5 ms·

My manager told me it is trust that I yet to earn — people don’t trust my judgement and I need to build good relationships with decision makers. I agreed. But

My manager told me it is trust that I yet to earn — people don’t trust my judgement and I need to build good relationships with decision makers. I agreed. But that what is called “politics”. I don't think this is a good example of "politics". I think this is primarily about earning a place in a team among the people who have been sweating it out for years. It doesn't happen overnight, and it's especially difficult in an entry-level role.

cblum 8y ago
I think this might be a cultural issue. It's anecdotal but I think I can offer some perspective. I've been living in the US for several years now, but I'm originally from Brazil. I started my career there. In Brazil, my experience was always that people initially trust newcomers, and only lose their trust if they fuck up. I always felt trusted when joining a new team, and thankfully I never fucked up. But I saw people fuck up, and other people lost their trust on them very quickly. In the US (and I think Canada, both countries seem to have similar work cultures), it seems to be the opposite. When you join a new team, you have to prove yourself worth of their respect. You have to do some initial labor to show that you deserve your place in the team. That's been the case in every team I've joined so far. I don't know what it's like in Israel, but I wonder if the author of the post had a similar experience to mine.
- sridca 8y ago
  I think India is similar to Brazil in that regard. If someone truly cares about cultural acceptance (above and beyond the superficial diversity jabber), it would serve them well to start by replacing trust (and distrust) with intelligent appraisals.
sridca 8y ago
In any case, why do we humans persistently depend on the emotion of trust instead of using our native intelligence to appraise each situation as they come? Trust is an archaic emotion that may have had its value in primitive societies living amidst predators and such demanding instant reactions. However we now live in a safer modern society where newcomers to the team don't come with an intention to kill and plunder others; why not just use the brain's intelligence to deal with their proposals? Why keep these archaic hierarchies alive and the need to "earn one's place" in them?
- encoderer 8y ago
  On any functioning team, you are trusted to do your job on day one. But one of your first jobs is to learn team customs and share the burdens of the team, and by doing that you earn not trust but true respect. Only with respect can you have influence.
  - sridca 8y ago
    That's the best one can manage when confined by the debilitating emotion of trust/distrust/respect/disrespect. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to rely on human intelligence? (It is a question I've been asking myself lately).

cblum 8y ago

I think this might be a cultural issue. It's anecdotal but I think I can offer some perspective. I've been living in the US for several years now, but I'm originally from Brazil. I started my career there. In Brazil, my experience was always that people initially trust newcomers, and only lose their trust if they fuck up. I always felt trusted when joining a new team, and thankfully I never fucked up. But I saw people fuck up, and other people lost their trust on them very quickly. In the US (and I think Canada, both countries seem to have similar work cultures), it seems to be the opposite. When you join a new team, you have to prove yourself worth of their respect. You have to do some initial labor to show that you deserve your place in the team. That's been the case in every team I've joined so far. I don't know what it's like in Israel, but I wonder if the author of the post had a similar experience to mine.

sridca 8y ago
I think India is similar to Brazil in that regard. If someone truly cares about cultural acceptance (above and beyond the superficial diversity jabber), it would serve them well to start by replacing trust (and distrust) with intelligent appraisals.

sridca 8y ago

In any case, why do we humans persistently depend on the emotion of trust instead of using our native intelligence to appraise each situation as they come? Trust is an archaic emotion that may have had its value in primitive societies living amidst predators and such demanding instant reactions. However we now live in a safer modern society where newcomers to the team don't come with an intention to kill and plunder others; why not just use the brain's intelligence to deal with their proposals? Why keep these archaic hierarchies alive and the need to "earn one's place" in them?

encoderer 8y ago
On any functioning team, you are trusted to do your job on day one. But one of your first jobs is to learn team customs and share the burdens of the team, and by doing that you earn not trust but true respect. Only with respect can you have influence.
- sridca 8y ago
  That's the best one can manage when confined by the debilitating emotion of trust/distrust/respect/disrespect. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to rely on human intelligence? (It is a question I've been asking myself lately).