This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by Michael Cote. Original Post: Coté Goes Psycho, or, Make 'Em Feel Smart Feed Title: Cote's Weblog: Coding, Austin, etc. Feed URL: https://cote.io/feed/ Feed Description: Using Java to get to the ideal state. Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by Michael Cote Latest Posts From Cote's Weblog: Coding, Austin, etc.

I tend to be a pretty even keeled person. At times, horribly boringly so, e.g., I'll eat almost anything, so I'm shitty at deciding where to go for lunch.

So, it's always shocking to me, not to mention others, when I fly off the hook. I did that this morning to poor old JP while talking about The Build at work.

Beneficially, I crystalized an insight about myself: I get angry when I find myself in a situation that I don't have the power to fix, and I go completely psycho when that situation starts to make me feel like an idiot. I imagine most wonks are like this, as it's their daily bread to be knowledgeable and smart: hence the phrase, "knowledge worker."

In that way, it's a good sort of herding cats idea there: making your people feel smart (or, avoiding making them feel like an idiot), will probably keep their moral up pretty high. Of course, it's a good marketing ploy too. If your product or service makes people feel smart, they'll probably be huge fan-boys and -girls of it.