I'm Worng, Stupid and Need to back to School According to a New R&D Guy
 

I just got out of a meeting with my boss (Exec VP) and a R&D scientist who is new to our company. I guess he didn't like a memo I copied him on because he proceeded to edit it with words like WRONG! YOU’RE STUPID! GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

My boss and I just looked at each other and laughed - the thing is, all the stuff I wrote correctly states the present situation with diesel fuel and how biodiesel and ULSD is effecting customers equipment. This is field data pure and simple - no conjecture.

So my boss asked him a simple question "and how much time do you spend in the field in order to understand what is really going on?" to wit he replied he was in the field for two days. My boss then asked "and how many reps do you talk to on any given day?" To wit he replied "one or two".

So my boss said that "Mike spends at least 75% of his time in the field talking with mechanics and technicians and seeing this stuff first hand, as well as fielding around 100 calls a day from reps and managers, so its far to say that your opinion is based on what you have read and not actually what you have witnessed or surveyed or even understood to be true in real world applications?" To wit he said "well...err...”

We didn't say anything for a few minutes. I finally said "I know you mean well and perhaps have more passion than most. I do not take offense to what you have written compared to the offense others might take. I do want to know what you think though. I'm gonna tee it up as a sarcastic sense of humor is all and leave it at that".

"Ya, that’s all it was - sarcasm is all, no offense" He said.

"Cool, but remember what they say about sarcasm, it’s the hobgoblin of a weak mind and tortured soul. And you sir do not seem to me to have a tortured soul but then again what you do in your spare time is entirely your own business."

My boss told me I handled that better than he would have - points. Mind you, my boss is the most laid back calm person I know and he was visibly pissed at him.

And so it goes, and so it goes and so it goes...

If current graduates were given the reins of industry and commerce, they could clear up all of our problems overnight. Easy to do when you are still young enough to know everything!!!!

This guy is not young but he did come from a research and analysis lab.

You misspelled "wrong"

:p:p:p:p

We could all tell stories about R&E types with no manufacturing experience, I am sure....

"Well, speaking theoretically,........"

Yeah, Sure......

And I did spend a few years in R&E way back but at GM divisions, R&E was bread and butter and in the divisions it was located right next door to manuacturing. Didn't have the luxury of infinite time and money to come up with fixes.

Sorry to hear about your stupidity.... :p
I replaced an injector pump in 2007. The manufacturer rep told me that they are seeing a lot of pump failures related to running the ULSD. This particular pump relies 100% on the sulfur & fuel for internal lubrication (as opposed to some types that have an oil supply).

Is this like a classic example of theory versus experience? Very common in my field. Many of the young docs, recently finished med school, come with a very vast theoretical knowledge but they need the clinical experience to make any use of it. Many clinical symptoms can be caused by a whole lot of different diseases. They can usually cough up a dozen or more differential diagnosis, but they have no clue which one is more likely the cause in a particular case.

Yeah, but he nailed, "hobgoblin":)

holy crap. Wow, extremely unprofessional, and childish. Glad you gave him an embarrassing verbal spanking. Too bad you guys can't send him packing.

Bonus points with the boss, nice. Didn't it feel good to put that arrogant SOB in his place?

I've never been worng.

How is biodiesel affecting equipment? I know you need proper o-rings and lines that are resistant to biodiesel.

I am running high quality homebrew biodiesel (has passed several parameters for ASTM specificiations). Is there something you can share?
jurgen

I was wrong once, I thought I made a mistake.

FTFY


FTFY too

You handled that well, as a seasoned professional. Nice job. :cheer:

To wit you're a dork too.

Serious now, haha that's funny

When I was working, the idea was to try to make every situation a "win/win." This guy doesn't seem to have any idea relating to that or concept of it.

Next time you will make his momma swallow!!

He was trying to "impress" or "show off." Backfired, and good, didn't it? :) LOL

The guys a f'ing idiot for doing what he did.
Glad you came out on top Mike, but I'm sure you wouldn't have cared one way or the other?

I hope the 100 calls a day thing was just a figure of speech; cause that's alot of calls to handle day in, day out?

Many years ago, when my smart-alec sense of humor got the best of me, I was taken aside by my boss who told me,

"Les, you can think that, you might even say it, but for God's sake don't put it on paper!"

I've tried to heed his advice. (I really have!)

Les