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Random thoughts: 1. Say if you are hired as a gardener. But let's say your skills are much stronger in Botany. You might be fixated on why certain species are

Random thoughts: 1. Say if you are hired as a gardener. But let's say your skills are much stronger in Botany. You might be fixated on why certain species are not planted and why the folks who planted it are stupid to have the plants that they decided upon, and how you might have a better idea on which plants grow best in which weather. Remember, you are still a gardener. Maybe if you work your way to earn the trust and respect of the people, one day, you might have the support to express your other skills in a better way and actually make a difference. 2. If it's one person that you have a problem with, there is a possibility that they are the problem. With two,the probability decreases a bit. With three or more people, the probability goes the other way round - you are probably the problem. 3. Watch 'Jiro dreams of sushi'. The cook took several years before he was allowed to bake a simple cake. It is not just a matter of knowledge, skill or even passion. It's being accustomed to the environment, being useful in some area to the business and making meaningful contribution before other nice things materialize. You still need a lot of skills, passion, talent and work ethic; but those are not the only things. Kudos to the author in spotting a blindspot. However the tone of the articld still left me wondering if they actually still felt that they were better than the rest or if they realized their limitations.

dasil003 8y ago
Love these thoughts. I think the code craftsmanship movement really speaks to your 3rd point, but the whole industry is incentivized against it. Especially in SV, if you don't get into a company, make a major contribution, and get out in 3 years then hiring managers start to see it as a red flag. I really love the cross-pollination of ideas this brings, but it also wreaks havoc on stability and institutional knowledge.
ianbicking 8y ago
It's a little more complicated in this case than for a typical gardener. The developer works for their manager, their team, but also ultimately for the firm. The developer may well be pursuing explicit goals of the firm, while annoying their peers or manager. And the developer may be right! Teams reach a kind of stable state. New hires may well represent a desire of the firm to change that stable state. The team may not be on board. Sandbagging is not so uncommon. In this particular story, the review situation is what particularly raised flags for me. Obviously the author did not situate himself well, but I'm not sure he'd have been happy if he had been more adaptable, and that may be on the team and not him.
iamcasen 8y ago
#2 is just not true. If you're in a room full of klansmen who are all going on about how whites are the superior race, and you disagree. Are you the problem? NO! The same is true of anything else. Sometimes the whole team is totally wrong, and their way of doing things is detrimental to the overall goals of the company.
- rekado 8y ago
  mindfulplay wrote that it's "probable", not that there is no way that everyone else but you is the problem.
- erikpukinskis 8y ago
  > If you're in a room full of klansmen who are all going on about how whites are the superior race, and you disagree. Are you the problem? NO! Well, yes actually, you are. By what mechanism does a group of clansmen become one notch less destructive? Certainly not by having newcomers tell them non-whites are equal. They become less harmful by A) feeling like they have the institutional support to take care of their own, so they have less need to lash out, B) having safe, passive exposure to The Other, and C) having people they trust question their worst ideas. If you’re not making some similar constructive move, then yes: you’re part of the problem. Notice that we’re not saying you’re wrong. Of course speaking out against white supremacy is right, that’s a separate question from whether it’s problem or solution. It’s easy to be correct while contributing nothing to solving a problem.

dasil003 8y ago

Love these thoughts. I think the code craftsmanship movement really speaks to your 3rd point, but the whole industry is incentivized against it. Especially in SV, if you don't get into a company, make a major contribution, and get out in 3 years then hiring managers start to see it as a red flag. I really love the cross-pollination of ideas this brings, but it also wreaks havoc on stability and institutional knowledge.

ianbicking 8y ago

It's a little more complicated in this case than for a typical gardener. The developer works for their manager, their team, but also ultimately for the firm. The developer may well be pursuing explicit goals of the firm, while annoying their peers or manager. And the developer may be right! Teams reach a kind of stable state. New hires may well represent a desire of the firm to change that stable state. The team may not be on board. Sandbagging is not so uncommon. In this particular story, the review situation is what particularly raised flags for me. Obviously the author did not situate himself well, but I'm not sure he'd have been happy if he had been more adaptable, and that may be on the team and not him.

iamcasen 8y ago

#2 is just not true. If you're in a room full of klansmen who are all going on about how whites are the superior race, and you disagree. Are you the problem? NO! The same is true of anything else. Sometimes the whole team is totally wrong, and their way of doing things is detrimental to the overall goals of the company.

rekado 8y ago
mindfulplay wrote that it's "probable", not that there is no way that everyone else but you is the problem.
erikpukinskis 8y ago
> If you're in a room full of klansmen who are all going on about how whites are the superior race, and you disagree. Are you the problem? NO! Well, yes actually, you are. By what mechanism does a group of clansmen become one notch less destructive? Certainly not by having newcomers tell them non-whites are equal. They become less harmful by A) feeling like they have the institutional support to take care of their own, so they have less need to lash out, B) having safe, passive exposure to The Other, and C) having people they trust question their worst ideas. If you’re not making some similar constructive move, then yes: you’re part of the problem. Notice that we’re not saying you’re wrong. Of course speaking out against white supremacy is right, that’s a separate question from whether it’s problem or solution. It’s easy to be correct while contributing nothing to solving a problem.