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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
I think a lot of us do this for a long time after acquiring institutional power. And I think it is very well-intentioned -- it comes from a place of humility, and a healthy aversion to authoritarian flexing. But just because *you* can try to ignore it doesn't mean others can.
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not not nailing it
@OldCrowEW
Replying to @mipsytipsy
Yes! I often forget that what I do matters because of my position. I'm still stuck thinking I'm "just an engineer".
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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
Replying to
@mipsytipsy
It doesn't matter how good your intentions are; if you don't work to develop an awareness of the power you have over people's lives, and how you need to change the way you act, think and communicate because of that, you're betraying the very people it's your job to support.
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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
The instincts are good, though! YES, be humble. YES, avoid flexing your authority over people. This was kind of the whole point of my recent post on hierarchy, charity.wtf/2022/09/23/the. But this involves thinking harder and more critically about your role. Not ignoring it. ☺️
charity.wtf
The Hierarchy Is Bullshit (And Bad For Business)
My friend Molly has had an impressive career. She got a job as a software engineer after graduating from college, and after kicking ass for a year or so she was offered a promotion to management, w…
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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
Many new managers seem to feel like the best way to be a good, humble manager is by doing as little managing as possible. This is a completely understandable reaction to many work environments, where "benign neglect" is often the least worst option you get. 🙃
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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
There's some wisdom to it, in that you should reach for formal powers rarely and as a last resort. But your job as a manager isn't to hang back and leave no trace, it's to get shit done. Make things better. Move the business forward. Improve at your craft.
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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
The subtlety here that I think a lot of managers miss is that *everything they do is management*, even if it's the same thing they were doing as an IC. That is why it lands differently. Asking a question as an engineer is not the same as asking the same question as a manager.
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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
Giving feedback as an engineer is not the same as giving the same feedback as a manager. Before, they might have been annoyed, but now you can fire them! Of COURSE they are going to pore over every phrase and search for hidden meaning
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Charity Majors
@mipsytipsy
Hell, giving feedback as a senior or staff eng is very different than as a junior eng, and calls for similar sensitivity. But there is something discontinuous and different about wielding formal power, and you can't blame folks for, or talk them out of, being hyper aware of it.
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