4 ms·

I'm always kind of shocked that people are so meek and enamored with the idea of stability that they just shoot themselves in the foot. The tech industry is th

by kev009 12y ago

I'm always kind of shocked that people are so meek and enamored with the idea of stability that they just shoot themselves in the foot. The tech industry is the wild west and most people in it aren't very good because they either lack drive, talent or the backbone to rise above those who lack drive and talent. A better outlook is to make IBM (or any other company) work for _you_. Work there for a couple years. Be bold. Challenge inept management and others that are only looking for stability and a paycheck regardless of outcomes. When you get tired of being stonewalled, bail to a smaller business and poach the people you identified as top talent. Nobody's looking out for you but you. It's silly to expect an impersonal thing like a corporation to always try and take care of you. Making the company work for you doesn't have any factor in leading an ethical and fulfilling career. You can still deliver real value for a while despite a bloated middle management culture that is scared of the idea of bottom up leadership.

PakG1 12y ago
It is truly not fun being that guy: http://randsinrepose.com/archives/a-toxic-paradox/ http://randsinrepose.com/archives/a-toxic-paradox/ This is especially true if you're in an organization as large and bureaucratic as IBM and not in a senior position. I think you overestimate how much influence you can really have on upper management. True story when I worked there as a GDF lead, talking to a senior manager. Me: "Hey, I think I found an error in the formula we use to calculate one of the GDF metrics. This is creating garbage data." SM: "Oh wow, you're right." Later. SM: "Actually, we made the formula that way on purpose. It's OK." Me: "What? How? Why?" SM: "It's OK, don't worry about it." What am I supposed to do then? Escalate to a VP? On a regular basis? I did. A senior manager got in touch with my manager and delivered the message that I need to get in line. I quote: "No more complaining." Depending on the environment where you're working, it's not easy to be the devil's advocate. It's usually not easy in the first place. In certain environments, it's almost impossible, you might as well have not even joined. edit clarification: GDF was IBM's attempt to create its own version of the Six Sigma program.
- winslow 12y ago
  Thanks for linking to that. I currently feel like I'm the toxic asset currently working at a big medical company. I just wanted to actually make progress and get stuff out the door instead of (not exaggerating) redoing the same work 4 times now...
- PhoenixWright 12y ago
  Dead on. So many companies have modeled themselves after IBM that this type of bureaucracy is pervasive in most large tech companies that aren't Google, Facebook, etc. Nobody wants to rock the boat. Nobody wants to jeopardize the gravy-train. If something is blatantly stupid and you aren't directly responsible for it look the other way. Hell even if you are responsible but as long as it isn't too visible you're encouraged to keep quiet. What if you're given the go ahead to fix it but your team can't do it? What if corporate doesn't like the mistake to begin with? What if you're tasked to fix it but not allocated any time or resources? Nah, just keep your mouth shut. Honestly I too would hate "that guy." This isn't his fault though it's corporate's fault. Just know this is how things work in tech.
- kev009 12y ago
  You're most often actually fighting a political battle masqueraded as something else, and a necessary shift is to recognize that early on. Once you realize it, you can work on those obstacles. By-with-and-through: there will be friends, frenimeies, and enemies that you can use and be used by to advance whatever you set out to do. You can often play political factions against each other and ride between two or more to propel your own. If that sounds deviant, it's not - it's real leadership and starts at the lowest levels. Set an aim point rather than specific criteria for success, so you may lose some battles but you can win you own long term campaigns. As long as you are ethical and not simply an outright ass, the penalty for crossing the line is not really a penalty - maybe you get squeezed out of somewhere you don't want to be and are at least as valuable elsewhere. When you get some confidence, you'll find that the line is quite a bit farther than you expected once you enact this outcome based mindset that is in line with the real intent of the organization. It will never be fun all the time. But you're there for some reason, and the alternative is at best purposeless mediocrity. Some further sources of reading: * http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/01/22/john-boyds-roll-call-do-you-want-to-be-someone-or-do-something/ http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/01/22/john-boyds-roll-cal... * I stumbled across some interesting second hand stuff of a mainframer that brought Boyd inside Big Blue: http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html. Some of it seems interesting.
kethinov 12y ago
In other words, "be exceptional." A fine platitude, but not useful advice that you can reasonably expect everyone to follow. You can only be exceptional if there is a large group of ordinary people to stand out from. Being exceptional is nice, but living in a society that nurtures everyone's talents and gives everyone a useful way to contribute is better.
- kev009 12y ago
  Yeah but that society is rare right now. Again, the only person you _know_ is looking out for you is you. Remarkably, really caring about outcomes does make you exceptional in a mid to large size business. Most people's vision begins and ends with not rocking the boat and group think of the way things are and always have been. The more willing you are to do the right thing per outcomes regardless of self-assessment of "keeping a job", the less likely you will worry about finding employment there or somewhere better down the line. Good managers can taste this zeal and will seek you out.

