It Takes an Asshole

Whenever somebody new arrives at AFRL, most people are quick to make the judgement "He's a nice man." That's all well and good, but the history of AFRL (and practically every other government agency) shows that nice guys finish last. It's the assholes who get the job done.

Let's face it: an average government civil servant will spend nine straight business days sitting on his/her butt, and then take a day off on every other Friday. At the same time, equipment vendors are keen on settling for less when they run against a challenge that they feel can't be accomplished. The people who are viewed as "nice guys" get that reputation because they tolerate the idleness that is inherent in civil service. People get to be known as assholes because they actually force government mules to work and force vendors to produce what they promise.

Nice guys build bricks, assholes fly satellites. That's the way life works.