Job security vs. paranoia?

[Anonymous]

I have this person in our company that is pretty smart (many years of
autocad, including some programming), but refuses to share with others what
they know. This person keeps stating that their knowledge is their job
security and if this person told others what they knew then their job would
be 'less attractive' to those who oversee and sign the checks. I think this
person is a tad paranoid.

I feel that we all have things to share, but I personally do not give out
everything. If they have a question on a topic, I will give them the answer
to that topic and not a thesis on the history, theory and future of it.

Example of today - I showed a new user how to create a quick TIN for them to
use in a profile. I did not go down command-by command of every option
available on the Terrain Model Exploer. I gave them what they needed to
accomplish the task. This same person went to the aforementioned person for
the same information and was shut down.

What do you all think?

Rick

[Anonymous]

Those that share, get shared with, those that don't are on their own. There was a guy here like that when I hired on. A handful of us would share with each other, playing off each other and bouncing ideas. In less than 6 months he went from top-dog to just a dog. After 20 years in the business and 10 with ACAD, he left and helps with his dad's dry cleaning shop.

[Anonymous]

The person you share with today, might just be the person
who gets you out of a bind tomorrow !

You can't know everthing and all principles, someone else
might just know a different way or method.

Personally, if someone is willing to ask me a question then I am
willing to share with them the answer, (or what I think the answer is)
and show them how and why.

Just have a look at any of these newgroups, where would we all be
without the presence of all others willing to share.

That person sounds very paranoid, but maybe something has happened
previously that has affected him/her.

Don't shoot them down without knowing why.

Regards
Andrew McDonald.

"Rick Graham" wrote in message
news:D35A0316229B497D08BE34009849B8A4@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I have this person in our company that is pretty smart (many years of
> autocad, including some programming), but refuses to share with others
what
> they know. This person keeps stating that their knowledge is their job
> security and if this person told others what they knew then their job
would
> be 'less attractive' to those who oversee and sign the checks. I think
this
> person is a tad paranoid.
>
> I feel that we all have things to share, but I personally do not give out
> everything. If they have a question on a topic, I will give them the
answer
> to that topic and not a thesis on the history, theory and future of it.
>
> Example of today - I showed a new user how to create a quick TIN for them
to
> use in a profile. I did not go down command-by command of every option
> available on the Terrain Model Exploer. I gave them what they needed to
> accomplish the task. This same person went to the aforementioned person
for
> the same information and was shut down.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> Rick
>
>

[Anonymous]

"this person" at your company couldn't have that much experience because
their attitude is extremely unprofessional and immature. There aren't any
secrets about Autocad for one thing. If that person is concerned about
their job security they should be more concerned about their personality
traits and how they get along with their co-workers. One can only grow by
sharing what they know. I've worked with the people that think they are
"Experts" (people who have stopped learning) and didn't want to share. I
share anything I can with my co-workers, it makes the job a lot easier. In
fact we have CAD meetings where we brainstorm and share anything new that we
have learned. It really helps.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they really don't know as much as they claim and are afraid someone
might realize that. Usually people who are knowledgable about a subject have
no problem sharing that knowledge.

--
Tim Riley


"Rick Graham" wrote in message
news:D35A0316229B497D08BE34009849B8A4@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I have this person in our company that is pretty smart (many years of
> autocad, including some programming), but refuses to share with others
what
> they know. This person keeps stating that their knowledge is their job
> security and if this person told others what they knew then their job
would
> be 'less attractive' to those who oversee and sign the checks. I think
this
> person is a tad paranoid.
>
> I feel that we all have things to share, but I personally do not give out
> everything. If they have a question on a topic, I will give them the
answer
> to that topic and not a thesis on the history, theory and future of it.
>
> Example of today - I showed a new user how to create a quick TIN for them
to
> use in a profile. I did not go down command-by command of every option
> available on the Terrain Model Exploer. I gave them what they needed to
> accomplish the task. This same person went to the aforementioned person
for
> the same information and was shut down.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> Rick
>
>

[Anonymous]

My own belief is that the more one helps his co-workers, the more valuable
he is. I joined my company as an AutoLISP programmer, and I held a class to
teach as many of my co-workers as were interested AutoLISP programming. I'm
still here. And if and when my company no longer needs me, I'll have some
good stuff to put on my resume.