by kev009 12y ago

PakG1 12y ago

It is truly not fun being that guy: http://randsinrepose.com/archives/a-toxic-paradox/ http://randsinrepose.com/archives/a-toxic-paradox/ This is especially true if you're in an organization as large and bureaucratic as IBM and not in a senior position. I think you overestimate how much influence you can really have on upper management. True story when I worked there as a GDF lead, talking to a senior manager. Me: "Hey, I think I found an error in the formula we use to calculate one of the GDF metrics. This is creating garbage data." SM: "Oh wow, you're right." Later. SM: "Actually, we made the formula that way on purpose. It's OK." Me: "What? How? Why?" SM: "It's OK, don't worry about it." What am I supposed to do then? Escalate to a VP? On a regular basis? I did. A senior manager got in touch with my manager and delivered the message that I need to get in line. I quote: "No more complaining." Depending on the environment where you're working, it's not easy to be the devil's advocate. It's usually not easy in the first place. In certain environments, it's almost impossible, you might as well have not even joined. edit clarification: GDF was IBM's attempt to create its own version of the Six Sigma program.

winslow 12y ago
Thanks for linking to that. I currently feel like I'm the toxic asset currently working at a big medical company. I just wanted to actually make progress and get stuff out the door instead of (not exaggerating) redoing the same work 4 times now...
PhoenixWright 12y ago
Dead on. So many companies have modeled themselves after IBM that this type of bureaucracy is pervasive in most large tech companies that aren't Google, Facebook, etc. Nobody wants to rock the boat. Nobody wants to jeopardize the gravy-train. If something is blatantly stupid and you aren't directly responsible for it look the other way. Hell even if you are responsible but as long as it isn't too visible you're encouraged to keep quiet. What if you're given the go ahead to fix it but your team can't do it? What if corporate doesn't like the mistake to begin with? What if you're tasked to fix it but not allocated any time or resources? Nah, just keep your mouth shut. Honestly I too would hate "that guy." This isn't his fault though it's corporate's fault. Just know this is how things work in tech.
kev009 12y ago
You're most often actually fighting a political battle masqueraded as something else, and a necessary shift is to recognize that early on. Once you realize it, you can work on those obstacles. By-with-and-through: there will be friends, frenimeies, and enemies that you can use and be used by to advance whatever you set out to do. You can often play political factions against each other and ride between two or more to propel your own. If that sounds deviant, it's not - it's real leadership and starts at the lowest levels. Set an aim point rather than specific criteria for success, so you may lose some battles but you can win you own long term campaigns. As long as you are ethical and not simply an outright ass, the penalty for crossing the line is not really a penalty - maybe you get squeezed out of somewhere you don't want to be and are at least as valuable elsewhere. When you get some confidence, you'll find that the line is quite a bit farther than you expected once you enact this outcome based mindset that is in line with the real intent of the organization. It will never be fun all the time. But you're there for some reason, and the alternative is at best purposeless mediocrity. Some further sources of reading: * http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/01/22/john-boyds-roll-call-do-you-want-to-be-someone-or-do-something/ http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/01/22/john-boyds-roll-cal... * I stumbled across some interesting second hand stuff of a mainframer that brought Boyd inside Big Blue: http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html. Some of it seems interesting.

kethinov 12y ago

In other words, "be exceptional." A fine platitude, but not useful advice that you can reasonably expect everyone to follow. You can only be exceptional if there is a large group of ordinary people to stand out from. Being exceptional is nice, but living in a society that nurtures everyone's talents and gives everyone a useful way to contribute is better.

kev009 12y ago
Yeah but that society is rare right now. Again, the only person you _know_ is looking out for you is you. Remarkably, really caring about outcomes does make you exceptional in a mid to large size business. Most people's vision begins and ends with not rocking the boat and group think of the way things are and always have been. The more willing you are to do the right thing per outcomes regardless of self-assessment of "keeping a job", the less likely you will worry about finding employment there or somewhere better down the line. Good managers can taste this zeal and will seek you out.