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The ramblings of Palm Harbor writer Tim Bryce. 
"He just keeps getting better and better." - Martin Dimond "I think he has lost his mind." - A.C. Kemper |
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The following "Bryce's Pet Peeve of the Week" is derived from this week's MANAGEMENT VISIONS Internet broadcast/podcast. I find signatures to be rather interesting. With a few swipes of the pen, we can commit ourselves to financial transactions, insurance and medical support, purchase or sell a house or car, or simply endorse something such as in a petition. Signatures actually carry more weight than the spoken word, particularly in a court of law. Despite the significance of signatures, it is interesting to see how poorly we typically write them. Our signatures begin to deteriorate as we get older and face the fast-paced demands of adulthood. I used to kid my father about his "turkey tracks" penmanship, but as I've gotten older I wonder if mine is any better. I try to be legible, but I'm sure there is still room for improvement. Men tend to have the worst signatures. They are either written in Morse Code with squiggles, dots and dashes, or like a third grader with crayons, neither of which are comprehensible to the average human being. I would much rather they use an "X" or some other unique symbol as opposed to the spaghetti penmanship they offer. Handwriting specialists believe our signatures say a lot about our character; for example, the more obnoxious or bolder they are, the greater the ego; the smaller they are, the weaker you are perceived. I wonder how such experts would diagnose John Hancock's signature on the Declaration of Independence? I get the feeling he wasn't exactly a timid or meek individual. Women typically write better than men. It's nice to know somebody was paying attention when they were teaching penmanship in grade school. I tend to believe signatures are a reflection of our commitment to something. If we take the time to make it legible, the more sincere we are about our commitment. The more cavalier we are with them, the less serious we are. Nevertheless, if you are having trouble writing a legible signature, I suggest you either take the time to brush up your penmanship or buy a rubber stamp that can clearly express yourself. I'm sorry, squiggles, dots, dashes, and crayons are hardly a way of writing an adult signature anymore. Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies. Copyright © 2008 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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An M.H. in Pennsylvania wrote... "You forgot to mention one very important potential side effect, "Use of this drug could result in a massive heart attack or stroke, resulting in certain Death! Should you die, don't say we didn't warn you, we did." ;o) Maybe they should all just state, "We will not be held responsible for ANY side effects, which are too long to list here, so take at your own risk". That would about cover just about all liabilities." A D.B. in Tarpon Springs, Florida wrote... "Have you ever noticed that every single drug includes the potential side effects of headache and stomach upset? Including ones for migraines and stomach acid? My favorites though, are the ones where the side effects are actually worse than the condition being treated."
PERSONAL INTRODUCTIONS - Pet Peeve - May 5th A D.T. in North Carolina wrote... "Your pet peeve regarding handshakes and business introductions resonated with me - especially the "cool dude" archetype. One of my personal peeves is the "overzealous reuniter" - where, a person that you may have briefly met or interacted with greats you with the enthusiasm and excitement of a long-lost brother. Usually the extent of the preceeding engagement was a simple meeting in a more social setting, on a plane, or something equally inane. The part that peeves me is that the offending party is always oozing fake comraderie, and usually the only reason for the ballyhoo is to attract attention/recognition to them through being closely regarded by you." A J.G. in Pampa, Texas wrote... "I'm 25 years old and my dad taught me how to shake a man's hand when I was about 9. That might have something to do with the fact that the more rural parts of Texas still hold the handshake as the best method to judge someone's character, followed quite closely by the amount of eye contact. I know when I went to Denver for the first time, I thought everybody was a little weakling, even worse in the Phoenix area. It's just not something that people bother teaching their kids today. Maybe because they don't know how, or because they don't care. Or maybe they just assume they will learn elsewhere. Who knows?"
MARKING TIME - Pet Peeve - April 29th An I.L. in Kansas City, Missouri wrote... "Man, you barely scratched the surface when it comes to car names. Just think of all the truck models. Meet my son, Tundra..." An M.B. in Clearwater, Florida (female) wrote... "I must be a hermaphrodite, because I absolutely love The Three Stooges, and I also remember the make and model of every car I've ever had. Of course, I've only had four cars, so that's pretty easy. Yet, I also remember everyone's birthday, and not just family, but friends as well. On the other hand, I can't remember what I ate for lunch today, or even if I ate lunch at all. Five minutes after I finish reading a book, I can't tell you anything about it. I have become the Queen of the Post-It note! It's too bad we can't pick and choose what to remember and what to forget. That would be wonderful."
