[maemo-community] maemo.org paid contributors (was Re: Monthly Sprint Proposal)

[From: Dave Neary]

Hi,

For the most part, it feels like you're tilting at windmills here
Jeremiah, I don't see the same issues you seem to. It looks like we're
getting caught up in the tone & style of what was said rather than (more
important) the intent & content.

That said, I do want to touch on one thing you mention.

Jeremiah Foster wrote:
> This is clear in no uncertain terms, and is as it should be. But this  
> also describes a two way street - if the council takes on the  
> responsibility of hiring a person, they have the obligation to fulfill  
> their end of the bargain and not change terms and conditions with a  
> new council. This is exactly what is happening now. When Alan writes  
> "I'm still unclear about the council's role in "policing" the paid  
> maemo.org team. To what extent are we the team's "bosses"?" he is  
> pointing to the lack of a clearly defined relationship between the  
> employer and employee. That relationship must be formalized before  
> there is hue and cry about "performance concerns, etc..."
> "staying on task".
> 
> This ought to be obvious to all concerned - before you can hold  
> someone accountable, you need to define their responsibilities.

Agreed. I for one would like a little more direction on what I should be
spending time on - I've mostly been setting my own agenda & working on
what I felt was needed & not getting done, like the elections, and
offering to help where I know I have the capacity, like the organisation
of the Summit, but I would really like to have a clearer idea of
people's expectations of me.

I don't want to be tied down to a job description but I do want to make
sure that I'm working on tasks that my bosses feel are important.

> The current council is ignoring this and looking for ways to "police"  
> and "boss" before the roles are defined.

Here, though, I disagree with you. Part of being the boss is defining a
person's role with them. When you came on board, the council spent a lot
of time defining their expectations from a debmaster, so you have, at
least, that to work from.

I do think it's asking a lot of a small volunteer council to supervise
the work of four "employees" (for want of a better word), which is why
it's so important that we be completely open about what we do.

I'll readily admit that visiting the wiki every day has not come
naturally to me. I'm more comfortable participating actively in mailing
lists, being available on IRC, and blogging occasionally on major
things. I'd like to think that I've been sufficiently transparent for
people subscribed to the mailing lists to know what I'm up to.

I also think that it's important for all the council members to be
comfortable with their role, and setting (realistic) expectations for
maemo.org staffers. If you feel that you need a job description to give
you that framework, then so be it. Personally I prefer regular
suggestions, confirmations or corrections from the council, followed by
an attitude of JFDI until someone tells you you're doing something wrong.


I knnow I'm not in the best position to speak to this, having missed the
sprint meeting, but if qole feels the need to censure one or more of us
(did I come between the cross-hairs?) then maybe there is a problem that
needs fixing? So let's concentrate on the issue, rather than the way it
was expressed.

Cheers,
Dave.

-- 
maemo.org docsmaster
Email: dneary at maemo.org
Jabber: bolsh at jabber.org