a shift in focus is needed

first I would like to say that by focus I mean the way - and target - you focus to achieve a certain goal.
In less dry terms, it's like this: if you want 'peacefull coexistence with others' (however you might define that) and your focus is changing others to be more peacefull you will only create resistance, simple becausepeace comes from within;
If you want to solve a major problem, the first step is to no longer support and maintain it, at the deepest levels, not to start fighting it;

Stil too dry for an explanation?

Let's take my company, where things don't work well; ok, things move forward, but slow; you see good examples of hit and run management in the upper layers, and can play BSBingo in most meeting's projects.

As Antione de Saint Exupery said in The Citadel when you want to build a ship, you don't gather a team of ship enthusiasts and have them work on it: it will NEVER be built. Instead, you make a team of nail-crafters, and wood choppers, and a good designer, and tailors that would love to just make sails.
Then, in their love of crafting nails and chopping wood and making sails, the ship takes shape in their hearts.

It's the same here: I want to write code; some of us love designing; others, want to play with the application, or just have the satisfaction at night that they helped correct it today.

However, that is not good enough for the management. Some manager at the top decided we had to be customer focused, and thus decided that we should all (including spuses, the security guys, and the cat at home) should know and fulfill our mission:
we should focus on key market segments ...
... and through a combined offering of software products and services, backed by a deep knowledge of our customers' business ...
... and ...

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!

Let's say the build crashes, and I'm looking into it; how?
well ... first, I'll focus on the key market segments while I check the build logs; then I'll grep for errors using a deep knowledge of the customer's business ...

In short, we received yesterday something similar to the security batches we all love to wear (since they open our doors), that should be worn along with it;

what does it do?
Nothing; well ... it's blue and white and states our mission statements, our strategy and everything else.

our strategy, originally uploaded by utnapistim.

It's also too soft to butter your bread with it, but big enough that you either glue it to your batch or it keeps in your way.

In short, USELESS.
(but hey, now I can read the mission statement in the bathroom).


BIIIIINGOOOOO!


hypocritically yours,
utnapistim