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Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

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Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#71
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, blunt candor can work as well. Only if it goes both ways. If I can't respond to my managers blunt candor with "the reason we're so far behind is because you suck at time management and promised the customer two features we hadn't even begun to plan for" without fear of being reprimanded or punished then blunt candor isn't very effective.

""the reason we're so far behind is because you suck at time management and promised the customer two features we hadn't even begun to plan for" " First, if you ever said that to your boss you should definitely be fired. Second, that's operational information, not performance feedback. Third, it's not your prerogative to tell your boss what he's good or bad at. They give you the review, not the other way around.

Surely you understand how it creates bad incentives, if feedback about individual productivity can be delivered bluntly but feedback about prioritization can't be given at all.

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#72
post #54

"If you have mediocre people doing mediocre work, you are going to have a mediocre company." Aren't most people mediocre per definition? I really hate all this talk about "We want the best of the best!" Sure you want them, but there aren't enough for all and chances are, if you aren't a really big company, you won't get the few that exist. You need to shape you company so that you can deliver value to your customers…

Even more common is "we want the best of the best, but want to pay median wages."

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#73
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, blunt candor can work as well. Only if it goes both ways. If I can't respond to my managers blunt candor with "the reason we're so far behind is because you suck at time management and promised the customer two features we hadn't even begun to plan for" without fear of being reprimanded or punished then blunt candor isn't very effective.

""the reason we're so far behind is because you suck at time management and promised the customer two features we hadn't even begun to plan for" " First, if you ever said that to your boss you should definitely be fired. Second, that's operational information, not performance feedback. Third, it's not your prerogative to tell your boss what he's good or bad at. They give you the review, not the other way around.

If it's about who's the boss rather than the project being the boss the project is fucked and then so is the boss.

Good bosses know this and like honesty. Bad bosses fire people for stating the truth and wind up with shit.

However I will agree that saying "You suck at.." is pretty bad, and it would be equally bad coming from a boss.

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#74
post #15
post #3

"Trust them to produce, and if they are not producing, let them go." This sentence is contradicts : "Let’s be honest: Performance reviews are a waste of time." How are you going to know if the person is productive if you are not doing performance reviews?

How are you going to know if the person is productive if you are not doing performance reviews? You have to take an active role in managing them rather than just passively checking in occasionally.

The two aren't really mutually exclusive. I (generally speaking) know what my performance ratings will be weeks before I'm given them, but that doesn't mean that the performance review process isn't valuable (depending on how its implemented, obviously).

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#75
post #72
post #54

"If you have mediocre people doing mediocre work, you are going to have a mediocre company." Aren't most people mediocre per definition? I really hate all this talk about "We want the best of the best!" Sure you want them, but there aren't enough for all and chances are, if you aren't a really big company, you won't get the few that exist. You need to shape you company so that you can deliver value to your customers…

Even more common is "we want the best of the best, but want to pay median wages."

That's a whole other story.

Even IF they all had the money, it won't work.

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#76
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Take a few minutes to conduct a 'performance review' I have never seen a company implement a performance review: - That mattered - That would have detected anything - That would be more than the obvious

I feel that most performance reviews I've had have been at least pretty decent. Basically just going through what I've done the past 6 month, talking about what I'd like to be working on over the next 6 month and if there's anything that I should work on or might need to help me manage to do those things better. Often there is some sort of checklist that has be worked through, but I always get a few minutes to just t…

that sounds like feedback you should be getting in manager 1:1s, the formal review process isn't necessary

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In some countries a "shirt" means specifically a button-down. In the same way that "slacks" means long pants. So this likely just means that a button-down is required rather than a t-shirt.

A button down shirt is one where the collar is buttoned to the yoke. I think you mean a button up shirt, one that has a placket and buttons in the front versus a pull over or t-shirt.

Oh fascinating, I had no idea they had different meanings!

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was wondering that as well. Exactly what sort of leather garments are we talking about here?

They were leather trousers, as I recall. Laced up at the sides; not sure if they were permanently joined at the top, or if they were just a front and a back that one had to completely tie together. Nobody had a problem with the leather (although a peekaboo stripe of visible leg down the outside of each, covered in a criss cross of something that looked like shoelace was sometimes a surprise). That was just flavour de…

Yeah, OK: not loving the lace-up aspect.

Re: Dumb Rules That Make Your Best People Want to Quit (2017)

#80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's possible to deal with offensive (or otherwise inappropriate) clothing on a case by case basis without the need to bring in a smart dress code. Sometimes people implement policies as a way of avoiding awkward conversations but, to me at any rate, part of being a good manager and leader is measured by your ability and willingness to treat your staff like human beings and have those awkward conversations wh…

The dress code that came in was effectively "Do not have the word 'Cunt' written in four inch high letters on your clothing".

Amazing. I'm going to make it my mission in life to get exactly that wording into the HR handbook where I work now.
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