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Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

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Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#391

Post by laserlight »

mushufasa wrote: post #24

> Part of the reason it had taken so long is because I put a substantial amount of work into a part of the project that's no longer necessary due to changing requirements, which I don't think I could have forseen. One of the things that I've experienced with new grad junior devs is that there's an adjustment needed to change from academic working to business working. In academia, usually the professor gives an assign…

> In business, it's much better to 'bother the professor' regularly and check in affirmatively on whether the assignment has changed

This is definitely management's responsibility. If they assign a task and let it continue after it has become obsolete, what kind of management is that?

> As a junior employee, you're not going to know the full business context of what makes sense

Agreed. I would add that explaining enough business context is also management's responsibility.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#392

Post by kennethh »

For me it sounds like she is trying to pull the blame on you instead of taking the blame herself. "It is not my fault", this is how bad organizations do stuff. It is all about not avoiding blame, so in such an organization always do front end stuff which is visible since the management in such orgs do not understand the stuff underneath. What is not visible do not exits. I know this is hard to comprehend and understand, but you can not change it.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#394

Post by laserlight »

These are classic mismanagement patterns. It's their responsibility not to leave feedback until it matures into surprise on your side or resentment on both sides. Eventually, it becomes your problem though. So, ask for feedback frequently. “You should try harder.” is not a good feedback. What are you supposed to do exactly? Ask for actionable feedback. Ask them to exemplify what you could have done differently in a certain situation, for instance.

More importantly, always be looking for a job. Your moves are restricted by your BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement). More alternatives mean more leverage.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#395

Post by pjerem »

throwawayboise wrote: post #172
ragona wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He told me to my face he "would not have chosen me" and "didn't know how I got in." Holy shit. Glad that this person got managed out... eventually.

Can be motivitating words for some people. Coaches will say stuff like this to a talented athlete who is underachieving, if they think it will light a fire. A good manager would not say stuff like that unless he really felt the person would take it the right way. A bad manager will say stuff like that to stroke his own ego.

Coaches are not involved in hierarchical relationship where they could fire you or make your life hell. Neither they are involved in the decision of how much you should earn or if you should be promoted or not.

So those are absolutely different sorts of relationships. The coach is not your superior so it changes everything about what they could say to you and the consequences it could have on you.

So no, a good manager should never say stuff like that. It's the sort of words that can be the involuntary sparkle which could ignite depression or even suicide. And for what ? A better performance at writing crud programs ? No. Professional things are not important enough to say any of this.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#396

Post by Fiahil »

dusted wrote: post #365
tomcooks wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In EU companies have to appoint a medical expert that checks worker's health (for free) upon joining the company, and routinely (1-2 times a year, depends on country I guess). Edit: Could be something that only companies whose workers have to do physical labour ("blue collar" jerbs) If you call in sick for more than three days you usually go through your own doctor, so that you get a certification that you're taking…

EU citizen here, never heard of that, what country is that?

It's similar to what I see in France

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#397

Post by CodeWriter23 »

One of my mentors when I was kinda taking things harsh like it appears you are, said to me “There’s two kinds of experiences in life. Winning experiences and Learning experiences”. So I said to him, “what about when I feel like I’m just not good enough”, to which he said, “Well, that would be a losing experience”.

Take the lessons wherever they come.

And if it were me, I wouldn’t let my head beat me up over this, I’d just ask boss man if I was meeting or exceeding his expectations or coming up short.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#398

Post by q-big »

marcus_holmes wrote: post #384
sangnoir wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There really isn't a pipeline for for entry-level managers in tech: I've never heard of anyone interning for, or graduating from college and managing ICs as an entry-level job. However, those managers are needed, and have got to come from somewhere, so here we are, looking to start a death metal band at a seminary.

As someone who's done both (dev and dev management), it's more that it's very hard to manage dev teams unless you've been a dev. We have all experienced the clueless non-technical manager who doesn't understand why any of this has to be this way and keeps pushing for "common sense" things like accurate estimates for project development. There's also nothing stopping a good dev from being a great manager, or vice vers…

> We have all experienced the clueless non-technical manager who doesn't understand why any of this has to be this way and keeps pushing for "common sense" things like accurate estimates for project development.

This is in my opinion actually quite easy to explain to managers: asking for time estimates in software development is like asking for time estimates in proving a deep conjecture in mathematics.

Since every economics major has to take some courses in mathematics (which at least in Germany are often there to weed out bad students), this should not be difficult to understand for managers.

The problem rather is that these clueless non-technical managers insist that this perspective is simply wrong and theirs is right.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#399

Post by jaclaz »

brandon272 wrote: post #129

I would have an honest conversation with your manager about the meeting that you had with the manager's manager. Be plain and tell them that it made you uncomfortable and confused given your contributions to the project and the fact that you hadn't heard any negative feedback prior. Their response could be one of many. They could say that the boss is an asshole and just overreacted. They could say, "Actually, they we…

Yes.

Maybe the programming world is different but in any corporation there must be a frank, honest, exchange of info and discussion (not necessarily agreement) with your immediate manager/supervisor, it is their responsability to give you directives and if not fully protect, at least shield you from the higher in grade (or on the contrary tell you what your mistakes are, not let someone else in a higher position do that).

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#400

Post by josefrichter »

Sounds like there’s some blame game going on. Project is late and they’re looking for scapegoat. That’s a red flag that the management is poor. You can do as great work as possible, make sure you take notes what was assigned to you and what you delivered, even better: overdelivered, and think how you’d present your results. Just don’t join the blame game, you cannot win.
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