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Eastlake 3rd 2 Motorola Laboratories 3 Expires April 2005 October 2004 5 How to Gain Prominence and Influence in Standards Organizations 6 --- -- ---- ---------- --- --------- -- --------- ------------- 7 8 Donald E. Eastlake 3rd 10 Status of This Document 12 By submitting this Internet-Draft, I certify that any applicable 13 patent or other IPR claims of which I am aware have been disclosed, 14 or will be disclosed, and any of which I become aware will be 15 disclosed, in accordance with RFC 3668. 17 Distribution of this document is unlimited. Comments should be sent 18 to the author. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet 19 Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. 20 Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as 21 Internet-Drafts. 23 Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months 24 and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any 25 time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference 26 material or to cite them other than a "work in progress." 28 The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at 29 http://www.ietf.org/1id-abstracts.html 31 The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at 32 http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html 34 Copyright (C) The Internet Society 2004. All Rights Reserved. 36 Abstract 38 Following some simple guidelines can make it easier for you to gain 39 prominence and influence in most standards organizations. 41 Table of Contents 43 Status of This Document....................................1 44 Abstract...................................................1 46 Table of Contents..........................................2 48 1. Introduction............................................3 49 2. Human Organizations.....................................3 50 3. Eighty Percent of Success is Showing Up.................3 51 4. Sit Up Front............................................4 52 5. Break Bread.............................................4 53 6. Develop Friends and Mentors.............................5 54 7. Be Helpful..............................................5 55 8. Learn The Traditions and Rules..........................6 56 9. Acronyms and Special Terms..............................6 57 10. Pick Your Points.......................................7 58 11. Technical and Communications Skill.....................7 59 12. Do Not Try Too Hard....................................8 61 13. Informative References.................................9 62 Copyright and Disclaimer...................................9 64 Author's Address..........................................10 65 Expiration and File Name..................................10 67 1. Introduction 69 There are guidelines that can help you gain prominence and influence 70 in most standards and many other human organizations. It only takes 71 normal communications and technical skills and moderate effort to 72 follow these guidelines. 74 2. Human Organizations 76 All organizations composed of human beings give the appearance to 77 newcomers of having an inner clique that runs things. This happens 78 whether there is a semi-permanent cohesive inside group that actually 79 tries to keep all power in its own hands or those in positions of 80 power are genuinely trying to be open and willing to share and there 81 is a system for their regular replacement. It is just the nature of 82 human society. It always takes time and effort to get to know new 83 people. [Carnegie] 85 All organizations have procedures. It always takes time and effort 86 to learn how things get done in an organization. In an organization 87 of any size, those who happen to be in positions of authority just 88 can't spend equal time talking with everyone about every issue in the 89 organization. Their positions mean they will necessarily be in many 90 conversations with each other and fewer conversations with the 91 average member. And there really are some types of information that 92 should normally be kept confidential, at least until verified, and 93 sometimes even then. For example, charges of ethical or other 94 violations against individuals. 96 But, despite all this, following some simple guidelines can greatly 97 accelerate the rate at which you will become favorably known in an 98 organization. 100 Favorable prominence can increase your chance of being selected for 101 positions such as editorship of documents, secretary or clerk of a 102 group (so you get to produce the record of what *actually* happened), 103 or possibly even some level of chair or deputy chair position. 105 3. Eighty Percent of Success is Showing Up 107 It is the simplest thing! If you are absent, how can you have much 108 prominence or influence? 110 This applies to all venues, email/messaging, telephone/video 111 conference, and especially in person or face-to-face meetings. You do 112 not need 100% attendance but your absences should be rare. If 113 possible, only miss less important events. 