Just Plain Bill
Like the Back of My Hand
When discussing
my performance on a recent project, my manager said, “You should know how to do
it as well as you know the ‘back of your hand’.” After resolving an issue with this
manager (who just happened to epitomize the definition of a micromanager), I
stopped and thought about his comment. In spite of the fact it provided absolutely
no direction or assistance whatsoever, it did cause me to become fascinated by
what the back of my hand looked like!
I tried to
visualize it in a couple of ways. I tried to see just how the back of my hand might
relate to me supposedly knowing how to do something quite well. Then - and
without peeking – I tried to, but couldn’t really describe the “back of my hand”
in any detail.
Was the back of
my hand smooth? Did the veins stick out? Were my knuckles well formed? Or are
they gnarly? Did I have any, or many age spots, or what?
As you’re reading
this, know that I’m wondering if you’d be able to pick out the back of your
hand from a group of five or six pictures of backs of hands. And, if you can, I
greatly admire your ability so can you please tell me how that applies to a
critique of my work???
Give it a try and
let me know!
In closing, let
me share one definition I love, which provides some rather sarcastic relevance
to my work:
“The phrase is meant to describe intimate
knowledge of something to a degree greater than anyone else could possibly
achieve. If one couldn't pick the back of one's own hand out of a line-up, it
would demonstrate one's ignorance about the back of one's own hand and thus
make the use of the phrase pretty meaningless, unless it's intended to be
sarcastic or humorous.”
Wordwizard.com, response by Shelley – 05/2005, NY, NY
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