Hello $BOSS! I have a code change that is so vital to the survival of our company that: 1. It requires your immediate review. 2. If you fail to respond by Monday, I will push it to production. --- Can anyone suggest what is wrong here?
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Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
41–50 of 96 posts
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#42[dead]
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've never seen anyone just "put something into prod" unless it was for a very small org. Putting managers on babysitting duty is a workplace smell. A reckless dev is the least of your worries.
> I've never seen anyone just "put something into prod" unless it was for a very small org. Missed the whole "move fast and break things" period?
No. Everyone else who survived was too busy building or fixing things.
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#44This is great advice to become a pain in the ass that managers know they need to keep on a short leash. There's a big difference between "I'm going to put this into prod on tuesday unless you tell me otherwise" vs "I'm going to put a prototype together for review on Tuesday unless you tell me this is a waste of time"
> This is great advice to become a pain in the ass that managers know they need to keep on a short leash. Not really. The advice is prefixed with this context. > When you have something you want to do and that you feel is in scope for your position, but you want a bit of reassurance or to let the boss know what you are up to Basically it's saying if it's your job to make this decision, but it's something where the bo…
No. It's just CYA hedging.
If it's your job (per the "context"), then do it.
When you ask this question, it's either
A. escalating/DoA exception (not your authority)
B. Or giving yourself an out if something goes wrong for your existing DoA.
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
> This is great advice to become a pain in the ass that managers know they need to keep on a short leash. Not really. The advice is prefixed with this context. > When you have something you want to do and that you feel is in scope for your position, but you want a bit of reassurance or to let the boss know what you are up to Basically it's saying if it's your job to make this decision, but it's something where the bo…
No. It's just CYA hedging. If it's your job (per the "context"), then do it. When you ask this question, it's either A. escalating/DoA exception (not your authority) B. Or giving yourself an out if something goes wrong for your existing DoA.
Taking it at face value makes it good advice and interpreting it as CYA hedging makes it bad advice. My bet is the author intended the good advice they actually said rather than the bad faith guess to what they meant that makes it bad advice.
And there are plenty of things that are your job, but you would like the boss in the loop on without actually making it their job.
You say if it's your job then do it, and that's roughly what the advice given here is. The only place you're in disagreement is that you don't see any room for nuance when something is your job but worth notifying the boss about in advance.
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#46This is an AWS (and other FAANG) tenet.
It has to come with appropriate information, not just a date.
I usually ask for a twisted "STAR" if this is presented to me.
Give me context (who, what, where, when), the planned action in short (and other choices that were considered and why they were abandoned), and the result that the choice will have.
If i have all these, i can quickly context switch, and ask follow ups if needed, or just let it move forward. This is conceptually what AWS asks for in a one pager.
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
> This is great advice to become a pain in the ass that managers know they need to keep on a short leash. Not really. The advice is prefixed with this context. > When you have something you want to do and that you feel is in scope for your position, but you want a bit of reassurance or to let the boss know what you are up to Basically it's saying if it's your job to make this decision, but it's something where the bo…
No. It's just CYA hedging. If it's your job (per the "context"), then do it. When you ask this question, it's either A. escalating/DoA exception (not your authority) B. Or giving yourself an out if something goes wrong for your existing DoA.
An easy example: you need 5 minutes of planned downtime (which is entirely within SLAs) to execute a major upgrade, but the system is also used by Sales for demos to major new clients. "We're going to take 5 minutes of downtime on Wednesday evening for an upgrade. Contact me ASAP if this is a problem for you." If you don't hear from the team, then it's OK to go.
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
*failed communist state In proper function, ownership is an essential identity of any government.
I would love to hear an example of a successful communist state. You can even restrict it to a limited period in time (USSR 1959-1968 or something). I promise that I will not try to discredit your answer. I'm just curious what people think. But if you come back with "the communism I have in mind hasn't been tried yet" then I will definitely make fun of your answer.
What is your rubric for successful? And does it shift if that state was the target of wars of aggression or embargoes?
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
*failed communist state In proper function, ownership is an essential identity of any government.
The end goal of communism is supposed to be the elimination of government - a stateless, classless and functionally anarchist society. Unsurprisingly no state which ever implemented communism ever took that part seriously.
This is the end goal of one form of communism, but certainly not the end goal of communism. Many communists want a strong state and see a single party as desirable.
Re: Ask for no, don't ask for yes (2022)
#50Do NOT do this with your manager. The key part of this article is: > When you have something you want to do and that you feel is in scope for your position, but you want a bit of reassurance or to let the boss know what you are up to, it’s common to reach out and ask them for permission. Don’t. Don’t ask for a yes. Instead, offer a chance to say no, but with a deadline. If something is not in scope for your responsib…
> "Hey, I'm going to tell HR you gave approval for a raise unless I hear from you by noon." That's... just not how anything works.
I haven't seen a strawman this big since the county corn maize.