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Yea I hate this stuff... No longer is it good enough to work hard, you have to work hard, and then campaign for recognition for it... It should be the job of g

Yea I hate this stuff... No longer is it good enough to work hard, you have to work hard, and then campaign for recognition for it... It should be the job of good management to recognize and foster tallent... but unfortunately, you have to be a good worker and a good politician on your own behalf to get ahead in a lot of corporate environments nowdays.

jdmichal 9y ago
> No longer is it good enough to work hard, you have to work hard, and then campaign for recognition for it... I find it interesting that people seem to think that there was a time when this wasn't the case. I think it is potentially true in a small-group setting. And by that, I mean that magic number around 150 people where you can have a fully-connected network. The moment you cross that mark, the network can no longer maintain full connection. That is the very same point when signaling worth becomes important. And humans have had organizations larger than 150 people for a very long time. I've posted before about "meritocracy" being a fairy tale that technical workers need to stop telling themselves: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10978841#10980628 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10978841#10980628 EDIT: Sorry, was off on Dunbar's number, which is 150. Though I think the constraints required for a desired organization without signaling are a bit heavier -- you need to not only maintain the social network, but also the value of each person. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number
- kefka 9y ago
  Yeah, a fellow commentor posted here a few weeks ago the following: "An infernal situation. There is no solidarity in a meritocracy, and no reward for merit with solidarity." (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14022296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14022296) The semantic and meaning packed in that is deep to the core of unions and the rights of an individual. Not only that, it also unpacks why a meritocracy is wanted when the individual is a genius. I'd think it's one of the best quotes of the year, thus far.
venture_lol 9y ago
Do you know why companies spend billions on marketing? And why there are a gazillions companies helping people market their brand, product, and services? Yeah, marketing matters. Take a look at any successful business and see how much they spend on marketing vs product development. Perhaps, personal career management ought to reflect that ratio.
- crispyambulance 9y ago
  You're right about the value of marketing yourself and taking responsibility for your personal brand. People should take that seriously. Unfortunately, having an HR department mediate the experience for you in a shitty way on your behalf is not a very rewarding experience!

jdmichal 9y ago

> No longer is it good enough to work hard, you have to work hard, and then campaign for recognition for it... I find it interesting that people seem to think that there was a time when this wasn't the case. I think it is potentially true in a small-group setting. And by that, I mean that magic number around 150 people where you can have a fully-connected network. The moment you cross that mark, the network can no longer maintain full connection. That is the very same point when signaling worth becomes important. And humans have had organizations larger than 150 people for a very long time. I've posted before about "meritocracy" being a fairy tale that technical workers need to stop telling themselves: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10978841#10980628 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10978841#10980628 EDIT: Sorry, was off on Dunbar's number, which is 150. Though I think the constraints required for a desired organization without signaling are a bit heavier -- you need to not only maintain the social network, but also the value of each person. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number

kefka 9y ago
Yeah, a fellow commentor posted here a few weeks ago the following: "An infernal situation. There is no solidarity in a meritocracy, and no reward for merit with solidarity." (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14022296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14022296) The semantic and meaning packed in that is deep to the core of unions and the rights of an individual. Not only that, it also unpacks why a meritocracy is wanted when the individual is a genius. I'd think it's one of the best quotes of the year, thus far.

venture_lol 9y ago

Do you know why companies spend billions on marketing? And why there are a gazillions companies helping people market their brand, product, and services? Yeah, marketing matters. Take a look at any successful business and see how much they spend on marketing vs product development. Perhaps, personal career management ought to reflect that ratio.

crispyambulance 9y ago
You're right about the value of marketing yourself and taking responsibility for your personal brand. People should take that seriously. Unfortunately, having an HR department mediate the experience for you in a shitty way on your behalf is not a very rewarding experience!