NIH to the max!

Man do I hate the old Not invented here syndrome (NIH).

If you knew me you would know that there are only a few things that really get under my skin. The big one is patronizing me. This NIH stuff reaks of the patronizing. It makes you think that you don't know what you are saying and and demeans your authority.

A simple coorolary to NIH is the adage "well why should we change? The old was isn't broken so why fix it?". I HATE THIS!

I have wasted too much time in the last few years of my professional career trying to explain why people should change their older (and in more than just my opinion) broken methodologies, to adopt more standard industry trends and tools. When we think we have made a decision and are moving forward, a month later the conversation will come up again and we have to spend more time justifying our previous answer.

So how do you fix this? I really don't know short of eliminating all of the old guard when the new group comes in and then start from a fresh slate. In government that works, but in industry it is a little more difficult. Especially is you value your people beyond simple existance as resources. So you have to tread lightly, try not to make too many people mad, and take small victories where you gain them.

In life as in business I am learning a lot regarding management, even though I'm not a manager.

Enjoy.