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I really dislike this approach as well. You basically light a fuse on a bomb and place the responsibility on others. Saying "I will do things my way unless som

by baxuz 2y ago

I really dislike this approach as well. You basically light a fuse on a bomb and place the responsibility on others. Saying "I will do things my way unless someone manages to convince me to do otherwise this within x days" is toxic and places a ton of pressure on your coworkers.

takinola 2y ago
I have the exact opposite reaction. Asking people for permission puts pressure on them to think about what you are doing (your responsibility) and make the decision about whether it is the right or wrong course of action. When I am asked to make a decision, I switch into a different thinking mode than when I am simply told the implications of a decision someone else is making as an FYI. The majority of decisions being made in a company are two-way doors - they can be reversed if needed without great consequence. Those decisions should be made quickly by whomever is close to the topic and everyone else should just be an inform (as a sanity check).
SR2Z 2y ago
It really depends on the culture - it's pretty frequent, for example, that coworkers prefer the option that keeps their workload small and predictable even when that option is bad for the health of the business.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
docmars 2y ago
Tone is crucial to these conversations, yes. Permission-based cultures are a real drag for everyone though. If no one feels empowered to do anything without the approval of their boss, it defeats the purpose of bringing them on in the first place - for their expertise and capacity to contribute meaningfully in a reasonable time frame. There are appropriate times to slow down and sort out priorities, especially when other disparate teams are involved in the process (think Product vs. Engineering), but when there's a clear vision to execute on, it's almost always better to delegate to senior contributors to sort out the technical details and let their direct reports contribute to building on that vision. Some gatekeeping is okay, but having a singular PoC to vet all efforts leads to bean-counting, which frustrates talented / capable team members and robs contributors of their autonomy.
- skeeter2020 2y ago
  I like your balanced & nuanced approach; unfortuntaley it's unlikely to make a viral blog entry or tweet :(
brokencode 2y ago
You have to use your best judgement. If you are confident in your approach, then I think it makes sense. You are then also owning this decision, and would have to face more consequences for it going awry. So I don't think it "places a ton of pressure on your coworkers" as you say. It relieves them of pressure since they don't have to decide and won't be held accountable. But if you think an action will be controversial or are unsure, then you need to make sure you are getting feedback and buy in from other stakeholders before proceeding. This is not only to make sure you are making the right decision, but also spreading accountability for this potentially bad decision to other members of the team. This accountability will put more pressure on your coworkers, but it is needed to help make the right decision.
xtiansimon 2y ago
> “…place the responsibility on others.” It’s a pattern for action, not for making decisions. I’ve been trained and my job is well understood by managers and decision makers in my organization. Many situations arise which are in scope of my job, but are new or appear different but are not. I use this technique every week. I don’t need to provide deep reasons. If what I’m doing or why I’m doing it is not already apparent to managers, then they have this opportunity to check in. If I already know what I’m working on is unusual and needs explanations, then this pattern isn’t appropriate, and a detailed email followed by heads up phone call is my go to.

by baxuz 2y ago

takinola 2y ago

I have the exact opposite reaction. Asking people for permission puts pressure on them to think about what you are doing (your responsibility) and make the decision about whether it is the right or wrong course of action. When I am asked to make a decision, I switch into a different thinking mode than when I am simply told the implications of a decision someone else is making as an FYI. The majority of decisions being made in a company are two-way doors - they can be reversed if needed without great consequence. Those decisions should be made quickly by whomever is close to the topic and everyone else should just be an inform (as a sanity check).

SR2Z 2y ago

It really depends on the culture - it's pretty frequent, for example, that coworkers prefer the option that keeps their workload small and predictable even when that option is bad for the health of the business.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

docmars 2y ago

Tone is crucial to these conversations, yes. Permission-based cultures are a real drag for everyone though. If no one feels empowered to do anything without the approval of their boss, it defeats the purpose of bringing them on in the first place - for their expertise and capacity to contribute meaningfully in a reasonable time frame. There are appropriate times to slow down and sort out priorities, especially when other disparate teams are involved in the process (think Product vs. Engineering), but when there's a clear vision to execute on, it's almost always better to delegate to senior contributors to sort out the technical details and let their direct reports contribute to building on that vision. Some gatekeeping is okay, but having a singular PoC to vet all efforts leads to bean-counting, which frustrates talented / capable team members and robs contributors of their autonomy.

skeeter2020 2y ago
I like your balanced & nuanced approach; unfortuntaley it's unlikely to make a viral blog entry or tweet :(

brokencode 2y ago

You have to use your best judgement. If you are confident in your approach, then I think it makes sense. You are then also owning this decision, and would have to face more consequences for it going awry. So I don't think it "places a ton of pressure on your coworkers" as you say. It relieves them of pressure since they don't have to decide and won't be held accountable. But if you think an action will be controversial or are unsure, then you need to make sure you are getting feedback and buy in from other stakeholders before proceeding. This is not only to make sure you are making the right decision, but also spreading accountability for this potentially bad decision to other members of the team. This accountability will put more pressure on your coworkers, but it is needed to help make the right decision.

xtiansimon 2y ago

> “…place the responsibility on others.” It’s a pattern for action, not for making decisions. I’ve been trained and my job is well understood by managers and decision makers in my organization. Many situations arise which are in scope of my job, but are new or appear different but are not. I use this technique every week. I don’t need to provide deep reasons. If what I’m doing or why I’m doing it is not already apparent to managers, then they have this opportunity to check in. If I already know what I’m working on is unusual and needs explanations, then this pattern isn’t appropriate, and a detailed email followed by heads up phone call is my go to.