115 Attendance is obviously most important at meetings of the specific 116 body in which you are interested. But you should also be on the look 117 out for higher-level or lower-level meetings that are open. Many 118 standards groups have a multi-level structure. As well as attending 119 the group you are interested in, if there are open meetings of 120 various group chairs or the like, attending those can be a fast track 121 even if you only get to observe and be noticed. And if there are sub- 122 groups of the group you are most interested in, consider attending 123 them also to become better known more quickly. These meetings may be 124 before the beginning or after the end of the regular member meetings 125 so if you are really serious, you should be prepared to arrive early 126 and leave late. 128 4. Sit Up Front 130 If a meeting is very small, say less than 20 people, it does not make 131 as much difference. But for meetings of any size, especially when 132 starting with an organization, sit up front. Do not be afraid of the 133 first row even if it is empty, although the second and sometimes even 134 the third are not too bad. Show up early if you need to, but it is 135 usually not necessary as most people are extraordinarily reluctant to 136 put themselves in an exposed place, like the front row. 138 After you have some experience, there may be some group that sits in 139 some part of the audience you want to sit with. But, for larger 140 meetings, the prominent people generally sit either up near the 141 front, or way at the back. (Being in the back, at least in large 142 rooms, generally means you can wander around and talk to people some 143 without disrupting things.) 145 5. Break Bread 147 All meetings of any length include refreshment and meals. Otherwise 148 the attendees would starve. 150 If there is a group catered meal, try sitting with different groups 151 or factions to get an idea of the different viewpoints in the 152 organization. Or try to sit at a table and eat with people who have 153 some seniority and experience in the organization, if they seem 154 receptive. 156 Usually, for multi-day meetings, there is at least one big social 157 event where the attendees can get together. From small (attendance 158 under 100) and medium size (attendance under 500 or so) meetings, it 159 is common for most people to go to the social. Typically some alcohol 160 is available, people are more relaxed and informal. These are good 161 events at which to approach high-level officials to exchange a 162 pleasant word or two or even make a small request. But do not expect 163 to engage in detailed technical discussions, although this sometimes 164 happens. 166 Social events are commonly at noisy locations. Sometimes, as 167 organizations get larger, well over 500, the socials get so large and 168 congested that many of the most prominent people schedule informal 169 meetings or the like opposite them. You will just have to see how it 170 works in your organization. 172 But there will also be plenty of informal lunch, dinner, and maybe 173 breakfast groups (unless they are all catered) and other get- 174 togethers. At some standards meetings you can more or less invite 175 yourself along to such meal groups, unless they are a small 176 confidential group or a group of employees of a particular company or 177 the like. Usually people will warn you if the group plans to spend 178 much of the meal discussing some particular issue and you can then 179 decide if you want to go with them. 181 6. Develop Friends and Mentors 183 It's hard to get things done and learn what is going on entirely by 184 yourself. If you can, find a few people with more experience that you 185 can go to with questions. 187 Introduce yourself to people and be friendly. But do not necessarily 188 link up with the first people you meet. You want people who are 189 knowledgeable and of whom their is a favorable impression within the 190 organization. 192 If you follow the advice in section 7 below, you should have plenty 193 of opportunity to get to know experienced people in an organization. 195 7. Be Helpful 197 Within reason, volunteer to do some of the drudgery for which you are 198 competent, such as taking notes during meetings or helping someone 199 else draft a proposal, or volunteering to re-write part of a draft 200 for clarity and consistency. 202 This sort of thing will get you noticed and put some people in your 203 debt, at least in a minor way. But be careful not to volunteer for 204 more than you can actually do. Failing to follow through will damage 205 your reputation. If you do get over committed, seek help as soon as 206 you realize it. The worst thing is to fail to meet your promises and 207 not let anyone know about it until it is too late for them to 208 recover. 210 8. Learn The Traditions and Rules 212 It is quite important to know the traditions of an organization, how 213 things get done, what rules are ignored, how rules are interpreted, 214 and what rules are rigorously enforced. 216 While traditions are more important, it cannot hurt to also know the 217 official rules and procedures. The probability that low level groups 218 in the organization actually operate according to the officially 219 adopted rules and procedures in detail is quite low unless the 220 organization has very informal rules. 222 Do not object to procedure just for the sake of objecting. If you 223 repeatedly invoke little known and rarely used official rules in 224 small matters, it is a sure way to make people assume that what you 225 have to say is silly or obstructionist, until proven otherwise. If 226 you invoke the official rules so as to override tradition in an 227 important matter, be aware that you are playing with a weapon of mass 228 destruction. You may or may not accomplish your immediate goal but 229 the blowback will almost certainly damage your future efforts in that 230 organization. 232 While it is always the path of least resistance to follow tradition, 233 knowing the official rules makes you aware of when they could be 234 invoked against you. This may enable you to adopt a path that is 235 reasonably congruent with both the traditions and the rules, 236 maximizing your chances of success. 238 9. Acronyms and Special Terms 240 Essentially all technical efforts wallow in acronyms and special 241 "terms of art". It sometimes seems as if no effort or sub-effort is 242 really rolling until it has come up with several non-obvious terms to 243 confuse those who have not been involved for a while. Nor are 244 acronyms constant. Especially in the early part of a standards 245 effort, when ideas are flopping around, acronyms and special terms 246 frequently change for further confusion of those not in the most 247 active part of the group. 