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+Network Working Group                                    D. Eastlake 3rd
+Request for Comments: 4144                         Motorola Laboratories
+Category: Informational                                   September 2005
+
+
+    How to Gain Prominence and Influence in Standards Organizations
+
+Status of This Memo
+
+   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
+   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
+   memo is unlimited.
+
+Copyright Notice
+
+   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).
+
+IESG Note:
+
+   This RFC is not a candidate for any level of Internet Standard.  The
+   IETF disclaims any knowledge of the fitness of this RFC for any
+   purpose and notes that the decision to publish is not based on IETF
+   review apart from IESG review for conflict with IETF work.  The RFC
+   Editor has chosen to publish this document at its discretion.  See
+   RFC 3932 for more information.
+
+Abstract
+
+   This document provides simple guidelines that can make it easier for
+   you to gain prominence and influence in most standards organizations.
+
+Table of Contents
+
+   1. Introduction ....................................................2
+   2. Human Organizations .............................................2
+   3. Eighty Percent of Success is Showing Up .........................2
+   4. Sit Up Front ....................................................3
+   5. Break Bread .....................................................3
+   6. Develop Friends and Mentors .....................................4
+   7. Be Helpful ......................................................4
+   8. Learn The Traditions and Rules ..................................5
+   9. Acronyms and Special Terms ......................................5
+   10. Pick Your Points ...............................................6
+   11. Technical and Communications Skill .............................7
+   12. Do Not Try Too Hard ............................................7
+   13. Security Considerations ........................................7
+   14. Informative References .........................................8
+
+
+
+
+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 1]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
+
+1.  Introduction
+
+   This document contains simple guidelines that can help you to gain
+   prominence and influence in most standards, and many other human,
+   organizations.  It takes only normal communications and technical
+   skills and moderate effort to follow these guidelines.
+
+2.  Human Organizations
+
+   All organizations composed of human beings give the appearance to
+   newcomers of having an inner clique that runs things.  This happens
+   whether there is a semi-permanent cohesive inside group that actually
+   tries to keep all power in its own hands or those in positions of
+   power are genuinely trying to be open and willing to share and there
+   is a system for their regular replacement.  It is just the nature of
+   human society.  It always takes time and effort to get to know new
+   people. [Carnegie]
+
+   All organizations have procedures.  It always takes time and effort
+   to learn how things are done in an organization.  In an organization
+   of any size, those who happen to be in positions of authority can't
+   spend equal time talking with everyone about every issue in the
+   organization.  Their positions mean they will necessarily be in many
+   conversations with each other and fewer conversations with the
+   average member.  And there are some types of information that should
+   normally be kept confidential, at least until verified, and sometimes
+   even then.  Examples are charges of ethical or other violations
+   against individuals.
+
+   But, despite all this, following some simple guidelines can greatly
+   accelerate the rate at which you will become favorably known in an
+   organization.  Favorable prominence can increase your chance of being
+   selected for positions such as editorship of documents, secretary or
+   clerk of a group (so you get to produce the record of what *actually*
+   happened), or possibly even some level of chair or deputy chair
+   position.
+
+3.  Eighty Percent of Success is Showing Up
+
+   It is the simplest thing! If you are absent, how can you have much
+   prominence or influence?
+
+   This applies to all venues, email/messaging, telephone/video
+   conference, and especially in-person or face-to-face meetings.  You
+   do not need 100% attendance, but your absences should be rare.  If
+   possible, only miss less important events.
+
+
+
+
+
+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 2]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
+
+   Attendance is obviously most important at meetings of the specific
+   body in which you are interested.  But you should also watch for
+   higher-level or lower-level meetings that are open.  Many standards
+   groups have a multi-level structure.  As well as attending the group
+   you are interested in, if there are open meetings of various group
+   chairs or the like, attending those can be a fast track, even if you
+   only get to observe and be noticed.  And if there are sub-groups of
+   the group you are most interested in, consider attending them also to
+   become better known more quickly.  These meetings may be before the
+   beginning or after the end of the regular member meetings, so, if you
+   are really serious, you should be prepared to arrive early and leave
+   late.
+
+4.  Sit Up Front
+
+   If a meeting is very small, say less than 20 people, it does not make
+   much difference.  But for meetings of any size, especially when
+   starting with an organization, sit up front.  Do not be afraid of the
+   first row even if it is empty, although the second and sometimes even
+   the third are not too bad.  Show up early if you need to, but this is
+   usually not necessary, as most people are extraordinarily reluctant
+   to put themselves in an exposed place like the front row.
+
+   After you have some experience, you may decide to sit with some group
+   that sits together.  But, in larger meetings, the prominent people
+   generally sit either near the front, or way at the back.  (Being in
+   the back, at least in large rooms, may mean you can wander around and
+   talk to people without disrupting things.)
+
+5.  Break Bread
+
+   All meetings of any length include refreshment and meals.  Otherwise
+   the attendees would starve.
+
+   If there is a group catered meal, try sitting with different groups
+   or factions to get an idea of the different viewpoints in the
+   organization.  Or try to sit at a table and eat with people who have
+   some seniority and experience in the organization, if they seem
+   receptive.
+
+   Usually, for multi-day meetings, there is at least one big social
+   event where the attendees can get together.  From small meetings
+   (attendance under 100) and medium size (attendance under 500 or so)
+   meetings, it is common for people to go to the social event.
+   Typically some alcohol is available, people are more relaxed and
+   informal.  These are good events at which to approach high-level
+
+
+
+
+
+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 3]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
+
+   officials to exchange a pleasant word or two, or even make a small
+   request.  But do not expect to engage in detailed technical
+   discussions, although this sometimes happens.
+
+   Social events are commonly at noisy locations.  Sometimes, as
+   organizations get larger, social events get so large and congested
+   that many of the most prominent people schedule informal meetings
+   opposite them.  You will have to see how it works in your
+   organization.
+
+   But there will also be plenty of informal lunch, dinner, and maybe
+   breakfast groups (unless they are all catered) and other get-
+   togethers.  At some standards meetings, you can more or less invite
+   yourself along to such meal groups, unless they are a small
+   confidential group or a group of employees of a particular company,
+   or the like.  Usually people will warn you if the group plans to
+   spend much of the meal discussing some particular issue, and you can
+   then decide if you want to go with them.
+
+6.  Develop Friends and Mentors
+
+   It is hard to get things done and learn what is going on entirely by
+   yourself.  If you can, find a few people with more experience that
+   you can go to with questions.
+
+   Introduce yourself to people and be friendly.  But do not necessarily
+   link up with the first people you meet.  You want people who are
+   knowledgeable and well-regarded within the organization.
+
+   If you follow the advice in section 7 below, you should have plenty
+   of opportunity to meet experienced people in an organization.
+
+7.  Be Helpful
+
+   Within reason, volunteer to do some of the drudgery for which you are
+   competent, such as taking notes during meetings, helping someone else
+   draft a proposal, or volunteering to re-write part of a draft for
+   clarity and consistency.
+
+   This sort of thing will get you noticed and put some people in your
+   debt, at least in a minor way.  But be careful not to volunteer for
+   more than you can actually do.  Failing to follow through will damage
+   your reputation.  If you do get over committed, seek help as soon as
+   you realize it.  The worst thing is to fail to meet your promises and
+   not let anyone know about it until it is too late for them to
+   recover.
+
+
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+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 4]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
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+8.  Learn The Traditions and Rules
+
+   It is quite important to know the traditions of an organization, how
+   things get done, what rules are ignored, how rules are interpreted,
+   and what rules are rigorously enforced.
+
+   While traditions are more important, it cannot hurt to also know the
+   official rules and procedures.  The probability that low level groups
+   in the organization actually operate according to the officially
+   adopted rules and procedures in detail is quite low, unless the
+   organization has very informal rules.
+
+   Do not object to procedure just for the sake of objecting.  If you
+   repeatedly invoke little known and rarely used official rules in
+   small matters, it is a sure way to make people assume that what you
+   have to say is silly or obstructionist, until proven otherwise.  If
+   you invoke the official rules so as to override tradition in an
+   important matter, be aware that you are playing with a weapon of mass
+   destruction.  You may or may not accomplish your immediate goal, but
+   the blowback will almost certainly damage your future efforts in that
+   organization.
+
+   While it is always the path of least resistance to follow tradition,
+   knowing the official rules makes you aware of when they could be
+   invoked against you.  This may enable you to adopt a path that is
+   reasonably congruent with both the traditions and the rules,
+   maximizing your chances of success.
+
+9.  Acronyms and Special Terms
+
+   Essentially all technical efforts wallow in acronyms and special
+   "terms of art".  It sometimes seems as if no effort or sub-effort is
+   really rolling until it has come up with several non-obvious terms to
+   confuse those who have not been involved for a while.  Nor are
+   acronyms constant.  Especially in the early part of a standards
+   effort, when ideas are flopping around, acronyms and special terms
+   frequently change, causing further confusion of those not in the most
+   active part of the group.
+
+   In fact, if you read an explanation of some deep technical matter
+   written so anyone can understand it, you can be virtually certain
+   that it is not how experts in the field communicate with each other,
+   verbally or in writing.  This is true of all fields.  Read something
+   about engineering big "air vents" and "water pipes"? Experts use
+   "plenum" and "penstock".
