Shadow Man

A co-worker and I took the initiative a couple of weeks ago to propose a technical solution to a business initiative that our management team was wanting to implement. We saw a presentation of a draft of their technical solution and we did not like it. So we got together and did some brain storming. We then met with the committee (made up of different levels of management) to toss out our idea. They were interested in hearing more. So we worked up a proposal and presented it to them a few days later. They accepted it. Now he and I, along with another developer and a business analyst, are tasked with implementing it, in a very tight time frame.


Now my manager and his manager are not part of the committee. When we took the initiative to come up with a different, and I'll say better, solution, they tagged us with the nicknames "Commando 1" and "Commando 2". Since then, other nicknames have been tossed out by my manager for me. One was Sledge (needed a nickname that was a little rougher). Then she said I needed a more Southern nickname. I suggested Bubba.

Since Tuesday, I've been involved in meetings everyday around planning and design. Today, after being in a very productive design session for an hour and a half, I returned to my desk for lunch. I found a piece of paper taped to my monitor with the words "Shadow Man" on it. When I questioned my manager, she replied that it was my new nickname since she hardly ever sees me anymore (my cube is opposite hers, so I'm in direct line of sight) . At least she has a sense of humor.

She'll see more of me for a while. This past design session got us where we could start developing, so I'll be glued to my chair for the next few weeks, trying to get this done.