Musings on project management: Information Age Office Jockey

Friday, October 3, 2014

Information Age Office Jockey

We all know what makes for good character in soldiers. We’ve seen the movies about heroes who display courage, loyalty and coolness under fire. But what about somebody who sits in front of a keyboard all day? Is it possible to display and cultivate character if you are just an information age office jockey, alone with a memo or your computer?

And so, the conclusion of the essayist is: Yes! (always start with the good news). Indeed, we are pointed to the 2007 book, “Intellectual Virtues,” Robert C. Roberts of Baylor University and W. Jay Wood of Wheaton College, which lists some of the cerebral virtues.

Their table of content suggests the following:

Love of knowledge
Firmness
Courage and caution
Humility
Autonomy
Generosity
Practical Wisdom

One thing not in the table of content but certainly an element of character is taking responsibility for one's actions. This is emphasized in agile methods, indeed, in all project methods, but perhaps not enough in our everyday culture. Wood and Roberts give us this formula as credited to John Greco: