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That’s actually fairly good advice. I have always disliked the arrogance of “Ask forgiveness, not permission,” and was expecting something along those lines, bu
by ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
That’s actually fairly good advice. I have always disliked the arrogance of “Ask forgiveness, not permission,” and was expecting something along those lines, but the OP was really talking about the psychology of the communication, and they have a good point.
But it really is up to the management culture, and the mindset of the manager, themselves.
One of my basic management postures, used to be easy permission. I wanted my staff to take chances, and my permission deliberately took the risk onto my own shoulders, giving them cover.
But my staff was composed of sober, highly-experienced engineers. I don’t think it would work for a team of youngsters.
- ath3nd 2y ago> But my staff was composed of sober, highly-experienced engineers. I don’t think it would work for a team of youngsters. That's the key difference. The ideas of highly-experienced, sober engineers will be high-quality, and most of all, sober. The ideas of a team of youngsters are almost guaranteed to be...less sober.
- nntwozz 2y agoAre you referring to this quote by Admiral Grace Hopper? "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." I never thought of it as arrogant, but I guess it depends on context.
- ChrisMarshallNY 2y agoNot from her, it wasn't, but it tends to be, in the contexts that I've heard it. It's usually used to justify people making really bad, uninformed, unexamined, and unwise decisions, in a rash manner. There's a lot of quotes that have been "repurposed," to afford unhealthy behavior. Another one that is abused like hell, is "The perfect is the enemy of the good." People usually use that as an excuse for creating ... less than perfect, shall we say ... product.