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I got invited to a YC event - meet companies, they pitched - a recruiting event. More than a few pulled the "we work hard, play hard, are a family" card. If yo

I got invited to a YC event - meet companies, they pitched - a recruiting event. More than a few pulled the "we work hard, play hard, are a family" card. If you have friends/family, avoid such. Cultural fit is bull shit. It's about getting people to work more at a fixed rate. I've been there, done that, ran away to better things. As someone expected to write code - make sure "operations" isn't a hidden requirement - devops - could meaning call duty. If you were not required to be operational when hired, and suddenly fall into the roll, start looking around. Operations takes planning, but some use "culture" as an excuse for lack of planning.

osullivj 10y ago
Claiming "we are a family" in a business environment is always a reg flag for me. Team is a much better metaphor. Sports teams back each other up, but ultimately underperformers get dropped. You don't get fired from a family, you don't stop being a brother, sister, father or mother.
- dfsegoat 10y ago
  This. The most tight knit people I've met are in military special operations: Nothing comes close to the combination of technical skills, teamwork and ability to mitigate "interpersonal friction" that those guys have, IMO. The telling thing is: Not once have I heard these folks refer to themselves as a "family" - almost like it is an insult to what family really is (separate and sacred). Only have I heard them refer to themselves collectively as a "team" or a "community".
  - porker 10y ago
    > military special operations: Nothing comes close to the [...] ability to mitigate "interpersonal friction" that those guys have, IMO. Any training material, courses or books on this? I need to improve my handling of "interpersonal friction".
    - spitfire 10y ago
      MCDP-1
    - dfsegoat 10y ago
      Check out any books / articles relating to the Marine Corps' "The Basic School" - It is where newly commissioned officers (and warrant officers) learn how to lead Marines. My fav is: "One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer" - by Nate Fick. Long story short - The Basic School and training cadre are so effective at producing outstanding leaders, that MBA programs like Harvard and Wharton have built in a number of aspects of it to their "team building" courses / sequences: http://news.smeal.psu.edu/news-archive/2014/united-states-marine-corps-offers-mba-students-unique-glimpse-into-leadership http://news.smeal.psu.edu/news-archive/2014/united-states-ma...
- bigtex 10y ago
  Thanks for the great analogy. My employer had layoffs recently but has always referred to employees as family. always thought that was a terrible analogy as you said because you don't fire your mom or dad.
- cerrelio 10y ago
  My view on this is that the people I work with are colleagues and not family. I don't consider coworkers friends. I'm friendly with them, but not friends. We're at work to mutually put money in each other's pockets, not to form deep personal bonds. This view takes some finesse to develop; it's a fine line to walk, but I've found it works for me

osullivj 10y ago

Claiming "we are a family" in a business environment is always a reg flag for me. Team is a much better metaphor. Sports teams back each other up, but ultimately underperformers get dropped. You don't get fired from a family, you don't stop being a brother, sister, father or mother.

dfsegoat 10y ago
This. The most tight knit people I've met are in military special operations: Nothing comes close to the combination of technical skills, teamwork and ability to mitigate "interpersonal friction" that those guys have, IMO. The telling thing is: Not once have I heard these folks refer to themselves as a "family" - almost like it is an insult to what family really is (separate and sacred). Only have I heard them refer to themselves collectively as a "team" or a "community".
- porker 10y ago
  > military special operations: Nothing comes close to the [...] ability to mitigate "interpersonal friction" that those guys have, IMO. Any training material, courses or books on this? I need to improve my handling of "interpersonal friction".
  - spitfire 10y ago
    MCDP-1
  - dfsegoat 10y ago
    Check out any books / articles relating to the Marine Corps' "The Basic School" - It is where newly commissioned officers (and warrant officers) learn how to lead Marines. My fav is: "One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer" - by Nate Fick. Long story short - The Basic School and training cadre are so effective at producing outstanding leaders, that MBA programs like Harvard and Wharton have built in a number of aspects of it to their "team building" courses / sequences: http://news.smeal.psu.edu/news-archive/2014/united-states-marine-corps-offers-mba-students-unique-glimpse-into-leadership http://news.smeal.psu.edu/news-archive/2014/united-states-ma...
bigtex 10y ago
Thanks for the great analogy. My employer had layoffs recently but has always referred to employees as family. always thought that was a terrible analogy as you said because you don't fire your mom or dad.
cerrelio 10y ago
My view on this is that the people I work with are colleagues and not family. I don't consider coworkers friends. I'm friendly with them, but not friends. We're at work to mutually put money in each other's pockets, not to form deep personal bonds. This view takes some finesse to develop; it's a fine line to walk, but I've found it works for me