The single slot feature is probably why my husband gets so irritated when I ask him to do thing A... and thing B, and then thing D and C while he's out, oh and it's Wednesday so let's do some E. Wait, A isn't done? Fine, I'll do it myself! Why don't you care about my feelings?
I feel that I may be a delta in most situations, and I can say one of my biggest weaknesses is keeping a schedule. I literally do not keep a day timer/to-do list. My rationalization is that I typically do not have many complicated tasks to accomplish throughout the day or coming week. So I manage for the most part to accomplish my tasks without the use of a written reminder. One (probably false) cope I have is that if anything “important” were to ever come across my desk, I would THEN try to write it down and/or pin it up on a wall somewhere as a reminder. That inevitably does not work, and what ends up happening is, a year later I go to that wall, probably while doing an annual office cleaning, and find about ten notes pinned on top of each other, to which I look through and realize, “oh that’s where those went.”
The advisor dude just doesn't understadn the corporate environment. Nothing is immediately necessary. Everyone is stalling. But part of that stalling is blaming the stall on the other guy. And when someone mentions that you're stalling they're just telling you to jot stall as hard. They're not telling you to get it done now. Even if they say they are, they aren't. Otherwise the company would bw so efficient it'd think it could fire you all. Going slow creates job security actually. That's how it works.
1. In some cases, I think it's projection. Without understanding SSH, don't most people assume that other people's minds work pretty much the same way as their own? So deltas will make an assumption about priorities based on what a delta would do.. and an alpha would be confused about the delta not understanding "simple instructions" because he's assuming the delta's mind should work like his.
2. Deltas don't always have the big picture, so we don't know what is actually the priority. And we are not mind readers.
3. Many deltas have learned the hard way that asking for clarification can be a bad idea, especially if the boss is a gamma in a situational alpha position who will treat you like crap for it.
So we generally default to assuming that if B is now urgent, then A must no longer be as urgent. Otherwise, why are you telling us about B? We can only do 1 thing at a time.. especially if it's something complex.
An ideal interaction for a delta might go something like this:
Alpha: Please do A as soon as possible.
Delta: Yes, sir! Right on it.
LATER:
Alpha: I really need B done. Can you get that done for me?
Delta: Of course, but I am not done with A yet. Which is priority?
Alpha: Finish A, then do B as soon as humanly possible. (or vice versa)
Delta: Thanks for clarifying. I'm on it.
Or even better: Alpha (or his Bravo) maintains a task list for the deltas.. and rearranges tasks by priority as needed. Delta is responsible to make sure he's doing the tasks according to priority.
Deltas want nothing more than to do a good job. Just make the instructions crystal clear and everyone will be happy.
For the delta any task gets 100% focus & effort. You’re lucky in a way if they say ‘Unless you want me to finish task A first.’ Usually they just assume you’re like them and if you gave them a new task that task is now the new 100% focus.
The ones who ask if you want them to still do the other thing do it b/c they’ve learned from experience. They’ve abandoned a task to do another task & when they were asked why wasn’t x completed they say ‘I thought you wanted me to do Y instead.’ & got in trouble or yelled at etc.
I was able to course correct with the Delta and his supervisor. Praising the quality of the Delta’s work in an email to them both, and explaining that I trusted the supervisor’s judgment on the timing.
It turns at the the Delta had been demoted from a Bravo role, into a Delta role where he excels. And is extra worried about making mistakes that will upset the Alpha because of it. So he won’t do anything without very explicit instructions.
This blog is immensely valuable- I didn’t know how to get out ahead of the situation this time, but being able to approach the supervisor and employee with their SSH status in mind (Bravo and Delta) helped navigate the issue with minimal fallout and stronger working relationships moving forward.
It might not matter- but just to show that the SSH although it applies to men isn’t just a tool for men, I happen to be female. Was previously commenting as Light on the Shore, but had to nuke that account for opsec reasons.
Guilty as charged. The task list must be triaged. Resolving the highest priority task/case so one can progress onto the next task/case. Task X hasn't been forgotten necessarily, but Task Y may be confused for a higher priority task and may be promoted accordingly. If there are elements of perceived overlap between Task X and Task Y, then the task override feature(?) often kicks in.
