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> Be discerning, be critical. Not everything is awesome, and it doesn't have to be Having worked as an outsider with Americans and of course the heavy American

by ehnto 5y ago

> Be discerning, be critical. Not everything is awesome, and it doesn't have to be Having worked as an outsider with Americans and of course the heavy American influence on the tech scene in general, this one piques my interest because it can lead to some product blindness even in small teams. I'm obviously generalizing in order to discuss the stereotype, but I find there is a habit of Americans to overstate how awesome everything is and how great it is that you did it, and then one day you find out it's not great and it never was. This affects your ability to make good decisions and deliver good results, because feedback is your touchstone with reality and client needs. If someone tells me it's awesome, job done, I stop working on it. If someone tells me it's no good, I fix it. If it's not perfect and you tell me it's awesome, I still stop working on it, because I figure it meets your needs and the job is done. I had this in Japan too, everything was great and nothing was bad, food was always considered the best thing ever. I do enjoy the endless optimism and positivity for general living, but it can cause issues when you're trying to deliver a great product.

theshrike79 5y ago
When working with Americans the rest of the world has to recalibrate their sensors :) When an American says something is "awesome" or "revolutionary", it's usually just another day in the office.
- bestouff 5y ago
  Exactly. At first I thought it was just a thing in the U.S. movies, but when I had to work with american people (I'm european) that was a shock: they're like in the TV series, grandiloquent and enthusiast and ready to applaud at each boss's speech. Personally I enjoy it, it adds fun in the workplace, but you have to not take it seriously otherwise it messes your expectations, just as you said. It's been the same when working with other cultures, like indian or asian people; you have to adjust and not take everything at face value.
ryandvm 5y ago
I think this is a product of the dominant echelon-based corporate culture. People get promoted from above, which typically means they get promoted by making their boss look good. Regardless of how good a job a manager is actually doing, if you can pretend like everything under their purview is an act of brilliance, they'll make sure you stick around. This is why you end up in meetings with half the comments being about how "awesome" it is that somebody added a search box to a results page...
cafard 5y ago
Some years ago I was checking into a hotel somewhere in the US. The clerk's standard reply seemed to be "awesome", no matter whether I had just given my address or stated the number of nights we'd be saying. It took some work to keep a straight face.
- ehnto 5y ago
  Some words have definitely lost their weight. Or maybe your address was truly awe inspiring.

by ehnto 5y ago

theshrike79 5y ago

When working with Americans the rest of the world has to recalibrate their sensors :) When an American says something is "awesome" or "revolutionary", it's usually just another day in the office.

bestouff 5y ago
Exactly. At first I thought it was just a thing in the U.S. movies, but when I had to work with american people (I'm european) that was a shock: they're like in the TV series, grandiloquent and enthusiast and ready to applaud at each boss's speech. Personally I enjoy it, it adds fun in the workplace, but you have to not take it seriously otherwise it messes your expectations, just as you said. It's been the same when working with other cultures, like indian or asian people; you have to adjust and not take everything at face value.

ryandvm 5y ago

I think this is a product of the dominant echelon-based corporate culture. People get promoted from above, which typically means they get promoted by making their boss look good. Regardless of how good a job a manager is actually doing, if you can pretend like everything under their purview is an act of brilliance, they'll make sure you stick around. This is why you end up in meetings with half the comments being about how "awesome" it is that somebody added a search box to a results page...

cafard 5y ago

Some years ago I was checking into a hotel somewhere in the US. The clerk's standard reply seemed to be "awesome", no matter whether I had just given my address or stated the number of nights we'd be saying. It took some work to keep a straight face.

ehnto 5y ago
Some words have definitely lost their weight. Or maybe your address was truly awe inspiring.