The New Year

I finally snag a glass of wine and look around. What to my wondering eyes should appear but Janet. No, not work a day government Janet, dressed in upscale burlap, but a dolled up lady, sitting at a table and looking good! I wave a friendly hello.
Janet smiles and says, “Well, macho man, you are really operating tonight.”
I walk over to the lady and say, “Pardon me, you look something like government employee Janet, but you’re obviously her film star lady sister.”
Janet laughs and says, “Macho man, you are really operating tonight. I got tired of being just government employee Janet and I girled up a bit. Sit down and talk to me.”
I sit down and say, “All pick up lines aside, you have taken yourself to the next level, maybe more than just one level.”
Janet smirks at me, “They told me that Big Jim Myrr was just a macho boy, with one real skill. I watched you work the bar and you obviously can operate on several levels. At least you can operate on several levels with programmer people in a bar.”
I lecture the lady, “I’m a computer programmer, that’s what I am. I’m also a Project Manager. I have had to take over several failing projects and see that the work got done and delivered to a very angry customer. I can do a little politicking, but I really have to convince not just an angry customer but the angry customer’s computer expert.”
Janet asks, “You also seem concerned about the programmers that you dealt with tonight.”
I lecture, “Janet, I can deal with the computer programmers, because I am a computer programmer. If you want to be a good computer programmer, you have to be very intelligent. Very intelligent people often have trouble dealing with other people. The other people are afraid that the more intelligent people will take advantage of their greater intelligence. Thus, the other people often try to start things off by putting the more intelligent people in their place. The intelligent people may not be all the skilled at dealing with people, one on one, but they know when they are being disrespected.. The more intelligent people then get angry, proving that they just can’t deal with people. I don’t put other programmers in their place, thus I can deal with then.”
Janet asks, “You then see the programmers that you dealt with tonight as just people.”
I lecture, “Janet, not just people, but very intelligent people who have mastered a difficult skill set. Despite their mastery of a very difficult skill set, the programmers mostly have a spouse, some children who have to be housed, fed, doctored and educated and the rest of a life to live. Mostly programmer supervisors don’t try to keep their programmers in line with fear. Then you get a Rinny.”
Janet asks, “Do you then think that only a programmer can deal with programmers?”
I lecture, “I can deal with computer programmers, because I am a computer programmer. A good computer programmer is very intelligent. If you want to supervise computer programmers, you need to be very intelligent and understand at least some of the concerns of those that you supervise.
Janet asks, “Give me an example of a computer programmer concern.”
“I was part of a team, working on a new computer system. The manuals yielded no clue as to what we programmers needed to know. Finally, one of the programmers managed to talk to a programmer at the company that built the computer. The programmer got enough good information that we were able to solve the problems. We then wrote programmer directions as to how to work with the new computer. The supervisor then tried to reject our programmer directions.