The IT Pro Mirror – Now I Know Why I Idolize Dr. House
September 19th, 2009 | 
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Can you better understand IT geeks by watching Dr . House and his team of experts?
J. Ello’s Computerworld.com article titled Opinion: The unspoken truth about managing geeks has hit home. In fact, reading Ello’s advice for understanding and motivating IT Pros was almost like a long stare in the mirror for me. Obviously, my opinions are biased in favor of engineers and administrators, but Ello doesn’t dismiss IT geek stereotypes. He reinforces them, but also does a great job of explaining why geeks act the way they do. Ello then offers great suggestions for professional harmony.
At one point in the article, Ello likens hiring IT Pros and Managers to medical professionals. He even assumes most IT Pros would idolize Dr. House from the hit TV Series. The more I think about that comparison and the way that House operates in a never ending cycle of high stakes, team leading, rule breaking, colleague mentoring, and maverick -like individualism the more I realize could understanding IT Pros be as simple as thinking ‘what would House do in this scenario?” I’m sure I seem like House at times to those around me!
I highly recommend VM /ETC readers, whether you hold a position of CEO/CIO/CTO, VP/IT Director, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Management, or Engineer, take the time to read this posting with an open mind. Ello provides something of value to all, and he actually helps each position understand how perception, impression, and opinion varies between the different vantages of business responsibilities.
Read the entire article at the link above and the lengthy discussion in the comments, but here are some of my favorite quotes from Ello:
“Understanding why IT pros appear to act the way they do makes working with, among and as one of them the easiest job in the world.”
“IT pros always and without fail, quietly self-organize around those who make the work easier, while shunning those who make the work harder, independent of the organizational chart.”
“I think every good IT pro on the planet idolizes Dr. House (minus the addictions).”
“Strong IT groups view correctness as a virtue, and certitude as a delivery method. Meek IT groups, beaten down by inconsistent policies and a lack of structural support, are simply ineffective at driving change and creating efficiencies, getting mowed over by the clients, the management or both at every turn.”
“In IT, six months to a year is all that stands between respect and irrelevance.”
“A good IT pro is trained in how to accomplish work; their skills are not necessarily limited to computing. In fact, the best business decision-makers I know are IT people who aren’t even managers.”
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