Many people have said that PowerPoint is evil. Some of those were people who don't know how to use it, and find it frustrating. And some of them are people who *do* know how to use it, and therefore know it to be true.
As pervasive as it is becoming in Corporate America, it seems that for every company full of people who can just barely do the basics, there is but one person who actually knows it. Hundreds who can type bulleted lists, and know just enough to really screw things up. But just one who can actually fix their crap or do what they wanted to do in the first place.
At my job, I am that one person. I say that not as something to brag about. I say it as the condemmed man says, "Yes, I'm the one that got caught."
Leave it to presidents and vice presidents and directors to panic when the new president from The Parent Company gives them a deadline. The new uber boss makes a complicated request (justify everything you plan to do and why you need a budget to do it, in a one-hour presentation).
So these people realize (correctly) that they can't possibly get a presentation put together in time. They barely have enough time to figure out the content, let alone put slides together.
But that's ok, because Brian can do it.
Never mind that he does in fact have a job to do. Never mind that next week you're going to yell at him for not getting it done. Yes, he'll spend the next two weeks doing your job for you, and saving your ass, because you're his boss's boss. But you better remember that when you get phone call after phone call over the next two weeks about the things Brian *isn't* going to get done now.
So yes, he'll take care of you. Yes, he'll make it look better than you envisioned. Yes, he'll make you look good to the next two levels of senior management above you. You'll look professional and organized. You can impress your boss with a slick presentation that is understandable and not "busy." And he'll even create the one piece of really slick animation that very neetly ties together what you would have struggled to explain.
And he'll even be patient with everyone else when he has to explain to product managers why they can't roll out their new product yet, and why customers are being delayed on the first product shipments for their vending machines (and Sales really hates when they close an account, and the machine is in place, but there's no product).
But you damn well better thank him when you get back. And you really should consider two important things: That if he doesn't get a raise, and if you don't hire or train somebody with some computer skills past hunt-and-peck, then you might just find yourself having to do your own damn job. Because Brian has a lot of patience, but he's practically rehearsing the telling-off he's saving for his last day.
Rant complete.
I feel better now.
Posted by fictionman at February 11, 2004 07:32 PM