IEEE Spectrum's Tech Talk

Too nice can be a problem. One should always balance niceness with a degree of assertiveness.

In other words: No, you don't have to be a conniving prick to succeed, but also be sure to sell yourself, and stand up for yourself - as well as what is right.

In the referenced story, perhaps if Stuart would have pointed out that Doug was a lying, conniving prick, Kelly would have been less of a clueless bimbo.

If not, at least he would have stood up for himself.

Good post, standing up for yourself fairly doesn't constitute one as a prick. Other pricks may think of that at the time, but in the end the true colors usually always show.

Exactly, GA
This is precisely what happens in reality, the people at the top havn't a clue WTF is going on and are too busy covering their own arses and playing politics.
The bad decision will come back to haunt them as the good people will leave.
But the good guy wins in the long term, as he is out of the bad company and will hopefully end up somewhere where he is valued.

The bad guys generally fail long term, the sad thing is they do a hell of a lot of damage on the way, and sadly make themselves well off by stuffing their pockets while they can. Hmmmm financial institutions? Any parallells?

The HR manger (complete waste of space was probably also got at by Doug)
Del

Believe me when I say that this is true of all industry, not just engineers. And it is wrong. Just keep in mind that Bill Gates was a nice guy in school and he got crapped on for it, now look at him. And he is still a nice guy.

we don't always finish last, but we do have a harder time getting to the top.

Bill Gates was a shrewed business man, he would and did take advantage of any opportunity from in business. Was he a prick. . . . only to his competition and people he collaborated with.

This a totally relative question. Each job has it good and bad requirements. Highly agressive people do not make great programers they lack the patience for the coding.

While highly assertive people are needed for some sales postions other who are just doing their jobs are the best salesmen. It depends on the product. If your selling conveyor belts to a coal company the highly assertive person would be wasted there while the guy who shows up and take an inventory week after week and replaces the stocks without bothering the main office with his salemanship works out great.

One can be a nice guy and finish first but not if you are naive.

One who is of virtue and yet sees the baseness around them, takes appropriate measures, and yet maintains their virtue is to be followed, consulted, hired, or made an Allie. They are few and wise.

The ignorant nice guy is but fodder for the base. The nice guy then makes the choice to: not be a nice guy; be a victim and a nice guy; or be a nice guy and deal with the base.

The last choice, virtue, is not the easiest path. It requires creative solutions that the base have no need to spend the energy to formulate.

The path least followed.

Brad

Heard this week on NPR that Dilbert got laid off. Not sure if he was a nice guy or not, but thought I'd share that here. Nice guys finish first is my mantra (or so I'd like to think). :) - Larry

Hi All,

To nice guys finishing last is not part of their life's equation!

But I could do with some help - if I was wanting to hire an electrical engineer based somewhere in and around London is there a internet bulletin board I can use? It used to be that you could go on a usenet and try but I don't know what to do nowadays! And I don't feel like dealing all the time with people who are only after your dough! this is not normally nice guys!

Cheers Rogerzz