

"Ten Lessons I wish I Had Been Taught", by Gian-Carlo Rota - hhm
http://www.rota.org/hotair/lesson.html

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gruseom
What a delightful piece. I browsed a little more on the website and ran across
the following gem:

 _When an engineer knocks at your door with a mathematical question, you
should not try to get rid of him or her as quickly as possible. You are likely
to make a mistake I myself made for many years: to believe that the engineer
wants you to solve his or her problem. This is the kind of oversimplification
for which we mathematicians are notorious. Believe me, the engineer does not
want you to solve his or her problem. Once, I did so by mistake (actually, I
had read the solution in the library two hours earlier, quite by accident),
and he got quite furious, as if I were taking away his livelihood. What the
engineer wants is to be treated with respect and consideration, like the human
being he or she is, and most of all to be listened to in rapt attention. If
you do this, he or she will be likely to hit upon a clever new idea as he or
she explains the problem to you, and you will get some of the credit._

I think it applies equally to software projects.

