Thanks for the nice post.

The man pictured in my home node (my Pop)* would agree with you 100% with an enthusiastic nod of the head and big smile. Preparation, having a well organized workspace and generally always putting yourself (and your team) in a position to succeed are all things he STILL repeats to me when we visit he and my mother on the weekends. Much like your shop teacher I'm sure, my father practiced what he preached as a mechanic, machinist and, now retired at 74*, the neighborhood mechanic. Admittedly he has proven far better at applying these rules than me but (hopefully) I have another 35+ years to catch up to him.

I've worked with and for people who have let their ego get in the way of successfully completing a project. We start with what would seem like a clear, well planned path only to have it derailed with "What if we did...". Usually all in an effort to stand out for upper management, clients, customers or driven by fear etc. 99.999% of the time it would lead to a badly blown deadline and poorly executed product with features that weren't in anyone's specs at the start.

Be well prepared, organized and ALWAYS put yourself and the people you work with in a position to succeed.

1. Yes I still call my father "Pop" and so does everyone else in our family. :)

2. He actually retired begrudgingly at 71 and was honestly ALWAYS the neighborhood mechanic for as long as I can remember.