TITLE: Humility and Revolution
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: July 03, 2006  4:55 PM
DESC: 
-----
BODY:
Three quotes for what amounts in most American workplaces
the middle of a long holiday weekend.  The first two remind
me to approach my teaching and administrative duties with
humility.  The third reminds me of we in America celebrate
this holiday weekend at all.

... from
<A HREF="http://secretsofconsulting.blogspot.com/2006/05/weinbergs-consulting-target.html">
   Gerald Weinberg</A>:

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
When I write a book or essay, or teach a course, I have
one fundamental measure of failure, which I call Weinberg's
Target: 

After exposure to my work, does the audience care less about
the subject than they did before?   

If the answer is Yes, I've failed.
 
If the answer is No, I've succeeded, and I'm happy for it.
Perhaps you consider my goal too modest.  Perhaps you aspire
to something greater, like making the student learn something,
or even love the subject.  Oh, I'm not dismayed by such fine
outcomes, but I don't think it's a reasonable goal to expect
them.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

We can do much worse than communicate some information
without dampening our audience's natural enthusiasm.

... from
<A HREF="http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/05/not-managing-software-developers.html">
   Steve Yegge</A>:

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
If you don't know whether you're a bad manager, then
you're a bad manager.  It's the default state, the
start-state, for managers everywhere.  So just assume
you're bad, and start working to get better at it.
...
Look for things you're doing wrong.  Look for ways to
improve.  If you're not looking, you're probably not
going to find them.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steve's essay doesn't have much in the way of concrete
suggestions for how to be a good manager, but this
advice is enough to keep most of us busy for a while.

... finally, from the dome of the
<A HREF="http://www.nps.gov/thje/home.htm">
   Jefferson Memorial</A>,
via
<A HREF="http://scienceblogs.com/principles/">
   Uncertain Principles</A>:

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility
against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

A mixture of humility and boldness befitting revolution,
of thought and government.
-----