About Managing (anything)

[Gary David Bouton]

This bit of wisdom was expressed to me once when I was very young by my dad. Funny thing is that it was expressed exactly the same when it was published in "Red Herring" magazine (used to be the best SOHO coverage on Earth; now it sucks like "Publish" mag):

-Ask a manager whether s/he works for his employees or whether the employees work for him.

-A lousy manager will say, "Why, don't be stupid. Of course my subordinates work for me."

-An enlightened manager will say, "If my subordinates look bad to upper management, *I* will look bad. It is my responsibility to work with my subordinates to solve their problems and make us, as a group look good."

Sharon, I'm sure with a group this small, you will give perwsonal attention to anyone who is confused or stalled about the Group Effort here. I just want everyone to know that Sharon is working FOR you, and to treat her with the respect that creates a successful collaboration.

I've seen this right way of thinking work tremendously for companies both large and small. Hewlett Packard, as a corporation, thinks this way.


Sincerely,

Gary David Bouton
Gary@GaryDavidBouton.com
Free education! The Writings Web site
and the updated GaryWorld Gallery is pretty okay, too.

[Gary David Bouton]

This bit of wisdom was expressed to me once when I was very young by my dad. Funny thing is that it was expressed exactly the same when it was published in "Red Herring" magazine (used to be the best SOHO coverage on Earth; now it sucks like "Publish" mag):

-Ask a manager whether s/he works for his employees or whether the employees work for him.

-A lousy manager will say, "Why, don't be stupid. Of course my subordinates work for me."

-An enlightened manager will say, "If my subordinates look bad to upper management, *I* will look bad. It is my responsibility to work with my subordinates to solve their problems and make us, as a group look good."

Sharon, I'm sure with a group this small, you will give perwsonal attention to anyone who is confused or stalled about the Group Effort here. I just want everyone to know that Sharon is working FOR you, and to treat her with the respect that creates a successful collaboration.

I've seen this right way of thinking work tremendously for companies both large and small. Hewlett Packard, as a corporation, thinks this way.


Sincerely,

Gary David Bouton
Gary@GaryDavidBouton.com
Free education! The Writings Web site
and the updated GaryWorld Gallery is pretty okay, too.

[mom_de_bomb]

Gary, please keep in mind that I never asked for this job. I merely commented at one point, that we were going about things bass ackwards.

This is because I envisioned all of us putting in hours of work modeling only to find out later that sizes and file formats were incompatable, or that maybe whoever could reconcile all the different files might not have enough ram or something. My last computer fried after I tried to create a fountain. It only had 6 objects in it.

Also, people were already modeling and rendering. what if someone got slighted later because they had put in a lot of work and their piece wasn't used?

There had been talk about acting like a real studio and I thought about real studios and that they plan first and create later. The planning is 80% of any art job, in my mind. I find this to be true in any art job I do computer or not.

So I asked if we weren't going about things bass ackwards.

Personally I LOATHE managing anything.

I'm a single mom and my children are rebellious as kids naturally are. I spend all my time working and working and never getting ahead, only to be rewarded with whining when it's time for them to do chores or homework.

I just quit a job being a shift manager in a Pizza Hut, where most of the crew are fly-by-night and couldn't care less, leaving the shift managers to do the bulk of the work because they were the ones held responsible.

So you see managing sucks because you have your own work and everyone elses too, sometimes.

But you asked me to handle organizing and you said that you need my help. OK.

I think we can have some fun here, create something really good to put in our portfoilos (You know, for our interviews with ILM [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] ), gain some experience, develop our community here at Talkgraphics, get to know eachother better etc..., so that's fine, let's get to it.

Just because I am the one organizng the beginning planning stage, doesn't make me the boss or anything like that. (Actually, IMHO the person who's sketch is chosen should be the director of their "Vision").

As far as giving out assignments after we vote, I am completely unqualified and someone else will have to take care of that. I don't know enough about programs or 3D for that matter. I've only done 3 pieces in my life.

So, thats where I stand.

I would really like to know where you stand, Gary. You seem to be asking my help one minute, steamrolling over it the next, saying you need me another time, ignoring me after that, pleading with me to participate and then not answering a direct question about my participation, and now this thread which at first glance seems supportive but I can't really tell.

Sharon P.
www.fischerpassmoredesign.com

[This message was edited by mom_de_bomb on October 02, 2001 at 09:12.]

[Mark (theKeeper)]

...guys this thread is starting to look like the script for a Soap Opera. hahaa [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif[/img]

Let's all get on the same page shall we?

I like, and agree with Gary's post above. Good points well spoken.

Mom...
I also concure with your views and hope to be as supportive as i can of your position.

We've posted a page where everyone mentions the programs they use, and what their general prefs are for taking on part of the workload... i'd suggest reviewing that thread to see how best to deligate each task to each person involved.

And so there we have it... carry on! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[mom_de_bomb]

Sorry folks, especially Gary. Sorry for being crabby today.

I'm just swamped right now with having to correct 43 pages of code because, like a moron, I didn't realize that tripod was case sensitive and none of the links worked and half of the pictures couldn't be found.

And all this after I grossly underestimated my time when I quoted a flat rate.

I also, stupidly, didn't specify how many pictures, assuming the new website I was doing would have the same amount as his last one. Then it turned out to have at least 100 more pics, all needing resampling and resizing.

I really don't mean to be impatient, sorry.

Sharon P.
www.fischerpassmoredesign.com

[This message was edited by mom_de_bomb on October 02, 2001 at 22:36.]

[Gary David Bouton]

I understand and appreciate the sincerety of your position on managing the studio, Sharon. I heard every word you said, and for me---the Eternal Child--it's hard for me to not butt in on occasion. I did not realize that this messed up your schedule and head further than it needed to be.

I therefore, will be the Ad Hoc Adult for the span of the project. I voted this morning for the winning pose, and I will retouch anything that needs retouching at the end of the piece.

Nothing more in-between, promise. No kibbutzing, nada.


My apologies and My Best on all this,

Gary David Bouton
Gary@GaryDavidBouton.com
Free education! The Writings Web site
and the updated GaryWorld Gallery is pretty okay, too.