Here’s a story from a recent meeting. We were discussing some problems and the team was talking through some options that were very interesting, technically good, just not ones that could get done for a variety of reasons. It’s frustrating to be in that position, seeing at least a “better” solution on the good/better/best range and having to go with a hack solution due to constraints imposed by others.

I get that frustration, and I see it as part of my role to listen to it, in part because letting them vent is useful, and in part because sometimes amid the frustration is an idea that might get us closer to good than hack. Listening isn’t always easy when you know that you’re going to have to take the ugly option and you’re just spending time wishing how the world could be.

We’re going through that discussion and after a while one of the attendees realizes that no matter how well he explains all the reasons that the hack is bad and all the reasons that the other solution is better, we’re stuck with the hack (he’s not going to change my mind). This is the point when he says to me “you’re doing it again, using Jedi mind tricks”.

Thought I’d fall out of the chair laughing.

You think this post is funny. You want to go back up your databases.