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> our role as the employee (triply so as a contractor!) is to stay professional and follow directions. Not really. Your job is to advance the business of your

by atleta 4y ago

> our role as the employee (triply so as a contractor!) is to stay professional and follow directions. Not really. Your job is to advance the business of your employer/client. While staying professional, of course. Moreso, because by being a duche it's pretty hard to convince anyone, so it's a prerequisit for doing your job of advancing the business. (Unless you're so good/so much in demand that they will manage around it.) But in general caring about the business interest of whoever pays you, means the exact opposite of following orders. Now, if you're not unfortunate it doesn't mean fighting around management styles, but something more related to your direct area of expertise.

comprev 4y ago
Your job as a hired contractor is to advise the client of ways to advance their business. If they don't listen, or do listen but don't like your advice it's a tough pill to swallow. I had a client once who listened but declined every single suggestion to improve things - including the most basic "Perhaps stop sharing the same root password to all servers and each developer has their unique login?" It's rare but some businesses just don't want to change if their current legacy processes have made them so wealthy.
- atleta 4y ago
  Advising is one method for advancing the (or helping the client to advance their) business. Unless you are hired specifically for an advisor role, it's not your job per se but a tool. Though I agree, it's a very important one. Something I keep trying to convince basically everyone around me to use whether they are contractors/entrepreneurs or employees. (And not just developers.) Yes, sometimes clients don't listen. That may even be the default for a new relationship. But as a first attempt you should, I think, try to convince them. I'm definitely against the "I told them, they didn't listen, but after all, it's their decision/their problem" approach. But sometimes even that doesn't work. In those cases I think one should lay out the options (including the one the client wants to go with), enumerate all the pros and cons of each, make a suggestion again ("based on this I would go with....") but then let the client make the final call. Just be sure that they really understand the compromises and then evaluate the consequences when it's time. That can work wonders. After being "right" a few times ("well, it turns out that you were right and we should have done this instead of that") they will listen by default. Better yet, pick up and learn the thought process. Now I quoted right, because it's not even necessarily true: just because their approach failed (or seems to have failed) doesn't mean that yours would have worked better ;). But, of course, since you are the professional, it's more likely and the lesson really is just that.

by atleta 4y ago

comprev 4y ago

Your job as a hired contractor is to advise the client of ways to advance their business. If they don't listen, or do listen but don't like your advice it's a tough pill to swallow. I had a client once who listened but declined every single suggestion to improve things - including the most basic "Perhaps stop sharing the same root password to all servers and each developer has their unique login?" It's rare but some businesses just don't want to change if their current legacy processes have made them so wealthy.

atleta 4y ago
Advising is one method for advancing the (or helping the client to advance their) business. Unless you are hired specifically for an advisor role, it's not your job per se but a tool. Though I agree, it's a very important one. Something I keep trying to convince basically everyone around me to use whether they are contractors/entrepreneurs or employees. (And not just developers.) Yes, sometimes clients don't listen. That may even be the default for a new relationship. But as a first attempt you should, I think, try to convince them. I'm definitely against the "I told them, they didn't listen, but after all, it's their decision/their problem" approach. But sometimes even that doesn't work. In those cases I think one should lay out the options (including the one the client wants to go with), enumerate all the pros and cons of each, make a suggestion again ("based on this I would go with....") but then let the client make the final call. Just be sure that they really understand the compromises and then evaluate the consequences when it's time. That can work wonders. After being "right" a few times ("well, it turns out that you were right and we should have done this instead of that") they will listen by default. Better yet, pick up and learn the thought process. Now I quoted right, because it's not even necessarily true: just because their approach failed (or seems to have failed) doesn't mean that yours would have worked better ;). But, of course, since you are the professional, it's more likely and the lesson really is just that.