14 ms·

"What’s even crazier is that I’ve had scenarios where I needed something and my supervisors made it seem like it would take eons to get it because they don’t un

"What’s even crazier is that I’ve had scenarios where I needed something and my supervisors made it seem like it would take eons to get it because they don’t understand it. They’d want me to write a report or something to that effect. Same five minute conversation revisited with him in the room? He listens, asks a few questions (mostly about how it’ll impact our budget), and then says something like, “Okay, sounds like we need this,” and boom! Done" I have had this many times. You struggle forever convincing middle managers to get something. Then you have a quick talk with a VOP/C*O and they say "Of course. Do it. ".

majormajor 4y ago
Bad middle managers seem to be driven above everything else by a fear of rejection from the VP/C-Suite. They are reluctant to use the additional power of their role because they're more afraid of it backfiring or failing than they are of being mediocre. You have a proposal and data and confidence and you put that in front of the VP? It makes sense to the VP, it's convincing, done. You ask a bad middle manager to sign off on it themselves or put it in front of the VP themselves? Even if it makes sense to them they're gonna tie themselves in knots about how it might not be seen as a good idea to the VP, and why risk that on your behalf?
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  Very true. It's the same with lawyers: they're mortally afraid of some higher-up lawyer casting doubt on their approval of something, so they automatically say "out of an abundance of caution" and disapprove it. However much we trash Google now, I lay out in https://albertcory50.substack.com/p/culture-at-google-part-one-the-movies https://albertcory50.substack.com/p/culture-at-google-part-o... how ten managers in a row approved my budget for the movies, on the grounds that "this is good for the whole company." Then at the very end, one succumbed to Middle Manager Syndrome. I went over his head.

majormajor 4y ago

Bad middle managers seem to be driven above everything else by a fear of rejection from the VP/C-Suite. They are reluctant to use the additional power of their role because they're more afraid of it backfiring or failing than they are of being mediocre. You have a proposal and data and confidence and you put that in front of the VP? It makes sense to the VP, it's convincing, done. You ask a bad middle manager to sign off on it themselves or put it in front of the VP themselves? Even if it makes sense to them they're gonna tie themselves in knots about how it might not be seen as a good idea to the VP, and why risk that on your behalf?

AlbertCory 4y ago
Very true. It's the same with lawyers: they're mortally afraid of some higher-up lawyer casting doubt on their approval of something, so they automatically say "out of an abundance of caution" and disapprove it. However much we trash Google now, I lay out in https://albertcory50.substack.com/p/culture-at-google-part-one-the-movies https://albertcory50.substack.com/p/culture-at-google-part-o... how ten managers in a row approved my budget for the movies, on the grounds that "this is good for the whole company." Then at the very end, one succumbed to Middle Manager Syndrome. I went over his head.