Sometimes...

Sometimes I have nothing to say, so unlike many others, I don't say anything. I learn a lot by just listening, things like who likes to talk just to make sure everyone knows they are there, who really has a valuable point of view, who has trouble understanding the most basic concepts of what was just said by someone else. There's more as well, but I want to focus on the last one today. Part of my job is to attend reviews and meetings and provide technical opinions, assistance, etc. In many of these meetings, someone who does the same job I do (he hired me to the new job) is there as well, let's call him Gordy for ease of reference. The meeting is moving forward, the speaker leading the meeting is mid-stride in his presentation and has been VERY clear in the interactions of X and Y, or the use of the widget, and Gordy stops him and says something like, "I don't understand. Does X go before Y or does R somehow play into it?" At least half the time I want to answer the question for the speaker so he can move on. Does Gordy really not understand, or does he want to justify his being in the meeting by speaking up every few minutes? My attack on these meetings goes more like this. Listen and absorb and understand what is being presented. Jot down a couple of items that I need clarified or that just don't make sense. Don't get me wrong, I will speak up and even argue the point, if it is warranted, but 9.75 times out of 9.8 that is not required. So, my question to myself as this continues to play out, is "Does this just mean I have a better grasp on understanding than many others (Gordy is a Technical Fellow by the way, a big deal at LM), or am I the one not getting it? I keep getting asked to by program people to come review widget XYZ's test plan or help them decide on whether or not X really does go before Y, or to give them a professional opinion and guidance (and permission) to help them out. I try not to feel superior, because I know that there is a whole bunch that Gordy knows that I don't, but sometimes it is REALLY difficult.

And so we end a post on why Stu is such a smarty pants, and maybe why he is often so quiet.