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I applaud the author and although I'm not in a position to hire anyone, I'd be more likely to hire him (ceteres paribus) because he's put this out there.
Some personality types can handle this amount of autonomy, but most people cannot. Most people need more structure than what existed here. I also think highly creative people are even more likely to slip.
This is a reason why startups are so hard, it's really hard to put together an organization where people can be productive together.
I have three remote workers and I check in daily. When someone inevitably starts slipping, I try to let them know immediately. Otherwise it's my fault when I have to fire them and destroy value that I worked to create. It's throwing money down down the drain in the form of training, familiarity with the organization and acquired skills.
I really enjoyed the article, thanks for sharing it. As a remote worker, many of the points you mentioned resonate with me.
Hey, I wrote this article. Thanks - really glad you liked it. Remote jobs are fantastic for a lot of people, but they're not the be all and end all. Sometimes, they REALLY suck. Especially if you're not an introvert, and need other people around to recharge.
I'm going through a lot of exactly the same thing at the moment, though sans startup environment. I'm intrigued to read that you consider the root cause to be extroversion. I wouldn't call myself an extrovert at all, and would ascribe most of what you write about to anxiety (for which I've recently started seeing a CBT counsellor).
Do you think that having your coworkers available in-person would have changed things because 1) having them around would have "recharged your batteries", i.e. the extrovert theory, or 2) having them around would have added the pressure to counterbalance the procrastination (my situation a lot of the time), or 3) something else?
He was set up to fail in this scenario. Lack of oversight and prompt feedback when he started slipping caused this situation to snowball. Some personality types can handle this amount of autonomy, but most people cannot. Most people need more structure than what existed here. I also think highly creative people are even more likely to slip. This is a reason why startups are so hard, it's really hard to put together a…
And if you don't hand in progress reports, do them anyway and keep them for audit - you'll need them eventually whether there's any conflict or not.
It's nearly impossible to describe just how ambiguously most people communicate. I've been places where I was in-house and it got to the point where I simply made it a point to be as irritating and lawyerly as possible, not long before I left. It at least communicates "I'm not the one giving up here..."
It's a crazy world we live in where someone would post such a candid article about their own under-performance. This article is embarrassing to the individual, and more importantly, to the company that fired him. I think people need to think more carefully about what they post online especially when using real names. This is permanent now. Any potential employer who searches this man on the internet will see this and…
Look, if you enjoy dysfunction have at it. But my experience is that you have to defend yourself from it, and the best defense is simply identifying it rather loudly.
There are many, many, MANY more people for whom you do not want to work than that you do want to work for.
He was set up to fail in this scenario. Lack of oversight and prompt feedback when he started slipping caused this situation to snowball. Some personality types can handle this amount of autonomy, but most people cannot. Most people need more structure than what existed here. I also think highly creative people are even more likely to slip. This is a reason why startups are so hard, it's really hard to put together a…
IMO, you have to be a bit... "spiky" ( as Eddie Izzard might say ) to work independently. It's worth being a bit paranoid about expectations. This means you have to manage expectations, design deliverables very carefully and perpetually review them. And if you don't hand in progress reports, do them anyway and keep them for audit - you'll need them eventually whether there's any conflict or not. It's nearly impossibl…
I should note that people without this personality trait can be successful too. But in their case, the repercussions for slacking off must be real and immediate (usually just being verbally called out). As a business you must have systems in place to know when this is happening.
There is another type of person who cannot be successful at all in this scenario. They will do everything in their power and intellect to get away with slacking off. ...Oftentimes because they cannot stop themselves from slacking off so their options are either: quit, get fired, or try to get away with it. Most people don't quit.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hey, I wrote this article. Thanks - really glad you liked it. Remote jobs are fantastic for a lot of people, but they're not the be all and end all. Sometimes, they REALLY suck. Especially if you're not an introvert, and need other people around to recharge.
Signed up specifically to reply to this comment, and to add my thanks for your blog post :) I'm going through a lot of exactly the same thing at the moment, though sans startup environment. I'm intrigued to read that you consider the root cause to be extroversion. I wouldn't call myself an extrovert at all, and would ascribe most of what you write about to anxiety (for which I've recently started seeing a CBT counsel…
2) is correct. I would have felt like I needed to do everything to the best standard because the people I was working for were around around me. I'd feel a much more personal connection with them, and I wouldn't want to let them down, so I'd get my work done, and do it well. And I'd be less afraid about speaking up, or mentioning problems, in person. It's also a lot easier to demarcate between work and not-work time when you're working at an office.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm curious: what issues do you see with being honest about the ways that you failed, and how you're addressing them? I don't think it shows a lack of a filter, I think it shows an honesty and an awareness of my issues, and what I need to do to fix them. I'm not particularly embarrassed by this article -- although it was hard to write -- and neither is the company that fired me (as they helped me write it). Although…
I think it would be idea for you to state that they approved the post of the article.
http://tuckermax.me/how-i-learned-to-own-my-failures-asshole...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
IMO, you have to be a bit... "spiky" ( as Eddie Izzard might say ) to work independently. It's worth being a bit paranoid about expectations. This means you have to manage expectations, design deliverables very carefully and perpetually review them. And if you don't hand in progress reports, do them anyway and keep them for audit - you'll need them eventually whether there's any conflict or not. It's nearly impossibl…
This is a really good point. When I think of the people who I've worked with who are successful without structure are usually a little bit paranoid/neurotic. Even if no one has checked on them for months, in the back of their head, they are still concerned about the repercussions of slacking off. I should note that people without this personality trait can be successful too. But in their case, the repercussions for s…
Funnily enough, this is why I've been a lot better at freelancing: I get instant feedback from the client if they're not happy, and I get instant rewards (payment) when I finish a job to a good standard.
It's a crazy world we live in where someone would post such a candid article about their own under-performance. This article is embarrassing to the individual, and more importantly, to the company that fired him. I think people need to think more carefully about what they post online especially when using real names. This is permanent now. Any potential employer who searches this man on the internet will see this and…
I would not hire either, how big is the picture of him squeezed into such a small box... http://www.andrewlynch.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Upwork... ?! Details...