249 In fact, if you read an explanation of some deep technical matter 250 written so anyone can understand it, you can be virtually certain 251 that it is not how experts in the field communicate with each other, 252 verbally or in writing. This is true of all fields. Read something 253 about engineering big "air vents" and "water pipes"? Experts use 254 "plenum" and "penstock". 256 It's a bad strategy to get lost in acronyms you do not know, so you 257 cannot understand what people are talking about and may make a fool 258 of yourself if you guess wrong. The best thing is to find out about 259 and learn the acronyms in advance. Failing that, ask about what 260 acronyms or strange terms mean as soon as you can, preferably the 261 first time you encounter them. Making a written note of their meaning 262 could not hurt. Usually there will be others who also wanted to ask 263 but were afraid to and will be grateful you took the initiative. 265 10. Pick Your Points 267 Think a bit about the impression people are going to get of you. 269 If you insist on speaking to every issue, even if you don't have any 270 really strong points, you will get a reputation as a blow hard that 271 doesn't add much and just slows things down. If you only speak 272 occasionally, but have solid points to make when you do, people will 273 pay much more attention to your occasional speeches. 275 Similarly, if you quibble about everything, you will use up good will 276 you have acquired and may be viewed as an obstructionist who causes 277 needless delay. If an organization is doing or developing something 278 complex, all the decisions are not going to go the way you want. 279 Consider the points where you could try to get your way, figure out 280 how important they are to you, how strong your arguments would be, 281 and how much opposition you are likely to encounter. Keep in mind 282 that your arguments will usually seem more impressive to you than 283 they do to others. Based on this, you can make a reasoned choice of 284 where to really put up a fight and possibly recruit allies or call in 285 favors. 287 This is not to say that you should ignore minor issues and never 288 speak up about them if you have new information or opinions to 289 contribute. Just do not invest a lot of effort in fighting an issue 290 or making a point unless it is important to you and you judge that 291 you have a reasonable chance of succeeding. 293 11. Technical and Communications Skill 295 You may be surprised that I have said very little about technical and 296 communication skills, although in the Introduction above it was 297 assumed that you had normal skills in these areas. Certainly, you 298 need to understand the technical aspects of what is going on so that 299 you cannot be easily bamboozled. 301 If you are very strong technically and can make substantial 302 contributions, this can be helpful, if you can do it in a way that 303 does not offend too many people. But, especially in a large technical 304 standards body, not everyone can be a strong technical contributor. 306 If you have strong verbal and written communications skills, this can 307 also be helpful. But if you are not fluent in the dominant language 308 of the organization, you will be at a disadvantage. While the 309 organization should make some attempt to be approachable by those for 310 whom its dominant language is a second language, the best thing to do 311 is to put in the time and effort to become fluent. [Farber] As a 312 stop gap, you can team up with someone with whom you communicate well 313 and who is fluent in the standards organization language. They can 314 speak for you in meetings, if necessary, and co-author written 315 contributions with you. 317 If you are the rare genius with superb technical, communication, and 318 interpersonal skills, you are wasting your time reading this and 319 might be able to get away with doing exactly the opposite of some of 320 its recommendations. But I would not count on it... 322 12. Do Not Try Too Hard 324 Lastly, give yourself a bit of time to settled into an organization. 325 Then be reasonably assertive but do not be too pushy unless an issue 326 is so important you are willing to risk the reputation you have built 327 up. And try to never lose your temper. 329 Unless you are a genius at inter-personal relations, you will not 330 gain substantial prominence and influence in a standards organization 331 overnight. These things take time and patience. 333 13. Informative References 335 [Carnegie] - "How To Win Friends And Influence People", Dale 336 Carnegie, 1990, ISBN 0671723650. 338 [Farber] - "How to Learn Any Language", Barry Farber, 1991, ISBN 339 1-56731-543-7. 341 Copyright and Disclaimer 343 Copyright (C) The Internet Society 2004. This document is subject to 344 the rights, licenses and restrictions contained in BCP 78 and except 345 as set forth therein, the authors retain all their rights. 347 This document and the information contained herein are provided on an 348 "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS 349 OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET 350 ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, 351 INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE 352 INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED 353 WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 355 Author's Address 357 Donald E. Eastlake 3rd 358 Motorola Laboratories 359 155 Beaver Street 360 Milford, MA 01757 USA 362 Telephone: +1 508-786-7554 (w) 363 +1 508-634-2066 (h) 364 EMail: Donald.Eastlake@motorola.com 366 Expiration and File Name 368 This draft expires April 2005. 370 Its file name is draft-eastlake-prominence-02.txt.