Diagnosis: Gamma
In which a reader asks the Sigma what he's missing
This was from the comments yesterday concerning my advice for people given orders or instructions to stifle their urge to ask questions right away unless it is absolutely necessary. I think it’s interesting for what it demonstrates both on and off the topic being discussed.
READER: My boss never briefs with specificity or enough timeframe so I have to manage up if I don’t want to get squeezed everytime at deadline with new information or direction. If he won’t answer my questions then he can get stuffed. He wants his name credited on everything, so he can field some fair questioning. Have I missed something here?
SIGMA: What concept did you have trouble understanding? Was it “unless”? Was it “absolutely necessary”? Two of the biggest failures I have experienced were the result of someone who thought they knew better managing up.
READER: It was neither of those things and I don’t assume I know better, I do assume he is dealing with a different set of challenges at his level than I would fully know. I am saying the directives on the project are so vague if I didn’t prompt him we’d never progress toward a plannable, deliverable goal of any sort. As an eg: we had a week to work on a milestone, night of delivery he finally checked the work sitting with him and then decided on specifics and briefed. Team pulled an all-nighter to deliver. Doing that repeatedly fucks the team.
I was told by another department boss I’m accountable to on a project that i was managing up. He’s frustrated with my direct boss for holding things up, and I said I try to get answers but I’m conscious of my subordinate position so don’t want to push too hard. But its getting to a point where everyone is suffering needlessly, hence why im motivated to ask earnestly.
SIGMA: So everyone is “suffering needlessly” and you’re motivated to “ask earnestly” but it’s not absolutely necessary?
Diagnosis: you’re the Gamma and you’re the problem.
To be honest, I have an unfair advantage here because in addition to his reflexive defense of the UN-recognized Human Right to Ask Questions, there are four definite Gamma tells in his comments.
Care to see if you can identify all three?
For the bonus points: why isn’t the diagnosis Delta?
UPDATE: yeah… take the over.
"As an eg: we had a week to work on a milestone, night of delivery he finally checked the work sitting with him and then decided on specifics and briefed. Team pulled an all-nighter to deliver. Doing that repeatedly fucks the team."
That's the way the job is.
A delta would do it, maybe grumble, but not take it upon themselves to be the secret saviour of the suffering workers.
If the all-nighters were too much for a delta, he would get another job, not try to manage up.
" I’m conscious of my subordinate position so don’t want to push too hard. But its getting to a point where everyone is suffering needlessly, hence why im motivated to ask earnestly."
If he acted based on his consciousness of his subordinate position, he would do the job as it stands, like a delta.
We gammas are often oblivious to social rules, but we also often know how we're supposed to behave then act as if we were oblivious anyway, followed by screeches of "but I thought blah" as if our thoughts about our inappropriate behaviour change anything.
Obvious article with obvious advice that is obvious even to guys who do it.
Gamma: But in my particular case...
Ah, shit, here we go again.