Project Management

I didn’t come here to make friends. – Presentation

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First of all, this is not mine, this is not my phrase, my rule or my belief…I heard once, someone told me…it has a history, and here I will share with you.

More than ten years ago, I arrived at my first remunerated job in IT. Big company, big office, big team.

Do you remember your first day in an office? Year after year, project after project, the situation is the same, the recruiter manager or de project manager walks around the office and you are presented to a lot of people.

Your new team, your new family, all of those people that from this day you will share your knowledge your happiness, your stress, more than eight hours day with same people, sometimes will be easy, sometimes a challenge.

One of those first days, after connecting the computer, check the connections, check the first emails, lunchtime arrived. I turned around, I’ve checked that nobody was in their desks, and nobody asked me to go with them to the lunch room.

I’ve checked again, and I see a guy, I stopped few minutes to think, yes! It’s him, he is in my team. I walked until his desk, smiled and said, “Did you have lunch? Or do you want to join me?” his answer was…I didn’t come here to make friends.

I was shocked, without words, this guy was so rude.

Two or three years after, walking around a library I saw this book:

  • Yo no he venido aquí para hacer amigos, desventuras de un consultor IT – Jaime Miranda

There is no English version of this book, but I tried to literally translate the title:

  • I didn’t come here to make friends, memories of an IT consultant (or something like this)

I bought it, I read it, and I laugh too much.

Was this rude guy the author of the book? No, he wasn’t.

Maybe the rude guy read the book before me, maybe the rude guy continue working in the same company, maybe the rude guy ten years ago didn’t have knowledge about the importance of networking in 2016. 


Posted on: November 09, 2016 02:17 PM | Permalink

Comments (7)

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Ronan O Rourke Retired Executive Manager, Water & Drainage Operations| Retired Bray, Ireland
Maria. Thanks for sharing this story. We all remember the first day in a new office. Hopefully we still remember it when we are introduced to the next new person and we can take time out of achieving our own goals to at least make the new colleague welcome and show them around. In fact this cuts to the heart of the issue. We are usually part of a team and it's not just important how I am doing, what matters is how the team is doing. For this reason networking isn't just good fun to add on to the main work it is essential to carrying out the work

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Anupam India
You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life


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Thomas Walenta Global Project Economy Expert Hackenheim, Germany
Interesting quote. What came to my mind, that it may hint to a cultural gap, as described by Hofstede, this person is more individualistic (I vs. We) and masculine (task oriented vs. relationship oriented) than the incumbent culture. Maybe he can be influenced to immerse in the existing culture.


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Thomas Walenta Global Project Economy Expert Hackenheim, Germany
Another aspect is that in situations where roles are important and defined you might want to make sure a person keeps his role and does not deviate based on human relations. Which can be the more ethical behavior, respecting rules and being fair. For example a police officer handling traffic violations, a manager reducing staff, a doctor involved in triage.

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Demetrius Williams Atlanta, Ga, United States
Interpersonal skills are needed no matter what the culture.

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Thomas Walenta Global Project Economy Expert Hackenheim, Germany
Demetrius, agree.
We learn from our experiences, most by analyzing the situation after setting aside emotional reactions. The next time we are then prepared.

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Rami Kaibni
Community Champion
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten Associates New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks for sharing this Maria and congrats on your first blog.

This is very unusual but it happens. I totally agree with Demetrius & Thomas.

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