How do I change situations in which I cannot work effectively as a professional programmer?

Just got my copy of "Understanding the Professional Programmer" by Gerald Weinberg. Bravo!

"Some of the methods that the professional programmer should be working on are these:

1. What should I do about a program for a well-defined problem that I don't believe should be solved at all?

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5. How do I work effectively with people whose problems are not well defined, who don't understand as much about computers as I do, who understand more about many other things than I do, and whose motivations are different from mine?

6. How do I change situations in which I cannot work effectively as a professional programmer?

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9. How do I work on those aspects of my own personality and problem-solving approach that are so personal I can't even see them, even though they may be the most important factor in my effectiveness as a programmer?"