Randy

"Rick Graham" wrote in message
news:D35A0316229B497D08BE34009849B8A4@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I have this person in our company that is pretty smart (many years of
> autocad, including some programming), but refuses to share with others
what
> they know. This person keeps stating that their knowledge is their job
> security and if this person told others what they knew then their job
would
> be 'less attractive' to those who oversee and sign the checks. I think
this
> person is a tad paranoid.
>
> I feel that we all have things to share, but I personally do not give out
> everything. If they have a question on a topic, I will give them the
answer
> to that topic and not a thesis on the history, theory and future of it.
>
> Example of today - I showed a new user how to create a quick TIN for them
to
> use in a profile. I did not go down command-by command of every option
> available on the Terrain Model Exploer. I gave them what they needed to
> accomplish the task. This same person went to the aforementioned person
for
> the same information and was shut down.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> Rick
>
>

[Anonymous]

i feel your pain !

at least i know i am not the only one to deal with people like that.

I recently had a tip in cadalyst hot tip harry.
the cad manager ( title, not position ) asked where i got it from.
I replied that i wrote it.
the cad manager replied that he thought i stole it & i didn't have the
talent.
I replied that i had plenty of talent & he was out of touch with the NEW
world of autocad.

fourtunately i perform my job functions in an excellent manner, all the
designers, engineers are behind me on that.

i guess everybody has to collect health insurance somehow, even crusty old
cad managers.

[Anonymous]

Who cares? Marginalize the person, encourage the others to share and be part
of the team, this one person will either eventually join in, or move on.
Life's too short and busy to worry about one person not sharing their
'candy' with you, find someone that will, and share back.

Loners are useless IMHO.

--
Dean Saadallah
Add-on products for LT
http://www.pendean.com/lt
--

[Anonymous]

your opinion stinks. I sincerely hope you do not manage anybody.
Everybody has a purpose. If somebody is unwilling to share, don't squeeze
them out, keep them involved. Perhaps they may just come around.

[Anonymous]

i kinda agree...but what if its the LONER who knows whats going on and noone
else cares to listen?

Jaime

"sparc" wrote in message
news:C80EFEF379BF98F0FF726576A50BA88F@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> your opinion stinks. I sincerely hope you do not manage anybody.
> Everybody has a purpose. If somebody is unwilling to share, don't squeeze
> them out, keep them involved. Perhaps they may just come around.
>
>

[Anonymous]

>> your opinion stinks.<<

Gee, the post from Dean I read said " this one person will either eventually join in, or move on."

We keep people who wish to be part of the team. We need people to do whatever it takes when the chips are down to get the job out. That means training, teaching and sharing with the other team members. If they don't wish to be part of the team they need to work elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Gee, the part of the post where Mr. Saadallah
expressed his opinion was:

"Loners are useless IMHO"

Did you miss that?  It is my opinion that that
attitude is unprofessional.

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"OLD-CADaver" <
href="mailto:rculp@chicagobridge.com">rculp@chicagobridge.com> wrote in
message
href="news:f1a296f.9@WebX.maYIadrTaRb">news:f1a296f.9@WebX.maYIadrTaRb...

> your opinion stinks.<<

Gee, the post from Dean I read said " this one person will either
eventually join in, or move on."

We keep people who wish to be part of the team. We need people to do
whatever it takes when the chips are down to get the job out. That means
training, teaching and sharing with the other team members. If they don't wish
to be part of the team they need to work
elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Being a loner is fine when you work for yourself. Otherwise, where's the
benefit to the company? I'm easily the best CAD person in our office
(there's only 20 of us, not *that* much competition :-)) -- where would I be
if I hoarded all my knowledge? Overworked and resented by my peers,
probably. I can't imagine how it wouldn't benefit me to share my
experience -- my workload goes down as other people improve, and I earn
respect for my CAD abilities and my teamworking skills.

