[Sigia-l] Microsoft way vs Apple way

[Listera]

Andrew Boyd:

> Most managers seem to think that if something is truly outstanding, it
> must have cost too much to produce, and this triggers blamestorming
> behaviour.

Many, many, many years ago when I was starting out as a design consultant,
an agent who used to find projects for me begged me to get her out of a
predicament with her biggest client, a big-eight accounting firm. She asked
me if I could please attend a meeting starting at 10 PM on a Saturday
evening, work through Sunday night and complete the project by Wednesday.
This was a company buy-out presentation to be delivered in London on
Thursday. Because so much money was involved they wanted someone good and,
apparently, the head of the project said he wouldn't care what the person
charged. They'd pay me at about triple my rate.

Anyway, by about midnight Sunday I was done. I wanted to turn it in and go
home. One of their in-house designers told me to wait till late Monday or
Tuesday to turn it in. But I did it anyway.

I came back on Monday. I had no feedback. Nothing more to do. I went out and
walked around Wall Street (still getting paid 3X :-)

I came back Tuesday. No feedback. Nothing more to do. I went out and had
beers with a friend (still getting paid 3X :-)

I came back Wednesday. No feedback. Then I saw the head of the project
hurrying past my door. I quickly followed and asked him if he saw and liked
the design. He said he loved the stuff he saw Sunday. And at that moment her
secretary grabbed him away.

An hour or so later, the head of the in-house design dept came by. I asked
her what happened with my design and if they were pleased. She said those
who saw it loved it. And stopped.

"Those who saw it"? I was young and didn't know what to make of it. I asked
her if there was anything else I needed to do.

Realizing I was thoroughly confused, she quietly explained to me that what I
had designed was too good to go to London. When she saw it Monday morning,
she pulled it from circulation, gave it to an in-house designer and let him
complete it last night. Mine was buried.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They paid me a ton of money and threw
away something they actually liked? She said there was no way the in-house
dept could continue at that level and this would set "unrealistic
expectations in the organization." She signed my papers, thanked me and we
parted.

When I walked out of there that day, I was numb.

---- 
Ziya

Best Practices,
For when you've run out of your own ideas and context.