It's Not About Me

A Few Caveats … o You will never be a leader if you are always following the competition o Do not pursue new technology just for technology’s sake o Rank projects by how they benefit the customer (not just what is in it for Me, My Department or My Company) o When planning new projects … think “outside the box” – design them “outside >> in” rather than “inside >> out” o Build projects in multiple stages so you can launch the project sooner and get meaningful feedback from the user community faster o Do not solely rely on user input to develop a new system or idea … many users don’t really know what they like until after they have had an opportunity to see or use it o System development is NOT a democratic process … the most votes does not ensure the best result … the next great idea can come from a SINGLE user’s feedback or suggestion! o Experience counts … take advantage of it

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Feedback Can Be Beneficial (and even sometimes Humorous)

What follows on the next four pages are some excerpts from two of my “going away retirement parties”. The first one is a poem written by Rick Emerick who was a fellow employee and roommate of mine at Westinghouse Semiconductor Division. He was toasting me at my farewell dinner as I had accepted a job at Ranco Controls in Columbus, OH in June 1979.

The second one is a recap of my final retirement in June 2013 from American Electric/Thomas & Betts/ABB and comments made by various attendees along with video links to their comments.

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