2 ms·

Here's something I learned. Yes working in big tech or a big company can have its fair share of red tape. You can either accept this and work as a cog in the

Here's something I learned. Yes working in big tech or a big company can have its fair share of red tape. You can either accept this and work as a cog in the system, or you can start to poke the sleeping bear. When you're overburdened with more meetings than time to do the work you talk about in those meetings, that's really on you, not the group of humans we call a company. If your boss starts to attach your performance towards meetings, then maybe its time for you to have that conversation about how nothing is getting done and that by not accepting meetings is how you do get stuff done. It's all about balance at the end of the day. Most people are reasonable and will listen. So while big companies may never change in practice, you can change how you work in a big company and see tremendous results by just saying "No" every so often. Most of the time nobody notices or cares, and when they do they respect you for protecting your time to do meaningful work.

100011_100001 4y ago
I 100% agree. It's about creating your own oasis. There will be friction from everyone around you, the only way to overcome it is by producing results and being very clear about your intentions. Also don't be surprised if your manager / co-workers around you forget agreements that have been made. Occasionally you might have to compromise, other times stand your ground. Moreover there is a fine line between poking the sleeping bear and acting like a prima-donna because things are beneath you. You can't always work on the most complex, or interesting projects. Someone has to fix the defects, produce the blue widget, now that the red widget is working. Personally I try to alternate between working on "cool" things and a boring but relatively important thing. That way I support the team, but also make 10x progress on some things. Meeting wise, I block out 4 hours a day (if I can) in my calendar. If you are using Microsoft Outlook you can setup Focus time. There are days that I do end up going to meetings during my focus blocks, but I consider it a choice. Of course I have had multiple honest discussions with my manager to manage expectations on both sides. Figuring out your manager's main needs / goals can help a lot in those discussions.

100011_100001 4y ago

I 100% agree. It's about creating your own oasis. There will be friction from everyone around you, the only way to overcome it is by producing results and being very clear about your intentions. Also don't be surprised if your manager / co-workers around you forget agreements that have been made. Occasionally you might have to compromise, other times stand your ground. Moreover there is a fine line between poking the sleeping bear and acting like a prima-donna because things are beneath you. You can't always work on the most complex, or interesting projects. Someone has to fix the defects, produce the blue widget, now that the red widget is working. Personally I try to alternate between working on "cool" things and a boring but relatively important thing. That way I support the team, but also make 10x progress on some things. Meeting wise, I block out 4 hours a day (if I can) in my calendar. If you are using Microsoft Outlook you can setup Focus time. There are days that I do end up going to meetings during my focus blocks, but I consider it a choice. Of course I have had multiple honest discussions with my manager to manage expectations on both sides. Figuring out your manager's main needs / goals can help a lot in those discussions.