Anyway, from what I hear, everything you do on the job belongs to the
company -- including any programs this guy might have created. (I think if
you do it with your own time and resources it's different.) I'm with Dean --
find some books or a class if you need it, but leave the loner in his own
little world.

-Kate

[Anonymous]

As the "LOANER" in my last company I will say this...

I tried and tried and tried to get my people to show interest in learning
new and exciting things. I created help files, standards documents, CAD
newsletters, held training sessions answered questions with detailed info...
but NONE of them wanted to learn any of what I had to share... so, after a
year or two I said to myself "Fine... let em figure it out for themselves"!
So... when things started falling apart... guess who got the blame! And this
was AFTER I had expressed my concerns to management about the lack of
motivation in some of those people!

Several left... only to be fired from the new companies they were hired at
because they did not know enough about the software they were using!
Bummer... their fault!

After a bit more time, I got fed up and left as well! Now... much of this
can be placed on the company itself... very few of us wanted to be there to
begin with... but if nothing else, they should have used it as an
opportunity to learn as much as possible (liked I did) before moving on to
new positions!

Just my $.02

Rob



"Kate M" wrote in message
news:F398E90126A269F030968A25276B9908@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Being a loner is fine when you work for yourself. Otherwise, where's the
> benefit to the company? I'm easily the best CAD person in our office
> (there's only 20 of us, not *that* much competition :-)) -- where would I
be
> if I hoarded all my knowledge? Overworked and resented by my peers,
> probably. I can't imagine how it wouldn't benefit me to share my
> experience -- my workload goes down as other people improve, and I earn
> respect for my CAD abilities and my teamworking skills.
>
> Anyway, from what I hear, everything you do on the job belongs to the
> company -- including any programs this guy might have created. (I think if
> you do it with your own time and resources it's different.) I'm with
Dean --
> find some books or a class if you need it, but leave the loner in his own
> little world.
>
> -Kate
>
>

[Anonymous]

My $.02 is that if you share, you are not afraid of someone else's talents or growth. It is imperative to the department to grow. If you work on your own (from home for example), your learning gets muted. When you are in a group of people (cad group), you learn fropm everyone.

We had people here that were sharp and shared - others did not. The team players usually shine, while non-team players ususally weed themselves out.

Not that all loners are useless, quite the opposite - it is up to the manager to see each individuals value and expertise and use it to the best of the project.

I have learned from cad experts and cad amateurs. We all can't be Indian chiefs.....

[Anonymous]

Rick,

This is such an old topic in most firms. Here's a person who thinks they
know so much and refuse to share with anyone. I have found these people to
be less adept than they claim to be. If they were thinking clearly, sharing
there knowledge would increase productivity firm wide and if they had half a
brain cell they would document the information and pass it to the "check
writers" at review time. If they don't pony up to keep such an efficient
"go-getter" in-house then they can take there "all-mighty powers" to another
firm who is willing to shell out for thier "cad prowess".

Bull!!!

As I always tell my son (and clients for that matter) no matter how good you
think you are, there is always someone better. So tell this attention
seeking CAD zealot to get off his proverbial high horse and share the
wealth. I does not matter how much he knows about CAD, he can be fired to
raise profits for the head dogs just as easily as the other guy.

I apologize for the rant, but primadona's burn my hump.

--
Dean McCarns
ESP,Inc.
804.675.2377
"Rick Graham" wrote in message
news:D35A0316229B497D08BE34009849B8A4@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I have this person in our company that is pretty smart (many years of
> autocad, including some programming), but refuses to share with others
what
> they know. This person keeps stating that their knowledge is their job
> security and if this person told others what they knew then their job
would
> be 'less attractive' to those who oversee and sign the checks. I think
this
> person is a tad paranoid.
>
> I feel that we all have things to share, but I personally do not give out
> everything. If they have a question on a topic, I will give them the
answer
> to that topic and not a thesis on the history, theory and future of it.
>
> Example of today - I showed a new user how to create a quick TIN for them
to
> use in a profile. I did not go down command-by command of every option
> available on the Terrain Model Exploer. I gave them what they needed to
> accomplish the task. This same person went to the aforementioned person
for
> the same information and was shut down.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> Rick
>
>

[Anonymous]

When it comes to sharing knowledge the way I see it
is if I help someone become more efficient I'm putting more money in my pocket
as well as theirs and everybody else in the company because I'm reducing the
amount of time it takes that individual to complete their task.

