very, very prestigious corporation. Very high up. In fact, he's in that "I don't know what he does, but we can't get along without him" position. He's so, I want to say, respected, but I don't think that's the right word... maybe feared... no, that's not it either... eccentric? Yeah, that's it. He has the proverbial Corner Office that looks out over the Manhattan skyline. In one corner of his office is a fake palm tree. With a fake monkey hanging in it. And sand and seashells on the floor. And a huge Tiki god in the other corner... He calls me once in a while and when I pick up the phone and say hello, he farts into the phone and hangs up. And, I think he gets away with it, not because people fear him or think he's nuts, I think it's because he knows how to say "I don't know". I don't know how to do that. I want to, but I don't know how. I know what his real job is, and he's the best at it I've even encountered, but his advantage is that he gets to do his job, not everyone else's. I'm ranting, I know, but I really piss myself off anymore. I just with I didn't care so much...
gah.



wander with me...