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>>I'm saying "avoid overperformance", and overperformance isn't the same thing as "doing a great job" Can someone explain this formulation of 'performance' wit

>>I'm saying "avoid overperformance", and overperformance isn't the same thing as "doing a great job" Can someone explain this formulation of 'performance' without referencing "the Wire"? Ie is it simply long hours? Or is it long hours coupled with getting a lot done, in a good way? Or is it getting a lot done, and breaking things for everyone else? Or ...?

cadlin 12y ago
It's more like getting a lot done and breaking things for everyone else. Imagine your boss has a terribly, horrendously stupid way he wants things done. Overperformance would be going over his head to his boss to try to change the awful policy. It might be the right thing to do, but you're only going to piss off your boss in the process. Michael is saying it's better to do what the boss asks in that case, but only do the minimal amount of work necessary, instead of going off on a crusade that will only cause trouble for yourself and provides no benefit.
kpapke 12y ago
At my first job, I used to grind out work, staying hours past when most people went home. For me, this was the best time to actually get work done without the distractions. But I remember my project manager, who was twice my age, getting pissed off at me and telling me to go home. When I was completing tasks and sending off emails, I was just giving her more work to do that night. So that would be overperforming I think.
sheepmullet 12y ago
Basically going outside of the, often implicit, boundaries of your role. For example if you are a developer and realise your project needs to engage another team NOW for a critical deliverable due in 3 months and you spend your time on this task then you run the serious risk of pissing off both your manager and the project manager. Or for example putting together a prototype that shows how another teams work could be automated. Or pointing out flaws/discrepancies of a high profile product. Or telling a senior manager how a project is really doing, etc. The bottom line doesn't matter as much in terms of respect and career progress as it should. There is a misconception that you can get away from politics if you work for startups or smaller firms but that's just not the case.
- michaelochurch 12y ago
  You nailed it. My upvote is not enough, and you will probably get fewer than you deserve for this post.

cadlin 12y ago

It's more like getting a lot done and breaking things for everyone else. Imagine your boss has a terribly, horrendously stupid way he wants things done. Overperformance would be going over his head to his boss to try to change the awful policy. It might be the right thing to do, but you're only going to piss off your boss in the process. Michael is saying it's better to do what the boss asks in that case, but only do the minimal amount of work necessary, instead of going off on a crusade that will only cause trouble for yourself and provides no benefit.

kpapke 12y ago

At my first job, I used to grind out work, staying hours past when most people went home. For me, this was the best time to actually get work done without the distractions. But I remember my project manager, who was twice my age, getting pissed off at me and telling me to go home. When I was completing tasks and sending off emails, I was just giving her more work to do that night. So that would be overperforming I think.

sheepmullet 12y ago

Basically going outside of the, often implicit, boundaries of your role. For example if you are a developer and realise your project needs to engage another team NOW for a critical deliverable due in 3 months and you spend your time on this task then you run the serious risk of pissing off both your manager and the project manager. Or for example putting together a prototype that shows how another teams work could be automated. Or pointing out flaws/discrepancies of a high profile product. Or telling a senior manager how a project is really doing, etc. The bottom line doesn't matter as much in terms of respect and career progress as it should. There is a misconception that you can get away from politics if you work for startups or smaller firms but that's just not the case.

michaelochurch 12y ago
You nailed it. My upvote is not enough, and you will probably get fewer than you deserve for this post.