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Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

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Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#81

Post by slfnflctd »

This kind of behavior will likely make any normal person more stressed out and miserable than most actual work. You'll hate yourself. I agree with the author's advice at the end.

I did it to a small extent while working for a large org where I was not under much pressure to produce or build up my skills, and it was a very unhappy time. Part of it was due to unresolved mental issues, part because I noticed others doing the same things, but regardless I have no desire to repeat the experience.

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#83

Post by paulcole »

serverholic wrote: post #47
paulcole wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The average HN reader is highly overrated for other reasons. > have detest for office politics The problem is that many people on HN believe any interaction with someone with an MBA, marketing background, manager, etc. is “office politics.”

Yes because if you look at it objectively those people tend to be lying, manipulative people with big fake smiles on their faces. People are so accustomed to our messed up society that they don't even realize how amoral "normal" behavior is.

> Yes because if you look at it objectively those people tend to be lying, manipulative people with big fake smiles on their faces.

This is exactly what I’m talking about. There’s nothing objective about what you’re saying here. You just paint a huge group of people with a very broad (and very negative) brush.

If that’s what helps you feel superior to other people, I guess there’s not much I can do about it. But I’d encourage you to reexamine how you see the real people around you.

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#84

Post by dinosaurdynasty »

meowmeowmoo wrote: post #63
serverholic wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can turn into office politics fast. Maybe you say the wrong thing and now you and your coworker have an awkward tension. IMO it's almost never worth trying to make friends with your coworkers. Be nice, be helpful, and do a good job but keep your friends and work life separate.

Some of my best friends started as work colleagues. Very bonding working really hard with people you respect on problems you’re passionate about.

Not all of us are lucky enough to be paid to do things we are passionate about.

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#85

Post by serverholic »

paulcole wrote: post #83
serverholic wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes because if you look at it objectively those people tend to be lying, manipulative people with big fake smiles on their faces. People are so accustomed to our messed up society that they don't even realize how amoral "normal" behavior is.

> Yes because if you look at it objectively those people tend to be lying, manipulative people with big fake smiles on their faces. This is exactly what I’m talking about. There’s nothing objective about what you’re saying here. You just paint a huge group of people with a very broad (and very negative) brush. If that’s what helps you feel superior to other people, I guess there’s not much I can do about it. But I’d…

You misunderstood what I was saying. What I meant was that lying and manipulating are generally considered objectively bad by most people. However, that behavior is considered normal in corporate cultures. It's even part of the job if you're in marketing or sales!

And no, I won't stop judging large groups of people who's jobs are built on deception. And I won't stop judging people who are naturally drawn to those jobs. I've had enough of this whole system and I'm done apologizing for saying negative things just because these behaviors and jobs are normal.

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#86

Post by serverholic »

meowmeowmoo wrote: post #63
serverholic wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can turn into office politics fast. Maybe you say the wrong thing and now you and your coworker have an awkward tension. IMO it's almost never worth trying to make friends with your coworkers. Be nice, be helpful, and do a good job but keep your friends and work life separate.

Some of my best friends started as work colleagues. Very bonding working really hard with people you respect on problems you’re passionate about.

In my experience most close friends vent about their jobs to each other. Something that I very rarely feel comfortable doing with coworkers. I think I've met about 2 coworkers in my whole career who I felt that level of comfort with.

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#87

Post by paulcole »

serverholic wrote: post #85
paulcole wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yes because if you look at it objectively those people tend to be lying, manipulative people with big fake smiles on their faces. This is exactly what I’m talking about. There’s nothing objective about what you’re saying here. You just paint a huge group of people with a very broad (and very negative) brush. If that’s what helps you feel superior to other people, I guess there’s not much I can do about it. But I’d…

You misunderstood what I was saying. What I meant was that lying and manipulating are generally considered objectively bad by most people. However, that behavior is considered normal in corporate cultures. It's even part of the job if you're in marketing or sales! And no, I won't stop judging large groups of people who's jobs are built on deception. And I won't stop judging people who are naturally drawn to those job…

> It's even part of the job if you're in marketing or sales!

I know I’m not going to change your mind here, but I stress:

It really really isn’t.

Marketing and sales are about communicating some value to people who might need that value. You can find this distasteful if you like.

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#88

Post by austin-cheney »

Sounds like my previous employer.

Almost nobody did any real work. There were meetings all day where a few people with complex accents talked over each other just to hear the sound of their voice while many people pretended to participate. Nobody wrote anything down. I really think people put so much effort into posturing that they could not write at the necessary professional level.

I was completely upfront about how little work I did to everyone I talked to.

Now I work for a small company with excellent leadership where I actually do real work all day.

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#89

Post by ilyt »

genghisjahn wrote: post #8

These articles come out with some regularity, and yet no one ever says, "Yep! That's totally me! I'm a non contributing zero but I've made a living at making others think I add to the team!" Everyone knows people like this, but no one is one.

...how many people in general you know that tell other their flaws and "crimes" out of blue ?

It's just not the thing people do, and I don't think many do that with premeditation too, by mix of impostor complex and trying to look busy for the boss

Re: Habits of Highly Overrated People (2013)

#90

Post by ilyt »

mrtksn wrote: post #64
LazyCroHacker wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yo. Ask me anything. Edit : I'm actually serious. I don't do most of the things in the article, or at least definitely not with the intent and detail - but I've been moved over time from being a pretty good and certainly respected hands on techie, to a middle to upper manager with massive imposter syndrome, and certainly feel I contribute less for more credit. Client loves me. My boss loves me. My team loves me. But…

Maybe attaching all the value to technical contributions was incorrect behaviour in first place? I used to do that a lot until I got my first real not fully technical job and realised that all the technical stuff is actually much more learnable by many, much less impactful on the work than the dark art of working with humans. Maybe its the zeal of the convert but I think the technical contributions are not that impor…

That's because people working with humans tend to be TERRIBLE at keeping proper documentation about their job. If "people person" kept full psychological profile of each client and manager they work with it would be way easier to replace them so in a way it is a job-security-guaranteeing move to be obtuse.

Joking aside the way I see it is that you have to have some vision on the product, enough organization skill (which can be another person specialized in translating "visioner" ramblings into actionable stuff) to organize making it, enough marketing skill to actually sell it, and then enough tech/engineering oriented people to not fuck the product up.

Bad engineering - product that kinda works shit but depending on niche it can still be good enough to be profitable

Bad marketing/client acquisition - most cases bankruptcy, very small amount of things "sell itself", unless you get luck.

Bad vision - well, if rest is fine you either pivot to something else and deliver or bankrupt

Bad communication/managing - inefficiencies at every way that can and will hamper everyone else.

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