I've had the opportunity recently to mentor (or at least not corrupt) a graduating college senior eager to join the work force. When she asked me what it is they don't tell you about in college, I told her she'd need to learn how to find the rock.
In case you're not familiar with finding the rock, I'll enlighten you. This is the game you may have to play (repeatedly) with your manager who is too busy or frazzled to give you specific requirements for whatever he or she needs you to find, fix, figure out, or otherwise take care of.
The game starts when she catches you off guard in the hallway, as you're heading out for the weekend, or in an oblique email. She'll tell you to do something about which you know nothing. She'll need it almost immediately. And, she'll have or will give you no other qualifying information.
Now it's your turn. You need to find the rock. Since you have no idea what kind or how big a rock you should find, you'll need to rifle through your recent memory files for clues about this particular rock's requirements. Could it be for the meeting she has next week? Perhaps. Is this in response to the request she got yesterday about that escalated case? Could be. Will it cause unexpected political ripples if you involve another person or team in your quest for the rock? Maybe, but that's a risk you might have to take.
So, you use your best deductive reasoning skills and consult whatever stars, cards (or bars) that help you steer your wagon and you bring her the rock you're sure will meet her ambiguous needs.
Wrong rock.
You're back to the beginning knowing-at least-that the first rock you brought wasn't the right one. And the clock is still ticking. The game concludes after as many rounds as are needed to procure the right rock. There are no winners.
Looking back, I suppose I got some benefit out of the many rounds of Find the Rock I was forced to play. My skills at observation were sharpened significantly, as was my ability to think on my feet. And most importantly, I vowed to never, ever make anyone find a rock for me.
There is one other good thing about my Find the Rock adventures. There never was an actual rock, or I might be writing to you from inside a Federal penitentiary.
Franny Fried