What American white woman is controlling Vox's substack? I've never seen so much of misuse of the "narcissist" label like VD has done in the last few posts.
But addressing the topic at hand: the Delta's dilemma here isn't so much an SSH issue as it is the inability for the Bravo or Alpha to communicate properly. Multiple tasks aren't the problem, it's the non-communication of priorities. Giving a Delta, or anyone, a series of tasks with no priority hierarchy is forcing the Delta to read minds.
It's not hard to grasp. Vox's Sigma exasperation is clouding his empathy.
NARCISSISM: an excessive preoccupation with oneself and one's own needs
That's exactly what we're talking about here. And no, it isn't about anyone else's inability to communicate properly, it's about the Delta's inability to hear what he's being told, due to his excessive preoccupation with himself and his own responsibilities.
Considering that I'm the first to identify and articulate this pattern of behavior on the part of others, which many others are confirming, I'd say my empathy is obviously unclouded.
Long ago, a high powered business man told me that when he gives an order to a subordinate it is his responsibility to insure that the directive was clearly understood. He said that if the task wasn't done correctly he had precluded "I didn't understand" right from the start. He went on to talk about differing communication styles and intelligence.
But I would expect the brighter one, the one with authority, the one with broad experience, to take responsibility for insuring your communications are effective.
"as it is the inability for the Bravo or Alpha to communicate properly."
The Bravo/Alpha did not explicitly tell the Delta to stop doing the other tasks. That is a Delta behavior that misinterprets the logic of the explicit communication.
An Alpha/Bravo receiving that same communication would not do that.
You can only make the case that this is a fault of the Bravo/Alpha if you agree with Vox's premise that that Deltas have a communication handicap and need to be talked down to by management.
As a bravo, when I'm given those kinds of instructions, I don't quietly just accept them and move on - stopping the previous task I've been given. I bring up issues, "If you want that done by this deadline, I can do it but it will mean sacrificing this."
Or
"I will need to move this team around from Task X to task Y to accomplish the new goal. Which is the priority?"
If there are no issues, nothing gets said. But if there are issues, I don't just change things *just because* without saying anything. There is no simply doing it. I do not assume that my job is the most important, because my job is to accomplish GOALS. That's what the entire hierarchy is there for, which most deltas don't understand.
The hierarchy exists to GET WORK DONE. Not just YOUR TASK, but everyones'. The whole company's mission.
Of which, the delta's mission is merely a single part. A cog. He's a private, if one was talking military terms. Which is great. The military is made up of many privates, and needs them to get the job done! It cannot function without them, and them doing what needs to be done, without worrying about what the other people are doing to a large extent.
This post is just, in large part, about other people learning that we need to not ask Deltas to not be not-Deltas. And to communicate to them as they are, or we'll get our asses handed to us sooner or later. Most Bravos and Alphas simply do not, and never will, think the way you do. Communicate the way you do. It literally takes us dumbing down how we think to talk to you the way that you need to be talked to, because we're constantly thinking in terms of patterns, systems, and organizations - which you never are.
You are thinking in terms of tasks and how a specific type of specialization works, often which you're far more educated and intelligent than I or your bravo/alpha might be.
But you still might be common sense dumb, and ruin the business, because you have no idea how to integrate it with how to make money, run a company, or socialize with people in a manner that doesn't make them not-crazy. I'm not saying you're a gamma, not at all. I'm just saying that Deltas get so laser focused their hubris kicks in, and they forget that they're just another guy most of the time.
If I knew your place and mine well enough to make decisions about priority without you telling me explicitly, I’d be a bravo. I am not a bravo. All I want is to be given a single task within my capabilities, so that I can do it and be appreciated for it.
Being appreciated by people equal to me or above me on the hierarchy, for what I do every day, is the only thing that separates me from the gammas and the omegas.
That was my point in sharing the story. Having gained an understanding of the Delta’s mindset from this blog, I was able
to understand my mistake and repair it by communicating with the Delta in a way that showed I valued the quality of his work. I ended up communicating with his boss, a Bravo, about not being asked to rush things that don’t have an immediate, the very second it’s done, turnaround.
Every detail you discover and explain, either of the SSH or one of its groups, helps out many, whether for personal growth or working with people in other ranks. Thank you.
