What separates the professional/craftsperson from the "good worker" is the ability to keep in mind the effect of the work/end product on the user. And the professional considers the effect on the user as a fundamental part of the work excellence.
Kathy Sierra (CPU Blog) talks about teams that follow "the Hollywood Model", where people come together with their respective skills and talents, and DO something." and then: "Employees shouldn't be sleeping in cubes to prove they're "passionate employees."
Kathy goes on with her 4-quesetion test to see if someone has a passion for their work:
* When was the last time you read a trade/professional journal or book related to your work? (can substitute "attended an industry conference or took a course") This month (Feb: NextGen Librarian's Guide to Survival.
* Name at least two of the key people in your field. Gary Price and Judy Field, and Ran Hock, and Gary Notess, and Mary Ellen Bates and E. Walker - DOD library...and...
* If you had to, would you spend your own money to buy tools or other materials that would improve the quality of your work? Yes, I often do
* If you did not do this for work, would you still do it (or something related to it) as a hobby? Yes, I really think I would... I'm hooked
Interesting, her test doesn't include the perspective of the user....
Final paragraph from Ms. Kathy:
"when I say I have a passion for a particular piece of software, it's not really the software I'm passionate about. It's always about my passion for what the software lets me DO. Companies should work the same way. By acting like a good UI and letting employees express the passion they have for their work, you'll end up with employees who'd never consider going elsewhere."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment