Comments on: Neatness counts: A messy desk can hurt your career http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/01/06/neatness-counts-a-messy-desk-can-hurt-your-career/ Advice at the intersection of work and life Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:36:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: jrandom42 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/01/06/neatness-counts-a-messy-desk-can-hurt-your-career/#comment-134448 jrandom42 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:56:12 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/01/06/neatness-counts-a-messy-desk-can-hurt-your-career/#comment-134448 Notice that some of the "messy desk" employees at GE included William Hewlett and David Packard. Notice that some of the "messy desk" employees at GE included William Hewlett and David Packard.

]]> By: Doug Ferrell http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/01/06/neatness-counts-a-messy-desk-can-hurt-your-career/#comment-598 Doug Ferrell Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:34:06 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/01/06/neatness-counts-a-messy-desk-can-hurt-your-career/#comment-598 Wow. I don't know where to begin. It seems like you have had very limited exposure to a variety of workplaces. Perhaps you should do a little more research before making such a strong statement about desks and careers. Different people think and work in different ways. The goal of an employer should be to maximize the efficiency and capability of its employees, not to enforce ridiculous top-down mandates which only serve some executive's ego trip. In some fields, especially technical ones, becoming a manager is not the goal. Rather, solving difficult problems is. Perhaps if you want to be a ladder climber at GE or the FBI your advice makes sense, but I do not see any basis for the extreme generalization you make. And managers are advised not to promote people with messy desks? Please. You seem to have very little understanding of jobs which require a person to actually achieve tangible results. This is the basis for promotion at any sane workplace. GE makes a profit from the products it develops, produces, and sells, not by "developing" more managers. Try reading this for a different view: <a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/smth08.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/smth08.shtml</a> Wow. I don't know where to begin. It seems like you have had very limited exposure to a variety of workplaces. Perhaps you should do a little more research before making such a strong statement about desks and careers. Different people think and work in different ways. The goal of an employer should be to maximize the efficiency and capability of its employees, not to enforce ridiculous top-down mandates which only serve some executive's ego trip.

In some fields, especially technical ones, becoming a manager is not the goal. Rather, solving difficult problems is. Perhaps if you want to be a ladder climber at GE or the FBI your advice makes sense, but I do not see any basis for the extreme generalization you make.

And managers are advised not to promote people with messy desks? Please. You seem to have very little understanding of jobs which require a person to actually achieve tangible results. This is the basis for promotion at any sane workplace. GE makes a profit from the products it develops, produces, and sells, not by "developing" more managers.

Try reading this for a different view:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/smth08.shtml

]]> By: Brazen Careerist http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/01/06/neatness-counts-a-messy-desk-can-hurt-your-career/#comment-599 Brazen Careerist Tue, 01 Aug 2006 02:47:48 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/01/06/neatness-counts-a-messy-desk-can-hurt-your-career/#comment-599 <strong>List of things I hate</strong> Here is my second annual list of things I hate. However, it seems to have morphed into a list of types of people I hate. But this seems fair; no one’s animosity should be limited to inanimate objects. 1. Perfectionists... List of things I hate

Here is my second annual list of things I hate. However, it seems to have morphed into a list of types of people I hate. But this seems fair; no one’s animosity should be limited to inanimate objects. 1. Perfectionists…

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