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Privacy over secrecy is an alright goal, but the rest of it sounds like consultant double-talk. In theory, "eliminating secrets" means the manager listening to
by hitekker 5y ago
Privacy over secrecy is an alright goal, but the rest of it sounds like consultant double-talk.
In theory, "eliminating secrets" means the manager listening to the report's reservations and addressing them effectively. In practice, it means rooting out dissent and silencing opposition. The manager has created an environment where their reports don't feel safe talking to them. Instead of asking hard questions like "how the hell did I, the manager, screw up so badly", the article suggests easy answers like Project Retros or 1:1s.
The article is further undermined by author's inexperience in product management. Brand building as an "expert" with only a few years in industry is a red flag.
- dasil003 5y agoThis part I felt was especially specious: > Both backchanneling and micromanaging are easy to identify. When there are different answers to the same question, that’s the result of backchanneling. When you see clones instead of people, it’s a sign of micromanagement. The good news is that once you see these trends emerging in your team, there are some concrete steps you can take to roll them back. First of all, there are plenty reasons to have a private conversation, and backchanneling is not a priori a bad thing. And the part about micromanagement leading to people "being clones" is gobbledygook—what does that even mean? And then the suggestion that those things are magically fixed just by the most basic entry level management practice of 1:1s and retros. Frankly, it feels as though the author has tried to generalize some personal experience and completely lost the script. In reality, management is very hard and very contextual. For any given action there is a time and a place. Specifics matter.