+
+
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+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 5]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
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+   It's a bad strategy to get lost in acronyms you do not know, so you
+   cannot understand what people are talking about and may make a fool
+   of yourself if you guess wrong.  The best thing is to find out the
+   meaning of and learn the acronyms in advance.  Failing that, ask
+   about acronyms or strange terms as soon as you can, preferably the
+   first time you encounter them.  Making a written note of their
+   meaning could not hurt.  Usually there will be others who also wanted
+   to ask but were afraid to and will be grateful that you took the
+   initiative.
+
+10.  Pick Your Points
+
+   Think a bit about the impression you make on people.
+
+   If you insist on speaking to every issue, even if you don't have any
+   really strong points, you will get a reputation as a blowhard who
+   doesn't add much and just slows things down.  If you only speak
+   occasionally, but have solid points to make when you do, people will
+   pay much more attention to your occasional speeches.
+
+   Similarly, if you quibble about everything, you will use up good will
+   you have acquired and may be viewed as an obstructionist who causes
+   needless delay.  If an organization is doing or developing something
+   complex, all the decisions are not going to go the way you want.
+   Consider the points where you could try to get your way, figure out
+   how important they are to you, how strong your arguments would be,
+   and how much opposition you are likely to encounter.  Keep in mind
+   that your arguments will usually seem more impressive to you than
+   they do to others.  Based on this, you can make a reasoned choice of
+   where to really put up a fight and possibly recruit allies or call in
+   favors.
+
+   This is not to say that you should ignore minor issues and never
+   speak up about them if you have new information or opinions to
+   contribute.  Just do not invest a lot of effort in fighting an issue
+   or making a point unless it is important to you and you judge that
+   you have a reasonable chance of succeeding.
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+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 6]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
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+11.  Technical and Communications Skill
+
+   You may be surprised that I have said very little about technical and
+   communication skills, although in the Introduction above it was
+   assumed that you had normal skills in these areas.  You do need to
+   understand the technical aspects of what is going on so that you
+   cannot be easily bamboozled.
+
+   If you are very strong technically and can make substantial
+   contributions, you can be helpful, if you can contribute in a way
+   that does not offend too many people.  But, especially in a large
+   technical standards body, not everyone can be a strong technical
+   contributor.
+
+   If you have strong verbal and written communications skills, this can
+   also be helpful.  But if you are not fluent in the dominant language
+   of the organization, you will be at a disadvantage.  While the
+   organization should make some attempt to be approachable by those for
+   whom its dominant language is a second language, the best thing to do
+   is to put in the time and effort to become fluent. [Farber]  As a
+   stopgap, you can team up with someone with whom you communicate well
+   and who is fluent in the standards organization language.  They can
+   speak for you in meetings, if necessary, and co-author written
+   contributions with you.
+
+   If you are the rare genius with superb technical, communication, and
+   interpersonal skills, you are wasting your time reading this and
+   might be able to get away with doing exactly the opposite of some of
+   its recommendations.  But I would not count on it.
+
+12.  Do Not Try Too Hard
+
+   Lastly, give yourself a bit of time to get settled into an
+   organization.  Then, be reasonably assertive, but do not be too pushy
+   unless an issue is so important you are willing to risk the
+   reputation you have built up.  And try to never lose your temper.
+
+   Unless you are a genius at inter-personal relations, you will not
+   gain substantial prominence and influence in a standards organization
+   overnight.  These things take time and patience.
+
+13.  Security Considerations
+
+   This RFC raises no new security issues.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 7]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
+
+14.  Informative References
+
+   [Carnegie]  "How To Win Friends And Influence People", Dale Carnegie,
+               1990, ISBN 0671723650.
+
+   [Farber]    "How to Learn Any Language", Barry Farber, 1991, ISBN
+               1-56731-543-7.
+
+Author's Address
+
+   Donald E. Eastlake 3rd
+   Motorola Laboratories
+   155 Beaver Street
+   Milford, MA 01757 USA
+
+   Phone:  +1 508-786-7554 (w)
+   EMail:  Donald.Eastlake@motorola.com
+
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+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 8]
+
+RFC 4144                Prominence and Influence          September 2005
+
+
+Full Copyright Statement
+
+   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).
+
+   This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions
+   contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
+   retain all their rights.
+
+   This document and the information contained herein are provided on an
+   "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS
+   OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
+   ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
+   INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
+   INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED
+   WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+
+Intellectual Property
+
+   The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any
+   Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to
+   pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in
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+   might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has
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+   on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be
+   found in BCP 78 and BCP 79.
+
+   Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any
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+
+   The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any
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+
+Acknowledgement
+
+   Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
+   Internet Society.
+
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+Eastlake                     Informational                      [Page 9]
+