Often at work, I hear the analogy “so and so” isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.  But sometimes, that isn’t necessary to get ahead in the company rat race…

For example, the guy that sits in the cube next to me is one of the smartest technology individuals in the building.  I admit, he’s smarter and more crafty that I am…  He has plenty of awards for the incredible things that he has done at the company…

And yet, he is at the same level in the hierarchy as I am and probably makes less money.  It doesn’t make sense huh! 

So why is this the case?

He lacks a certain ability to distinguish morally correct behaviour vs deviant behaviour.  Actually, he’s the kind of person that I would describe as a malicious hacker, and I wouldn’t even keep him onboard if I owned the company.

My boss know that he’s not trustworthy and does some questionable activities, but also recognizes that he has a certain value and genius about him.  Sometimes, he has gotten caught and reprimanded, but never disciplined to a high degree.  Typically he blows the entire punishment off.

I feel sorry for him in some ways…  If he would control the way he behaves (even if he had to fake it), I’m sure he could become a director or VP. 

Below is a quick list of the activites that I find questionable?

• Remotes into his home servers and works on family activities (facebook, make family videos, etc) while on company time.
• Makes and takes Personal calls during work for hours at a time, at least until his boss comes over.
• Plays practical jokes on people, taking way to long to create some of the uncomfortable jokes he plays.  He’s kind of creepy this way…
• Run untested code, sometimes communicating to external clients by accident (this was embarrassing).
• Occasionally he takes 3+ hour lunches.

This list is just scratching the surface, but I won’t go beyond this list…

Sometimes the Sharpest Tool in the Shed is too sharp and dangerous and should be used with care or not used at all 😉

Have you ever encountered someone that was so clever and also so bored that they go outside of the comfort range acceptable in the workplace?

-MR