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Why doesn’t your management push back?

by op00to 7y ago

opportune 7y ago
A lot of managers are either spineless (afraid of arguing with people higher up in the food chain) or two-faced (overpromising to management because if they deliver it will look good, while simultaneously telling reports that they tried their best at reducing the workload)
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  Most middle managers don’t have much power. If your CEO gets it into his head that a project needs to be delivered at a certain date you can push back but what can you do if nobody listens?
  - TuringNYC 7y ago
    Dates are only one lever, there are three others: Cut scope Increase resources Decrease quality
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
DoreenMichele 7y ago
Shit runs downhill. The reality is that if the people up top have abusive practices, no one below them can fix it. They cave to keep their paycheck or they leave.
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  And from a pure business/money point of view it may make sense to burn people out.
- butteredpopcorn 7y ago
  Thanks for putting this into words. During bad times it’s awful, during good times it’s “only a matter of time”. I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless. So far I have tried “pretending to not care what happens to me and my career” and “fantasizing unrealistically about freelancing”
  - DoreenMichele 7y ago
    I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless. Try to leave at a time of your choosing. Try to set some parameters or goals for how/when to do that, such as paying down debt, having a savings cushion or lining up another job. Control some piece of it to some degree.
    - ianai 7y ago
      In tech, there’s also lots of outside of work professional opportunities, too. Obtaining certifications helped me feel more secure in a previous, awful work experience. I also did a number of home projects that I could add to the resume. Also, I’d tell anyone in a tough work environment to ensure they're keeping their mental and physical health up. I needed PT from all the muscle strains the one place gave me, for instance. I also drank roasted cacao daily for a good theobromine and caffeine kick! It really did help me feel like “it’ll all be ok” during the worst of it.
      - DoreenMichele 7y ago
        As long as you don't overdo it, caffeine can help provide some oomph for the adrenals during short-term stress. When paired with the right nutritional support, such as better quality salt, real licorice and coconut oil, it's sustainable for fairly long periods and makes a real difference in your ability to rise to the occasion.

Why doesn’t your management push back?

by op00to 7y ago

Why doesn’t your management push back?

A lot of managers are either spineless (afraid of arguing with people higher up in the food chain) or two-faced (overpromising to management because if they deliver it will look good, while simultaneously telling reports that they tried their best at reducing the workload)

Ididntdothis 7y ago
Most middle managers don’t have much power. If your CEO gets it into his head that a project needs to be delivered at a certain date you can push back but what can you do if nobody listens?
- TuringNYC 7y ago
  Dates are only one lever, there are three others: Cut scope Increase resources Decrease quality

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

DoreenMichele 7y ago

Shit runs downhill. The reality is that if the people up top have abusive practices, no one below them can fix it. They cave to keep their paycheck or they leave.

Ididntdothis 7y ago
And from a pure business/money point of view it may make sense to burn people out.
butteredpopcorn 7y ago
Thanks for putting this into words. During bad times it’s awful, during good times it’s “only a matter of time”. I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless. So far I have tried “pretending to not care what happens to me and my career” and “fantasizing unrealistically about freelancing”
- DoreenMichele 7y ago
  I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless. Try to leave at a time of your choosing. Try to set some parameters or goals for how/when to do that, such as paying down debt, having a savings cushion or lining up another job. Control some piece of it to some degree.
  - ianai 7y ago
    In tech, there’s also lots of outside of work professional opportunities, too. Obtaining certifications helped me feel more secure in a previous, awful work experience. I also did a number of home projects that I could add to the resume. Also, I’d tell anyone in a tough work environment to ensure they're keeping their mental and physical health up. I needed PT from all the muscle strains the one place gave me, for instance. I also drank roasted cacao daily for a good theobromine and caffeine kick! It really did help me feel like “it’ll all be ok” during the worst of it.
    - DoreenMichele 7y ago
      As long as you don't overdo it, caffeine can help provide some oomph for the adrenals during short-term stress. When paired with the right nutritional support, such as better quality salt, real licorice and coconut oil, it's sustainable for fairly long periods and makes a real difference in your ability to rise to the occasion.