Community versus Personal Credit
I know how I feel. I know how Mr. Genovese feels. Here is the question.
If the objective is to promote the development of a technology community, should someone be justified in taking personal credit for other peoples' work and effort? This is a real life, real time situation that doesn't have to be specific.
The question is real. In trying to build a technology community, should one person try to take sole credit for the efforts of a group when no one in the group doing the work seeks personal credit or kudos?
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Well, I am not really
Well, I am not really worried about it myself, I really don't have anything of value to contribute, I'm just a blabbermouth. Matt deserves a lot of credit for taking the initiative to do something, providing the infrastructure and a lot of his time and being willing to be the visible figurehead of the community.
Leadership -- thought
Leadership -- thought leadership, leadership by example and by initiative -- has value in all communities of every type and condition.
Credit for that rightfully belongs with the leadership. Other credit goes to those in the community who promote, nuture, sustain, support, and enliven it.
Leaders typically give credit rather than "take credit" when effort and work on the part of others leads to success. Leaders typically take blame -- all the blame -- for failures.
I have no idea what the context or genesis of this discussion might be but would appreciate any links to previous posts or information regarding.
Thanks,
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software & IT Governance
Context isn't important.
Context isn't important. The point of it all is that when groups of people get together to accomplish a common goal, the "me" should not enter into the equation. Yes, it is human nature that it might (or will).
We're cooking up something with door64 and a similar (but not exactly) org. in San Antonio. My statement to the group at the first planning meeting was "the second someone wants to take credit for this, I'm out." I hold to that position, and this subject matter has absolutely nothing to do with the door64 collaboration.
Is it more important that
Is it more important that the credit is distributed fairly, or that the community effort succeeds?
Jane Prusakova
Software Architect & Developer
My blog
Community benefit is most
Community benefit is most important. Sometimes though someone who unwarrantedly takes credit is disruptive.
Good point... I think that
Good point... I think that the community effort's success is most important, however I don't think that we should ignore possible issues of people trying to take credit where it isn't due either, because that can undermine long term success. As hard-core a it might seem taking steps ahead of time to try to prevent such issues ahead of time may be better than to try to solve problems after they occur.
There always going to be
There always going to be someone who claims credit for the work a group of people did. S/he might not be justified in that, but usually this person will be able to get away with it.
Jane Prusakova
Software Architect & Developer
My blog
Jay's comment is well taken
Jay's comment is well taken and I support your view and your stated position.
However, it is inevitable. When credit is available, it will be --rightly or wrongly -- taken.
I'm just remembering that we have Al Gore to thank for the internet ;~)
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software & IT Governance
You know very well that Gore
You know very well that Gore never actually claimed that he invented the Internet.
What he said was exaggerated
What he said was exaggerated a little, but he did in fact overstate his involvement in funding commercial hookups to the internet while he was in the Senate.
He sponsored the 1988 High
He sponsored the 1988 High Performance Computer Act. How is that overstating?
The first link of the
The first link of the Internet was created in 1969, so Al Gore's 1988 involvement in the Internet's creation isn't just overstated; he was just hopping on the bandwagon at that point.
The 1991 Gore Bill may in fact have helped to propel the WWW, with SLAC creating the nation's first site that year; but is the relationship between the events causal or merely coincident?
- John
John, Vinton Cerf himself
John, Vinton Cerf himself has defended Gore's role. ARPANET was the first computer to computer transmision (1969). The misinformation on the subject and frankly the on-going debate over Gore and the Internet is quite boring to me.
The "Al Gore invented the
The "Al Gore invented the internet" thing started as a result of a 1999 interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "Late Edition." It was and is blown out of proportion but what he actually said is worth repeating.
"During my service in the United State Congress, I took the initiative in creating the internet."
His remarks were poorly formed and, as an example of executive communication, somewhat obfuscating and fumbling. He did not intend to say that he had "invented the internet" but he wanted to take a lot of credit for it. That sentence and subsequent fumbling series of remarks lay Al Gore open to a withering series of scathing humor -- certainly out of context and misleading -- that continues to this day... overblown but not entirely undeserved.
As an example of people taking more credit than they are due, the Gore-as-internet-creator incident is perfect. Al Gore was attempting to take more credit than deserved, did so in such a fumbling way that it launched a thousand jokes, created a public embarrasement, and largely overwrote the history of his real accomplishments.
This is what happens when we stumble in the midst of a self-serving frenzy.
For full details of the Blitzer interview and subsequent events: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software & IT Governance
We can "Snopes" eachother
We can "Snopes" eachother all day but the reference is marked as "FALSE."
Blitzer interview
Politics aside (and I have no "affection" for Gore), this "debate" has lasted more years than it was worth in the first place (in my opinion).
With all due respect, I
With all due respect, I believe you may be missing my point in the context of the "Community versus Personal Credit" discussion. The example (Al Gore) is rather infamous and may have been a poor choice on may part but still represents an in context example of how members of a community may attempt to take more credit than is their due. In the case of Al Gore it backfired a bit. In other cases the credit is stolen without repercussion.
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software & IT Governance
Probably right about my
Probably right about my missing the point. It was early (too early).