Re: Non-TW supervisor

["Walter Campbell" <atypicaluser -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Of the seven supervisors I've reported to as a tech writer, three had a TC
background and four lacked one. For me, the differences among supervisors
had less to do with whether they had a TC (or managerial) background and
more to do with their character, attitude, and perceptions of me.

With non TC supervisors, I usually try to map my world to theirs, to explain
what I do (and how I do it) by comparing it to activities familiar to them
(as a dev manager, QA manager, etc.). I've likened tech comm to development,
quality assurance, and customer support.

I've also found that before I can "explain my world" I need to understand
theirs. My relationship with a non TC supervisor often begins with my
interviewing them about their job, background, experiences, etc.

Those familiar with The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (which I
just finished) will recognize this as the "Seek first to understand, then to
be understood" precept.

Walt

On 5/9/06, arroxaneullman -at- aol -dot- com <arroxaneullman -at- aol -dot- com> wrote: