Kindly Opinionated
There is a certain archetype in tech where the ideal techie is the one that has opinions, and is always right. What if there's a kinder way of being that commands respect all the same?
Strong opinions suggest competency, until one is a blathering fool.
Loose holds clear the air, until there is nothing of substance.
Immaturity is to be content with either; wisdom is to be in possession of both.
There is a certain archetype in tech where the ideal techie is the one that has opinions, and is always right. It has brought many great bounties to the practitioners, thus the practice proliferated, like a blight threatening the roots of civility.
These days it’s tech; it is easily the case anywhere for anything high stake and lucrative. Where visibility is rewarded, she who shouts the loudest, wins.
This image of certainty allows us to rely — dare I say outsource — off our problems and responsibilities as a perverse form of risk management in our heads. Said human crystal ball however is imperfect in some form not immediately apparent. There is false safety in concessions which is not apparent until it is too far, too late. If a project falls to the ground in flames, who had allowed it to burn? The onus still rests equally on the rest of the party regardless of the decision-maker.
Of course, in order to be honest, one must first be able to afford to do so.
On the other hand, it too is possible for one to go throughout one’s career never being about anything, from the trivialities of deciding where to lunch to the spotlight of architectural tradeoffs. When one blends in, natural as the air in which one breathes in, does one truly matter?
To exist without consequence is to be without significance. It is false security: all downside, no upside. The passive individual is the one to whom things happen — not the one who made it so. A professional, in contrast, is the one who is expected to make things happen. Therein lies the incongruity, and the prime cause of so many misguided projections of the overly strong nature in the pursuit of professionalism — which works for a while, but overlooks a major blind spot: that one’s own expectations is not the consensus.
The short and limited nature of our attention means that appreciation is a rare commodity never given to the commonplace. When one has the tendency to work in the background, one would do well to put in the extra effort to be visible. Be wary of excessive peace-making: in which one keeps the truth hidden, and respect eluded.
First do good work, indeed, but when credit’s due: accept humbly, for credibility is a professional’s one true asset.
Conviction in one’s decision is how one lives with one’s self, while constant self-disprovement is the best remedy against complacency and conformity.
An astute individual, capable of applying these in appropriate situations, holds the secret sauce of grit and glam.
To be always right, one too has to be right that one is at times wrong, thus piercing the thin foil of perfection; but that is not the real danger. The real trouble starts when one is right for enough times to narrow one’s field of vision as the only true path. The beloved Javascript framework of today might be tomorrow’s JQuery, and dismissing one’s peers never does wonders of converting them into believers of XYZscript, either.
In life, one should always strive to acquire the power to choose. Should the fertile grounds become poisoned, should one stay or should one go? As well it goes without saying that do not poison yourself and your surroundings with what you say and do. A vindictive persona does more harm than it does contribute; thus judge nicely, the jury is your peers.
Can there be attributions without blame? Perhaps compassion is the true unicorn in a disposable culture.