Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
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Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
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Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#2https://billwadge.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/laws-of-the-unive...
Wadge’s Law (of Meetings).
Before every formal meeting there’s a smaller, more exclusive, less formal meeting where all the important decisions are made.
This is based on decades of experience in academia and friends’ experience in industry and government. Sometimes there’s an even smaller, more exclusive, less formal pre pre meeting where all the decisions of the pre meeting are made. Maybe even a pre pre pre meeting … until you reach some guy deciding everything in the shower.
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#310x engineers get it done without others even knowing about it.
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#4https://billwadge.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/laws-of-the-unive... Wadge’s Law (of Meetings). Before every formal meeting there’s a smaller, more exclusive, less formal meeting where all the important decisions are made. This is based on decades of experience in academia and friends’ experience in industry and government. Sometimes there’s an even smaller, more exclusive, less formal pre pre meeting where all the decisi…
That’s called an oligarchy in politics. Can’t say it’s a great operational model
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#5https://billwadge.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/laws-of-the-unive... Wadge’s Law (of Meetings). Before every formal meeting there’s a smaller, more exclusive, less formal meeting where all the important decisions are made. This is based on decades of experience in academia and friends’ experience in industry and government. Sometimes there’s an even smaller, more exclusive, less formal pre pre meeting where all the decisi…
I'm a boss type guy and I absolutely do this intentionally but not because it's not really me setting policy as much as I'm focus group testing. I run it past peers or a few influential people who could be receptive. Get them to to think about it and give some feedback. When I bring it up to the group it's because it's been well-received and the other influencers are ready to back it. Similar to how this article explains it.
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#610x engineers get it done without others even knowing about it.
And this is how you end up with an entire engineering team that has no idea what the hell is going on. Don't be a "10x engineer". Empower 10 other people around you. That's what the real 10x engineers are doing.
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#7https://billwadge.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/laws-of-the-unive... Wadge’s Law (of Meetings). Before every formal meeting there’s a smaller, more exclusive, less formal meeting where all the important decisions are made. This is based on decades of experience in academia and friends’ experience in industry and government. Sometimes there’s an even smaller, more exclusive, less formal pre pre meeting where all the decisi…
I'm a boss type guy and I absolutely do this intentionally but not because it's not really me setting policy as much as I'm focus group testing. I run it past peers or a few influential people who could be receptive. Get them to to think about it and give some feedback. When I bring it up to the group it's because it's been well-received and the other influencers are ready to back it. Similar to how this article expl…
Yep exactly. If you go into a meeting and you haven't talked to at least a few of the people there about the topic beforehand, IME it's not going to be a productive meeting. I usually start with getting feedback from one or two subject matter experts, building consensus with them, and then slowly expand my circle of people I get feedback from, until we have "the big meeting". Having a "big meeting" with no pre-established context usually wastes everyone's time.
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#8https://billwadge.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/laws-of-the-unive... Wadge’s Law (of Meetings). Before every formal meeting there’s a smaller, more exclusive, less formal meeting where all the important decisions are made. This is based on decades of experience in academia and friends’ experience in industry and government. Sometimes there’s an even smaller, more exclusive, less formal pre pre meeting where all the decisi…
That’s called an oligarchy in politics. Can’t say it’s a great operational model
It makes sense where you have a lot of stakeholders. Would you ever debate an approach to doing something in front of a customer?
Likewise, if a meeting is where you adjudicate something, you need consensus to focus on the key issue, whatever that is. Otherwise, you’re likely to head into some rabbit hole that results in no decision.
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s called an oligarchy in politics. Can’t say it’s a great operational model
It makes sense where you have a lot of stakeholders. Would you ever debate an approach to doing something in front of a customer? Likewise, if a meeting is where you adjudicate something, you need consensus to focus on the key issue, whatever that is. Otherwise, you’re likely to head into some rabbit hole that results in no decision.
No, We’ve already discussed this and we think your approach is wrong
Re: Senior Engineers Build Consensus (2019)
#10"Build Consensus" - hah, the words of an org chart climber.
I've recently joined a BigCo (as a senior+ engineer), and the culture here isn't building consensus (out of authentic building blocks) - it's a toxic "we must be consensus after every meeting."
There's always a "champion" idea (but you can bring a "challenger" idea so people feel heard), there's always a need to "be in alignment" after every 45 min chunk of time, etc.
Consensus is clearly an end in itself, not a means by which we solve problems.
I'll just slither around in it though. Talk the talk so no one gets wise $_$