One thing I've learned in working environments is not to make assumptions about what other people know. A subordinate can't see the big picture his boss has in mind, and it isn't necessarily his job to know it. From his perspective, his job is to do exactly what he is told. But if there's room for interpretation, he will either make a decision, which may be wrong, or he will ask for clarification. If he asks for clarification, that may seem annoying, but recognize that he is just trying to find out exactly what you want. I personally don't have a problem with a person asking for clarification even when something seems obvious, because I recognize he has a different and more limited perspective than I do, and I'd rather he do it right the first time. But I also understand the frustration of dealing with someone who isn't thinking on the same level as yourself. Yes, I've worked in tech support.
My experience is, that not all superiors think as clearly as Vox is. And they often are not aware anymore themselves, what tasks and priorities they set a few days ago. Often request for clarification helps both sides to align on priorities. Obviously depends on who you are working with.
I've had that exact conversation so many times I couldn't give you a number.
As I'm sure you know, bringing a project in on time, on budget, at the quality expected, takes a lot of coordination; many moving parts that sometimes move out of whack, with minds of their own, and call for adjustments. You have to know who is going to be done with X when, and what Y they can handle next, to minimize downtime, overlap, and mistakes. It's very easy to have an important step skipped because they thought the other guy did X and that's why you told them to do Y. You absolutely have to reiterate several times, "When you FINISH X, I need you to move to Y." You have to constantly monitor that they are focusing on X and not short changing it just to get to Y. They will almost always take your mentioning of Y to mean X has lost importance. Constant vigilance is the only answer I've ever found.
Meh. I've had bosses throw four things at me and when I asked "Sure, but which is my priority" I literally got "They're ALL a priority" as a reply.
So I made up my own priority list and got to work. If they're going to be stupid, I'll do whatever I feel like.
The single slot feature is probably why my husband gets so irritated when I ask him to do thing A... and thing B, and then thing D and C while he's out, oh and it's Wednesday so let's do some E. Wait, A isn't done? Fine, I'll do it myself! Why don't you care about my feelings?
I feel that I may be a delta in most situations, and I can say one of my biggest weaknesses is keeping a schedule. I literally do not keep a day timer/to-do list. My rationalization is that I typically do not have many complicated tasks to accomplish throughout the day or coming week. So I manage for the most part to accomplish my tasks without the use of a written reminder. One (probably false) cope I have is that if anything “important” were to ever come across my desk, I would THEN try to write it down and/or pin it up on a wall somewhere as a reminder. That inevitably does not work, and what ends up happening is, a year later I go to that wall, probably while doing an annual office cleaning, and find about ten notes pinned on top of each other, to which I look through and realize, “oh that’s where those went.”
The advisor dude just doesn't understadn the corporate environment. Nothing is immediately necessary. Everyone is stalling. But part of that stalling is blaming the stall on the other guy. And when someone mentions that you're stalling they're just telling you to jot stall as hard. They're not telling you to get it done now. Even if they say they are, they aren't. Otherwise the company would bw so efficient it'd think it could fire you all. Going slow creates job security actually. That's how it works.
1. In some cases, I think it's projection. Without understanding SSH, don't most people assume that other people's minds work pretty much the same way as their own? So deltas will make an assumption about priorities based on what a delta would do.. and an alpha would be confused about the delta not understanding "simple instructions" because he's assuming the delta's mind should work like his.
2. Deltas don't always have the big picture, so we don't know what is actually the priority. And we are not mind readers.
3. Many deltas have learned the hard way that asking for clarification can be a bad idea, especially if the boss is a gamma in a situational alpha position who will treat you like crap for it.
So we generally default to assuming that if B is now urgent, then A must no longer be as urgent. Otherwise, why are you telling us about B? We can only do 1 thing at a time.. especially if it's something complex.
An ideal interaction for a delta might go something like this:
Alpha: Please do A as soon as possible.
Delta: Yes, sir! Right on it.
LATER:
Alpha: I really need B done. Can you get that done for me?
Delta: Of course, but I am not done with A yet. Which is priority?
Alpha: Finish A, then do B as soon as humanly possible. (or vice versa)
Delta: Thanks for clarifying. I'm on it.
