151–160 of 372 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In capitalism everything is a function of scarcity. I wonder how long we are going to keep up that particular charade.
> I wonder how long we are going to keep up that particular charade about as long as the real world continues to have finite resources and people have differing ideas about what to do with them
There is another kind of useful-but-not-valued, and that's the person who does things that management ignores, or finds not worthy of investment of time, but inoculate against future trouble or enable other work, or make it considerably easier, down the line. If you engage in that kind of work, it's not just that you'll not be recognized/valued, but rather - be thought negatively of, for doing that.
I’m curious. What kind of work would management ignore or look at negatively? If the work needs done, shouldn’t you be able to justify to management? For example, by doing X this will improve our efficiency in performing Y by 80% and help us achieve our goal by reducing time wasted on Z.
I think it might just be the organization or people. I know a lot of engineers that don't want to progress to management or other "strategic" roles. They're happy doing what they're doing and they often complain about a culture that expects them to grow in these very narrowly defined bands that eschews technical ability.
Framing it this way as though to truly "value" an employee you have to expand the scope and nature of his work does more harm that good. I think it's more about having an honest conversation with management and set expectations. Management often doesn't want to mess up something if it's going well so may not take initiative.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In capitalism everything is a function of scarcity. I wonder how long we are going to keep up that particular charade.
Didn't know other economic systems beat the fundamental nature of physics and reality where infinite isn't simply a concept. Are you sure you're considering a "charade" in the right direction?
There are other ways to cooperate that don’t depend on sociopathy and infighting.
This is far more simple than it sounds. Do what others cannot to deliver success to the internal goals of the business. It is always more about capabilities and delivery and it’s never really about hard work. These capabilities can include authoring new tools but most often are soft skills and better written communication. Many people will fail at this because they cannot perform or independently determine their own…
Yes, its never actually about actual effort. Rewards are handed out based on outcomes, interpersonal skills and PERCEIVED effort.
My value (and effort), was seen as high from upper management. I also learned to schedule teams, slack, and email messages accordingly. Even if I get something done very fast, I can easily manipulate the perception around it.
> If you’re valued, you’ll likely see a clear path for advancement and development, you might get more strategic roles and involvement in key decisions. If you are just useful, your role might feel more stagnant. I think it might just be the organization or people. I know a lot of engineers that don't want to progress to management or other "strategic" roles. They're happy doing what they're doing and they often comp…
Isn't being incredibly useful actually a pretty solid way to be valued, especially in the trenches? Maybe 'useful' is just 'valued' in work boots instead of a fancy suit.
> But you are seen primarily as a gap-filler
You are, if the org works, seen as a person fulfilling an important enough function (because... otherwise you would not be hired) and if you then do that, that is fantastic. When anything doesn't work, that sucks, and that is something that every employer understands.
However if you are not okay with the role that you are occupying in that apparatus, or no longer okay, that's not on your employer (unless, of course, you have been mislead about your role or trajectory). Some people are looking to do a specific thing for a long time and getting really good at that, and it makes me sad to see when people try to cast shadow on that. I certainly wouldn't, but I would caution against projecting your own value judgements onto other people. It says more about how you look at the world, and what kind of place you would create, than it says about the company you work for.
What is also useful to keep in mind is the tendency to recreate your primary family life in the workplace. So if you had critical controlling parents who never valued you and everything you ever did was worthless, then you'll tend to select for those places and it is often done outside of awareness. Was your primary family spent being valued and appreciated? Then you'll select for that and when people start to not va…