The only personal problem with this is that by me
having to take the time to show them how to be more productive I takes away from
my productivity for the projects I'm working on. Since this is the case for me
on many occasions I make it a point to point this out to my project manager as
well as the principal just so that they know whats going on. Luckily for me
my bosses are understanding and appreciate that I make it my mission
to improve our production methods (architectural firm).

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"hpcapers" <
href="mailto:harry.capers@fluor.com">harry.capers@fluor.com> wrote in
message
href="news:f1a296f.13@WebX.maYIadrTaRb">news:f1a296f.13@WebX.maYIadrTaRb...

My
$.02 is that if you share, you are not afraid of someone else's talents or
growth. It is imperative to the department to grow. If you work on your own
(from home for example), your learning gets muted. When you are in a group of
people (cad group), you learn fropm everyone.

We had people here that were sharp and shared - others did not. The team
players usually shine, while non-team players ususally weed themselves out.

Not that all loners are useless, quite the opposite - it is up to the
manager to see each individuals value and expertise and use it to the best of
the project.

I have learned from cad experts and cad amateurs. We all can't be Indian
chiefs.....

[Anonymous]

sharing is a necessary fact. It is also a way to feel very good, knowing
you have just helped someone solve a problem. We all know those times when
something is critical, stress is overpowering, and somebody offers the
solution. The relief is tremendous. When I help someone and they tell me
thank you, if it is on email or on the telephone, I know the feeling of
relief I just provided and I feel very good.

Your co-worker didn't learn everything by him or herself. Somebody offered
help along the way, and the pay-back is to offer help to the next person.

If no one offered to share information, architecture would be a process of
inventing the wheel over and over, every day.

Jack Talsky


"Rick Graham" wrote in message
news:D35A0316229B497D08BE34009849B8A4@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I have this person in our company that is pretty smart (many years of
> autocad, including some programming), but refuses to share with others
what
> they know. This person keeps stating that their knowledge is their job
> security and if this person told others what they knew then their job
would
> be 'less attractive' to those who oversee and sign the checks. I think
this
> person is a tad paranoid.
>
> I feel that we all have things to share, but I personally do not give out
> everything. If they have a question on a topic, I will give them the
answer
> to that topic and not a thesis on the history, theory and future of it.
>
> Example of today - I showed a new user how to create a quick TIN for them
to
> use in a profile. I did not go down command-by command of every option
> available on the Terrain Model Exploer. I gave them what they needed to
> accomplish the task. This same person went to the aforementioned person
for
> the same information and was shut down.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> Rick
>
>

[Anonymous]

AMEN Jack!

"Talsky" wrote in message
news:050F3B21075D7ADF4AD12046DB69A45B@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> sharing is a necessary fact. It is also a way to feel very good, knowing
> you have just helped someone solve a problem. We all know those times
when
> something is critical, stress is overpowering, and somebody offers the
> solution. The relief is tremendous. When I help someone and they tell me
> thank you, if it is on email or on the telephone, I know the feeling of
> relief I just provided and I feel very good.
>
> Your co-worker didn't learn everything by him or herself. Somebody
offered
> help along the way, and the pay-back is to offer help to the next person.
>
> If no one offered to share information, architecture would be a process of
> inventing the wheel over and over, every day.
>
> Jack Talsky

[Anonymous]

Talsky wrote:

> ......If no one offered to share information, architecture would be a
> process of
> inventing the wheel over and over, every day.

That is very well put... and goes for all industries and designing disciplines,
as well as, life and how to live it & enjoy it.

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Tracy W. Lincoln
Assistant Moderator - Autodesk Discussion Forums