Bullshitters: Who Are They and What Do We Know about Their Lives? (2019) [pdf] • Hacker News Board

Re: Bullshitters: Who Are They and What Do We Know about Their Lives? (2019) [pdf]

#41

Post by afarrell » Thu, Sep 17, 2020, 7:01 AM UTC

Thorentis wrote: post #38

afarrell wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Then, if the bullshitter gets to the end of the sprint and says they didn't complete a 1-2 day task in 10 days, you can start asking why. They do this consistently across 2-3 sprints, you know something is up. Assume they're more junior than their job title and try giving them easier tasks. Still not getting much done? They're a bullshitter. Fire them / raise with their manager. Another contributing cause of this c…

To be honest this seems more like a Bob problem than a Sue problem. "Just get on with it" (or some variation thereof, whether reference to imposter syndrome, stiff upper lip, etc) is thrown about all the time in all workplaces. If you are genuinely struggling or don't know what to do then it is your professional responsibility to make the right people know about it. If Bob did stress this very strongly with Sue, and…

Or rather, maybe you know how to make people know about things. Many people do not.

I still do not know how to persuade people that I DO NOT have psychic powers -- other people's brains are separate from mine.

Re: Bullshitters: Who Are They and What Do We Know about Their Lives? (2019) [pdf]

#42

Post by afarrell » Thu, Sep 17, 2020, 7:03 AM UTC

Thorentis wrote: post #38

afarrell wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Then, if the bullshitter gets to the end of the sprint and says they didn't complete a 1-2 day task in 10 days, you can start asking why. They do this consistently across 2-3 sprints, you know something is up. Assume they're more junior than their job title and try giving them easier tasks. Still not getting much done? They're a bullshitter. Fire them / raise with their manager. Another contributing cause of this c…

To be honest this seems more like a Bob problem than a Sue problem. "Just get on with it" (or some variation thereof, whether reference to imposter syndrome, stiff upper lip, etc) is thrown about all the time in all workplaces. If you are genuinely struggling or don't know what to do then it is your professional responsibility to make the right people know about it. If Bob did stress this very strongly with Sue, and…

> If Bob did stress this very strongly with Sue, and Sue was the person in charge of allocating tasks, then yes of course Sue is to blame. Giving people tasks they can't do is bad.

The trouble is if Bob doesn't know he can do it or not. It can be very hard to tell if you're actually confused about something or if you are just making excuses.

Sadly, if the latter, there really is only one way to stop making excuses.

--------

Note: While I am feeling very distressed these days. I want to reassure y'all that I am not going to stop making excuses. There are too many people who love and care about me dearly whom I know would be devastated.

Re: Bullshitters: Who Are They and What Do We Know about Their Lives? (2019) [pdf]

#43

Post by afarrell » Thu, Sep 17, 2020, 7:29 AM UTC

Thorentis wrote: post #38

afarrell wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Then, if the bullshitter gets to the end of the sprint and says they didn't complete a 1-2 day task in 10 days, you can start asking why. They do this consistently across 2-3 sprints, you know something is up. Assume they're more junior than their job title and try giving them easier tasks. Still not getting much done? They're a bullshitter. Fire them / raise with their manager. Another contributing cause of this c…

To be honest this seems more like a Bob problem than a Sue problem. "Just get on with it" (or some variation thereof, whether reference to imposter syndrome, stiff upper lip, etc) is thrown about all the time in all workplaces. If you are genuinely struggling or don't know what to do then it is your professional responsibility to make the right people know about it. If Bob did stress this very strongly with Sue, and…

How would Bob even know if he is qualified to tell if he is genuinely struggling or just suffering from impostor syndrome? How would he tell if he is just bullshitting himself about whether or not he has real a problem?

Re: Bullshitters: Who Are They and What Do We Know about Their Lives? (2019) [pdf]

#44

Post by afarrell » Fri, Sep 18, 2020, 12:06 PM UTC

afarrell wrote: post #42

Thorentis wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be honest this seems more like a Bob problem than a Sue problem. "Just get on with it" (or some variation thereof, whether reference to imposter syndrome, stiff upper lip, etc) is thrown about all the time in all workplaces. If you are genuinely struggling or don't know what to do then it is your professional responsibility to make the right people know about it. If Bob did stress this very strongly with Sue, and…

> If Bob did stress this very strongly with Sue, and Sue was the person in charge of allocating tasks, then yes of course Sue is to blame. Giving people tasks they can't do is bad. The trouble is if Bob doesn't know he can do it or not. It can be very hard to tell if you're actually confused about something or if you are just making excuses. Sadly, if the latter, there really is only one way to stop making excuses. -…

(Also, I don't think I actually make excuses very frequently at all. Occasionally I deceive myself, but far more often than that I give reasons that reflect a reality which is genuinely absurd in ways that are unfair to the listener yet still true.)