5 ms·

This is good advice. Sometimes fixing things requires not fixing them yourself before getting people to agree that it's a problem

mianos 4y ago
Yes. And, sometimes when the standard is so low, it's impossible to convince anyone that it is broken. Specially when you indicate the effort to fix things. Sometimes 'struggling by' is the modus operandi. What comes with this is the toxic culture, high staff turnover and disrespect of anything new by the people who have suffered through it all for a long time.
ZainRiz 4y ago
This article seems to be advocating sticking your head in the ground when something goes wrong Yeah, sometimes all you can do is raise awareness. And if the ongoing issue is going to affect your deliverables, then you better be raising awareness! Saying “that’s not my job” isn’t for anyone in a leadership permission
- beckingz 4y ago
  The phrase "It's not my job" is never good to say, Often, focusing on the things that are explicitly your job and intentionally ignoring bigger problems is a good move so that the people who are responsible for those issues will allow you to fix them.
  - dilyevsky 4y ago
    I had this theory a while ago that accumulation of this sort of thinking is why big corps without regulatory capture stop innovating and then wither and die - “if it was so important someone would surely tell me to do it”
TameAntelope 4y ago
I work very hard to avoid working with people who think like this. Have the guts to stand up and own something.
- jcims 4y ago
  Some things have never had an owner, others can’t keep one. In the latter case, at least in my experience, it’s because the ‘thing’ is actually composed of several things that clearly have different owners but the link was lost in the composition. The furthest I’d go with pat advice is own finding the owner. If it’s truly homeless then feel free to take it in as a rescue. If it’s a rat king, grab your side cutters and get to work.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- itsgrimetime 4y ago
  Should someone do this when they're not going to be amply rewarded for doing so?
- beckingz 4y ago
  I own plenty. There are more things than I can own sustainably, so somethings need to go unowned until the powers that be decide they need ownership.
  - TameAntelope 4y ago
    Sure, but then be open about that. Silently watching as something fails at your business so you get to feel superior is toxic as hell.
- robocat 4y ago
  Trying to own 100% of problems is as toxic as trying to own 0%. Agreement is often critical: https://sharedphysics.com/everything-is-important/ https://sharedphysics.com/everything-is-important/
  - formerkrogemp 4y ago
    Screw that. If I'm not getting paid for it and the company isn't invested in my well-being or I'm seen as a replaceable cog, then I'm not taking on extra responsibilities for no pay or reason. I'll let the executives worry about business shortcomings and only do my job. Not two others as well. If I'm being paid to own my work and its attendant liabilities, I expect to be paid for that risk. On top of that, agreement isn't always necessary. You can disagree with coworkers and still execute just fine.
bluedino 4y ago
This works with hobbies and your wife as well. Don't bring up buying a new boat/whatever until she does. "Honey, your boat really looks bad and has so many problems, maybe you should think about getting a new one"
- scruple 4y ago
  If I owned a boat and tried that with my wife it'd be more like, "Honey, your boat really looks bad and has so many problems, it's time you got rid of it."

mianos 4y ago

Yes. And, sometimes when the standard is so low, it's impossible to convince anyone that it is broken. Specially when you indicate the effort to fix things. Sometimes 'struggling by' is the modus operandi. What comes with this is the toxic culture, high staff turnover and disrespect of anything new by the people who have suffered through it all for a long time.

ZainRiz 4y ago

This article seems to be advocating sticking your head in the ground when something goes wrong Yeah, sometimes all you can do is raise awareness. And if the ongoing issue is going to affect your deliverables, then you better be raising awareness! Saying “that’s not my job” isn’t for anyone in a leadership permission

beckingz 4y ago
The phrase "It's not my job" is never good to say, Often, focusing on the things that are explicitly your job and intentionally ignoring bigger problems is a good move so that the people who are responsible for those issues will allow you to fix them.
- dilyevsky 4y ago
  I had this theory a while ago that accumulation of this sort of thinking is why big corps without regulatory capture stop innovating and then wither and die - “if it was so important someone would surely tell me to do it”

TameAntelope 4y ago

I work very hard to avoid working with people who think like this. Have the guts to stand up and own something.

jcims 4y ago
Some things have never had an owner, others can’t keep one. In the latter case, at least in my experience, it’s because the ‘thing’ is actually composed of several things that clearly have different owners but the link was lost in the composition. The furthest I’d go with pat advice is own finding the owner. If it’s truly homeless then feel free to take it in as a rescue. If it’s a rat king, grab your side cutters and get to work.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
itsgrimetime 4y ago
Should someone do this when they're not going to be amply rewarded for doing so?
beckingz 4y ago
I own plenty. There are more things than I can own sustainably, so somethings need to go unowned until the powers that be decide they need ownership.
- TameAntelope 4y ago
  Sure, but then be open about that. Silently watching as something fails at your business so you get to feel superior is toxic as hell.
robocat 4y ago
Trying to own 100% of problems is as toxic as trying to own 0%. Agreement is often critical: https://sharedphysics.com/everything-is-important/ https://sharedphysics.com/everything-is-important/
- formerkrogemp 4y ago
  Screw that. If I'm not getting paid for it and the company isn't invested in my well-being or I'm seen as a replaceable cog, then I'm not taking on extra responsibilities for no pay or reason. I'll let the executives worry about business shortcomings and only do my job. Not two others as well. If I'm being paid to own my work and its attendant liabilities, I expect to be paid for that risk. On top of that, agreement isn't always necessary. You can disagree with coworkers and still execute just fine.

bluedino 4y ago

This works with hobbies and your wife as well. Don't bring up buying a new boat/whatever until she does. "Honey, your boat really looks bad and has so many problems, maybe you should think about getting a new one"

scruple 4y ago
If I owned a boat and tried that with my wife it'd be more like, "Honey, your boat really looks bad and has so many problems, it's time you got rid of it."