The Archived Developer

Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Hanlon's Razor is often a useful thing to remember when dealing with people issues, especially developers. Trust is the key to effective team work. Paranoia destroys trust. The best way to handle problems is two-fold.

First, always assume the best reasonable possible intentions on the person who is causing the problem. This allows a discussion of the problem in a rational light. Also, intentions are difficult to discern and virtually impossible to prove. So working on the objective issue depersonalizes it and allows a solution to be reached more quickly and effectively.

Second - always maximize your own fault in the situation. This has two good effects. One, it puts other people at ease because if you start by taking responsibility, you aren't looking for a scapegoat. Also, it means that you have a legitimate reason for dealing with the issue.

I am not suggesting lying or exaggerating the level of involvement here. That shades in to manipulation and will probably backfire. If you have no involvement in the problem then you should not be talking about it -- MYOB occurs to me. If you have responsibility in the area, then you are also responsible for the problem. Figuring that out and how it applies is the best exercise keeping a clear idea on how to solve.

posted by Gary Williams @ 1:36 PM