Or even better: Alpha (or his Bravo) maintains a task list for the deltas.. and rearranges tasks by priority as needed. Delta is responsible to make sure he's doing the tasks according to priority.
Deltas want nothing more than to do a good job. Just make the instructions crystal clear and everyone will be happy.
The Delta missed "also" in the request. Finish X first, then move to Y.
"Yeap, I can do Y after I finish X, should start Y on Monday."
For the delta any task gets 100% focus & effort. You’re lucky in a way if they say ‘Unless you want me to finish task A first.’ Usually they just assume you’re like them and if you gave them a new task that task is now the new 100% focus.
The ones who ask if you want them to still do the other thing do it b/c they’ve learned from experience. They’ve abandoned a task to do another task & when they were asked why wasn’t x completed they say ‘I thought you wanted me to do Y instead.’ & got in trouble or yelled at etc.
Yep, we got an Ubber Delta working for us, and yes, we have to be very specific with work instructions.
On a single task, he is fast, efficient and very competent. His work is of the same standard I set when training newbies.
And now that you made the point, his errors when made, where when multiple work instructions were given, and this Task Override kicked in.
I will henceforth be mindful of this, thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the feedback on this, Vox.
I was able to course correct with the Delta and his supervisor. Praising the quality of the Delta’s work in an email to them both, and explaining that I trusted the supervisor’s judgment on the timing.
It turns at the the Delta had been demoted from a Bravo role, into a Delta role where he excels. And is extra worried about making mistakes that will upset the Alpha because of it. So he won’t do anything without very explicit instructions.
This blog is immensely valuable- I didn’t know how to get out ahead of the situation this time, but being able to approach the supervisor and employee with their SSH status in mind (Bravo and Delta) helped navigate the issue with minimal fallout and stronger working relationships moving forward.
It might not matter- but just to show that the SSH although it applies to men isn’t just a tool for men, I happen to be female. Was previously commenting as Light on the Shore, but had to nuke that account for opsec reasons.
Guilty as charged. The task list must be triaged. Resolving the highest priority task/case so one can progress onto the next task/case. Task X hasn't been forgotten necessarily, but Task Y may be confused for a higher priority task and may be promoted accordingly. If there are elements of perceived overlap between Task X and Task Y, then the task override feature(?) often kicks in.
What American white woman is controlling Vox's substack? I've never seen so much of misuse of the "narcissist" label like VD has done in the last few posts.
But addressing the topic at hand: the Delta's dilemma here isn't so much an SSH issue as it is the inability for the Bravo or Alpha to communicate properly. Multiple tasks aren't the problem, it's the non-communication of priorities. Giving a Delta, or anyone, a series of tasks with no priority hierarchy is forcing the Delta to read minds.
It's not hard to grasp. Vox's Sigma exasperation is clouding his empathy.
NARCISSISM: an excessive preoccupation with oneself and one's own needs
That's exactly what we're talking about here. And no, it isn't about anyone else's inability to communicate properly, it's about the Delta's inability to hear what he's being told, due to his excessive preoccupation with himself and his own responsibilities.
Considering that I'm the first to identify and articulate this pattern of behavior on the part of others, which many others are confirming, I'd say my empathy is obviously unclouded.
Long ago, a high powered business man told me that when he gives an order to a subordinate it is his responsibility to insure that the directive was clearly understood. He said that if the task wasn't done correctly he had precluded "I didn't understand" right from the start. He went on to talk about differing communication styles and intelligence.
But I would expect the brighter one, the one with authority, the one with broad experience, to take responsibility for insuring your communications are effective.
"as it is the inability for the Bravo or Alpha to communicate properly."
The Bravo/Alpha did not explicitly tell the Delta to stop doing the other tasks. That is a Delta behavior that misinterprets the logic of the explicit communication.
An Alpha/Bravo receiving that same communication would not do that.
You can only make the case that this is a fault of the Bravo/Alpha if you agree with Vox's premise that that Deltas have a communication handicap and need to be talked down to by management.
Exactly.
As a bravo, when I'm given those kinds of instructions, I don't quietly just accept them and move on - stopping the previous task I've been given. I bring up issues, "If you want that done by this deadline, I can do it but it will mean sacrificing this."
