The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
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The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
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Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#2Question: What a person that IS the exceptionally skilled person but that drags down the team, should do to not drag down the team?
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#3TL;DR version:
"[...]I made the most classic of mistakes: putting up with someone because we were afraid to lose their ability. [...] it’s almost never worth it."
edit: shortened it.
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#4Question: What a person that IS the exceptionally skilled person but that drags down the team, should do to not drag down the team?
Follow orders, agree to do the "wrong thing" when he is asked for it. Put up with the other team "mistakes" AND do not consider himself more valuable than the others.
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#5Some financial firms have forced paid time off (atleast 5 consecutive days) to make sure they are never fully dependent on any one employee, and to fix it if they ever find themselves in that situation. (They also do it to make sure no one is covering up fraud by always working.)
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#6> The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
Using non-descriptive titles on HN?
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#7Question: What a person that IS the exceptionally skilled person but that drags down the team, should do to not drag down the team?
It's complicated.
From the talented person's perspective, everyone else is at fault. They haven't put in the time to know x, or they're just envious of said talent, or they're standing on pride in refusing to follow the talented person's lead.
This is exacerbated by the possibility that these things are actually true.
The antidote to this, that worked for me, was forgiveness. Maybe you shouldn't have to do bookkeeping tasks that take you away from more important work. Maybe others are not giving due acknowledgment to the level of skill you've attained. If you decide to forgive them and put up with what you see as their bullshit (and it may be!), then you can move forward.
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#8Question: What a person that IS the exceptionally skilled person but that drags down the team, should do to not drag down the team?
It depends on the person and the team.
There is more than one way to be difficult to work with. For example, some can have anger problems. In these cases, mindfulness coaching can be useful. Why are they angry? Are they angry at perceived incompetence? Are they angry when they don't get their own way? Are they angry because of the argument with their parents the night before?
Another is contempt. If someone treats their teammates with contempt, it is often a sign of someone having a "fixed" mindset. They believe that some people are good at programming, and some people are just bad, and it can't be adjusted. These people are often also terrible teachers, which means they need to be taught that skill.
Some are inconsiderate. They have terrible hygene and controllable body odor. They listen to their own music on speakers in an open office. This often takes coaching on behaviors from management.
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#9Some financial firms have forced paid time off (atleast 5 consecutive days) to make sure they are never fully dependent on any one employee, and to fix it if they ever find themselves in that situation. (They also do it to make sure no one is covering up fraud by always working.)
In banking aren't you required to take off 5 consecutive days so they can avoid any financial misconduct? It's hard to cover up most issues after 5 days.
Re: The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
#10Some financial firms have forced paid time off (atleast 5 consecutive days) to make sure they are never fully dependent on any one employee, and to fix it if they ever find themselves in that situation. (They also do it to make sure no one is covering up fraud by always working.)
In banking aren't you required to take off 5 consecutive days so they can avoid any financial misconduct? It's hard to cover up most issues after 5 days.
Someone who never takes leave is often a person you need to monitor.