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> at the end of the day you won't get promoted for not getting your own work done while helping others and people tend to be very inconsiderate if you let them.

> at the end of the day you won't get promoted for not getting your own work done while helping others and people tend to be very inconsiderate if you let them. This depends on the team. I’ve been promoted to manage a team because “we have observed that everyone that has a problem they cannot solve themselves walks over to your desk and you take the time to answer.” Your individual capacity for work may drop, but the teams efficiency can still grow at the same time.

henrik_w 6y ago
Exactly this! Many, in particular SW devs, are very concerned with not being interrupted, because it lowers their productivity. But in my opinion, you should optimize for team productivity, not your own productivity. That can for example mean taking 5 minutes to answer a question that they could find out for themselves with a few hours of digging through the code.
- harha 6y ago
  Makes sense, it's the main value of working together (and going to the office back in the day), but make sure to reward this behavior.
harha 6y ago
Good point, this is probably my experience at a FANG talking, I was like that early in my career, based on my experience at university where it was mutually beneficial to support others. All things equal I didn't get promoted any faster than the others so I adapted my behaviour. What you experienced is what good management should actually look for, in my case that showed that the team and company goals were strongly misaligned with my personal goals. Outside of big corporate I've seen more value in helping others, though it still makes sense to evaluate if someone is repeatedly taking up time without returning the favour when the situation arises. To be clear, I don't think it's good to ignore people, but I think it's important to show boundaries, if someone wants something, they should be considerate and have fair expectations. A well written request considering my situation would very likely get a quick reply.

henrik_w 6y ago

Exactly this! Many, in particular SW devs, are very concerned with not being interrupted, because it lowers their productivity. But in my opinion, you should optimize for team productivity, not your own productivity. That can for example mean taking 5 minutes to answer a question that they could find out for themselves with a few hours of digging through the code.

harha 6y ago
Makes sense, it's the main value of working together (and going to the office back in the day), but make sure to reward this behavior.

harha 6y ago

Good point, this is probably my experience at a FANG talking, I was like that early in my career, based on my experience at university where it was mutually beneficial to support others. All things equal I didn't get promoted any faster than the others so I adapted my behaviour. What you experienced is what good management should actually look for, in my case that showed that the team and company goals were strongly misaligned with my personal goals. Outside of big corporate I've seen more value in helping others, though it still makes sense to evaluate if someone is repeatedly taking up time without returning the favour when the situation arises. To be clear, I don't think it's good to ignore people, but I think it's important to show boundaries, if someone wants something, they should be considerate and have fair expectations. A well written request considering my situation would very likely get a quick reply.