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Follow the writings of Palm Harbor resident Tim Bryce, a writer and management consultant who writes commentaries about the times we live in and management concepts. His writings are well known on the Internet and are humorous, educational, and at times controversial. You won't always agree with him, but Tim will definitely get you thinking. Tim is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA), an international management consulting firm located in Palm Harbor. A seasoned writer, Tim's works have appeared in management and computing publications all over the world. His book, "The IRM Revolution: Blueprint for the 21st Century" made the Top 10 list of management books in Japan. His recent eBook, "THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! Empowering Managers in today's Corporate Culture," has also received critical acclaim. Tim's blogs and "Management Visions" weekly podcast are read and listened to by thousands. For Tim's professional bio, click HERE.
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This web page contains links to the various writings of Tim Bryce which can be divided into two sections: Bryce's Pet Peeves and Bryce's Management Papers. Whereas the Pet Peeves are editorial in nature, the Management Papers offer sound advice on general management related issues. All papers are available for republication, but only with the expressed written consent of the author. Copyright notation of the author (as found on the specific paper) and any pertinent trademark or service mark must be observed. When reproducing an article, please add: Article reprinted with permission of the author. Please forward the author a copy of the publication when it is produced, either by e-mail or, if printed, by mail.
Tim Bryce
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| "Bryce's Laws" - axioms on management & I.T. |
| 10 Tips for Improving Social Intercourse |
| Appearances |
| Are I.T. Workers Blue Collar? |
| Art of Persuasion, The |
| Basic Business Skills Required |
| Change: What Lies Ahead? |
| Common Courtesy |
| Continuous Improvement |
| Covering for Incompetence |
| Craftsmanship: the Meaning of Life |
| Craftsmanship in Business Systems Analysis |
| Creating a Sense of Professionalism |
| Creating a Skills Inventory |
| Debriefing |
| Do's and Don'ts in the Workplace (Part I) |
| Do's and Don'ts in the Workplace (Part II) |
| Do's and Don'ts in the Workplace (Part III) |
| Do's and Don'ts in the Workplace (Part IV) |
| Effective Interviewing |
| Elements of a Good Feasibility, The |
| Estimating by Percentages |
| Death of Management, The |
| Firing Employees isn't for Sissies |
| Homo Sapien Ass**** |
| How "Effective" Were You Today? |
| How do We Manage? |
| How Productive are Your Meetings? |
| How Well are we Preparing the Next Generation? |
| Implementing Business Ethics |
| Increasing Brain Power |
| Individualism vs. Teamwork |
| Is Systems Development an Art or a Science? |
| I.T. Directors New Tools, The |
| Living in a Perfect World |
| Management 101 (Part I) |
| Management 101 (Part II) |
| Management 101 (Part III) |
| Managing Consultants |
| Managing form the Bottom-Up |
| Mini-Project Manager Concept, The |
| Murphy's Laws on Technology |
| Need for Critical Thinking, The |
| Our Growing Dependency on Mass Mediocrity |
| Parenting Management |
| Parkinson's Law in I.T. |
| Personality Types |
| Proactive vs. Reactive Management |
| Project Management requires a Road Map |
| Protecting Intellectual Property |
| Putting the Boomers Out to Pasture |
| Rebuilding Loyalty |
| Shapeth Up and Get Thine Act Together |
| Standard System Structure |
| Tact & Diplomacy |
| Ten Common Myths of I.T., The |
| The Bryce is Right! The Lost Chapter |
| The First Thing We Do, Let's Kill all the Bean Counters |
| Tim's Favorite Quotes |
| Uncommon Sense |
| Understanding Corporate Culture |
| Understanding Effectiveness |
| Understanding the Specifications Puzzle |
| Using Information Strategically |
| Who makes the best Systems Analysts? |
| Why Does Project Management Fail? |
| Why I.T. Standards Fail |
| Why We Resist Change |
| Why We Resist Planning |
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FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF TIM'S TECHNICAL PAPERS, SEE THE
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