Or
"I will need to move this team around from Task X to task Y to accomplish the new goal. Which is the priority?"
If there are no issues, nothing gets said. But if there are issues, I don't just change things *just because* without saying anything. There is no simply doing it. I do not assume that my job is the most important, because my job is to accomplish GOALS. That's what the entire hierarchy is there for, which most deltas don't understand.
The hierarchy exists to GET WORK DONE. Not just YOUR TASK, but everyones'. The whole company's mission.
Of which, the delta's mission is merely a single part. A cog. He's a private, if one was talking military terms. Which is great. The military is made up of many privates, and needs them to get the job done! It cannot function without them, and them doing what needs to be done, without worrying about what the other people are doing to a large extent.
This post is just, in large part, about other people learning that we need to not ask Deltas to not be not-Deltas. And to communicate to them as they are, or we'll get our asses handed to us sooner or later. Most Bravos and Alphas simply do not, and never will, think the way you do. Communicate the way you do. It literally takes us dumbing down how we think to talk to you the way that you need to be talked to, because we're constantly thinking in terms of patterns, systems, and organizations - which you never are.
You are thinking in terms of tasks and how a specific type of specialization works, often which you're far more educated and intelligent than I or your bravo/alpha might be.
But you still might be common sense dumb, and ruin the business, because you have no idea how to integrate it with how to make money, run a company, or socialize with people in a manner that doesn't make them not-crazy. I'm not saying you're a gamma, not at all. I'm just saying that Deltas get so laser focused their hubris kicks in, and they forget that they're just another guy most of the time.
If I knew your place and mine well enough to make decisions about priority without you telling me explicitly, I’d be a bravo. I am not a bravo. All I want is to be given a single task within my capabilities, so that I can do it and be appreciated for it.
Being appreciated by people equal to me or above me on the hierarchy, for what I do every day, is the only thing that separates me from the gammas and the omegas.
That was my point in sharing the story. Having gained an understanding of the Delta’s mindset from this blog, I was able
to understand my mistake and repair it by communicating with the Delta in a way that showed I valued the quality of his work. I ended up communicating with his boss, a Bravo, about not being asked to rush things that don’t have an immediate, the very second it’s done, turnaround.
Fair enough. The point is not to criticize, the point is to fully grasp the issue in order to successfully account for it going forward.
Every detail you discover and explain, either of the SSH or one of its groups, helps out many, whether for personal growth or working with people in other ranks. Thank you.
One thing I've learned in working environments is not to make assumptions about what other people know. A subordinate can't see the big picture his boss has in mind, and it isn't necessarily his job to know it. From his perspective, his job is to do exactly what he is told. But if there's room for interpretation, he will either make a decision, which may be wrong, or he will ask for clarification. If he asks for clarification, that may seem annoying, but recognize that he is just trying to find out exactly what you want. I personally don't have a problem with a person asking for clarification even when something seems obvious, because I recognize he has a different and more limited perspective than I do, and I'd rather he do it right the first time. But I also understand the frustration of dealing with someone who isn't thinking on the same level as yourself. Yes, I've worked in tech support.
My experience is, that not all superiors think as clearly as Vox is. And they often are not aware anymore themselves, what tasks and priorities they set a few days ago. Often request for clarification helps both sides to align on priorities. Obviously depends on who you are working with.
Exactly, extremely basic communication skills.
I just want to get the task done. While I'd like to be strategic, and maybe I am, I loathe my work my goal is to get through the day.
One task at a time is a survival mechanism to keep me from losing my mind.
I've had that exact conversation so many times I couldn't give you a number.
As I'm sure you know, bringing a project in on time, on budget, at the quality expected, takes a lot of coordination; many moving parts that sometimes move out of whack, with minds of their own, and call for adjustments. You have to know who is going to be done with X when, and what Y they can handle next, to minimize downtime, overlap, and mistakes. It's very easy to have an important step skipped because they thought the other guy did X and that's why you told them to do Y. You absolutely have to reiterate several times, "When you FINISH X, I need you to move to Y." You have to constantly monitor that they are focusing on X and not short changing it just to get to Y. They will almost always take your mentioning of Y to mean X has lost importance. Constant vigilance is the only answer I've ever found.