Being inconsistent isn’t necessarily bad.
Jeff Bezos has done an amazing job building Amazon into an amazing technology company. I still remember making my first purchase when they were just a bookseller. Now I buy a lot from them, and the various other vendors that use their platforms. While they are well known as a retail powerhouse, they might just as easily be seen as an incredible software company that provides a wide variety of platforms and services from the cloud.
I’ve also followed the rise fo 37 Signals, and Jason Fried, who I think has built a company the right way. In many ways the things I admire about that company are also things I admire about Red Gate Software. These are companies that not only run successful and profitable businesses, but they do so in a way that inspires people and gives them more than just a paycheck.
Recently Jeff Bezos stopped by 37 Signals and gave some advice. He said that the people he had found in his life that were “right a lot” about various subjects were those that often changed their minds. That’s a strong, but thought-provoking statement to me. As I think about it, it’s how I tend to view the world. I have some strong, well thought-out (I think) opinions, but I’m open to the fact that I might be wrong. Not because I don’t understand the problem or situation, but because I might not have all the information. I am very open to the idea that I don’t know what I don’t know about many subjects, especially databases.
This week, I want to know what you’ve changed your mind about in your career. It could be something in databases, or technology in general, but I’m wondering:
What strong opinion did you hold that has been changed over time?
Please avoid political or socials issues and stick to something in technology that’s you have altered your standing on. And if you haven’t changed your mind on anything, perhaps that’s something to think about as well.
Steve Jones
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I think one thing I’m changing my mind about (or coming to terms with) is what I can reasonably expect from Microsoft or any other vendor in terms of protecting my little world while growing their own. I thought that the job of a Vendor was to build a stable world for their customers to live in (which is what I try to do for my customers) and I’ve been disappointed when a vendor cancels a product or changes direction. But I’m starting to change my mind. The world changes, and we have to work together to embrace the change. “Set it and forget it” is a lazy myth.
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