Chuck's Blog

My Friday Rant: Overcoming IT Vendoritis

I'm continually inspired by people who've overcome challenging circumstances and backgrounds to achieve great things.  Through a great deal of persistence and intestinal fortitude, these individuals have risen beyond their humble circumstances, and can be held up as an example to all.

Working for an IT vendor can be challenging as well.  There's all sorts of reinforcement loops for unproductive behavior.  

Not everyone can rise above the fray and make a meaningful contribution to their customers, or perhaps the industry as a whole. 

But I'd like to think that anyone can succeed at overcoming obstacles.

Part of the challenge that we all face is recognizing the inherent challenge at hand, and working to become more self-aware.

So, as a public service to my IT vendor colleagues, I'd like to offer up a quick diagnostic to help you assess just how bad you have IT vendoritis -- the somewhat crippling condition of becoming mildly brain-damaged by swimming in too much IT vendor koolaid.

Why?  Because admitting you have a problem is the first step to overcoming it.

More Friday Ranting

It's Friday.  

Those of us in New England are looking forward to a few days off to shovel yet even more snow, fix our leaking roof, look despairingly at the meter of ice-encrusted snowpack in our yards, etc.  

Please don't send me tweets from whatever warm spot you might be in -- we're collectively not in the best of moods right now.  

As I sometimes do, I'd like to use this post to get around to a few issues that are bothering me.  If you don't like random rants, this is not a post for you :-)