Stress can be relative. Instead of internalizing stress, an employee can stay calm and stress his or her environment. If everyone externalizes stress than no one is under stress. This seems like a paradox - where has stress gone? The explanation is very simple: there was no stress initially!
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
Downflooring / upflooring could be the mild version of downsizing, promotion or demotion, depends on the office space plans for your next office move. It could also mean nothing if staff streaming is rotational, as mathematicians say, div rot S = 0 or it might say which employee team or a functional unit is important if streaming was done relative to some non-movable office. It might also mean team compression, to minimize staff gradient, like mathematicians say, grad T = 0.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
In many companies you can find various e-mail and document retention policies that limit the life span of old reports in case you need them, for example, to compare your performance or defend your stance (bit). Use continuity in sending reports by replying to your previous report (tip).
This is actually an IIRW extension to bit and tip 0×4.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
“… those people who are really good at what they do and yet are at the bottom of a management hierarchy have a power that no one else in the hierarchy has. They can’t be demoted.”Robert Glass, Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering
Understanding and overcoming resistance is one of the tasks of a manager. A public performance (transcript) of the manager is different from an inner transcript and the same can be said about transcripts of engineers. I now recall that in one of my previous companies I worked for, a senior engineer was telling one recently hired junior colleague in a private setting (canteen) to always tell VP of Engineering how he loves the work. I recently became interested in analysis of managerial domination and of various forms of hidden resistance and stage performances of subordinates and internal pressures they experience. Doing my research I stumbled across this book on Amazon and bought it:
Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts
The book is written in almost jargon free style and highly recommended as a stimulating and refreshing read to remind about additional perspectives on relations inside teams and engineering organizations, between customers and their relationship managers (inverse domination).
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
Have you ever been worried about managerial amnesia? There are two types of it: the full amnesia and the partial one. The latter one is the most dangerous. Being selective, it provokes worries. The full amnesia, on the contrary, might stem from the current organization focus in other functional areas and could be even a confirmation of trust. Here is the story. I was made redundant in one company long time ago. A month before that, I asked to replace a light bulb in the room because I used to work very long hours. However the light bulb had never been changed and only after redundancy I realized that it was one of the warning signs: there was no need to replace the light bulb - I was one in the office room and after my redundancy the room became empty…
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
If you move to work in another country it is always useful to read about local workplace norms, redundancy regulations, various employment acts and other smart knowledge. If you happen to be the native of that country then you should prefer to read such books as well. More than 8 years ago when I moved to work in Ireland I bought this guide (one of the previous editions):
Today I was visiting a local bookshop and browsing the bargains section where I found this book written by the same author and immediately bought it. “Exit” chapter is recommended to read during the current turbulent times in Irish economy.
Smart Moves at Work in Ireland
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
A definition:
This is a people manager who abdicates and becomes one of former subordinates to increase customer satisfaction in crisis times when no head count is available.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
Some people learn strategically to enhance their skills horizontally on a hiring landscape. When hired they assess what is a common knowledge and skills in the given industry or industry segment. Typical example is mastering C++ programming and its features up to C++ standard. Another example is learning Windows internals to enhance debugging skills if the company develops Windows software. Sometime strategic learning stems from the desire to gain deep insights or to be a better contractor or a technology expert. Other people learn tactically, for example, the hiring company product internals. Some people take balanced approach. Some do not learn anything but this is another story, see my previous post about process parasites.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
As you know I came back to an engineering role again after serving 2 years as a Team Lead and then almost 2 years as a Technical Manager:
The Importance of Being Technical
So instead of growing as a Manager vertically I decided to concentrate on growing horizontally because I have additional management roles as Editor-in-Chief of Debugged! magazine, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of OpenTask iterative and incremental publisher, President and Director of Memory Analysis and Debugging Institute. At the same I need to spend more time growing my technical knowledge and digging deeper in memory dumps.
I plan to continue this blog anyway and still commit to publishing this book next year:
Management Bits: An Anthology from Reductionist Manager (ISBN: 978-1906717131)
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
The title of this post employs an operating system metaphor for a team member as a thread in a process (team). I recalled this morning a book that I was reading 3 years ago and dug it from one of my dark dusty office corners:
My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)
I think it is relevant in this economic downturn if you replace India as an empty set or empty string: My Job Went to ”".
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
