Navigating the quirks of forgetful bosses leads to practical strategies for memory retention and effective communication. The hosts blend humor with insight on tackling the challenges of skip-level meetings in tech firms, encouraging thoughtful questions to boost engagement. They explore the importance of documenting leadership decisions to enhance clarity and reduce repetitive discussions. Personal anecdotes add a relatable touch as they discuss the balance between taking notes and relying on memory, making the workplace a bit more manageable.
To support a forgetful boss, implementing shared records of decisions can enhance team accountability and reduce memory-related issues.
In skip level meetings, asking strategic questions about team roles and organizational goals fosters engagement and strengthens workplace relationships.
Deep dives
The Role of Soft Skills in Software Engineering
Great software engineering extends beyond technical skills to include essential soft skills. Automation can help streamline tasks, but relying solely on automated solutions can lead to mistakes that reflect poorly on engineers. For instance, when automation generates errors similar to what a developer might have made, it highlights the need for human oversight and accountability. Thus, engineers should cultivate their interpersonal skills to handle situations, such as effectively apologizing for mistakes, enhancing their role in the workplace.
Supporting a Forgetful Boss
Addressing a boss who frequently forgets important decisions requires a thoughtful approach. Rather than calling attention to their forgetfulness directly, suggesting strategies to improve the overall team's accountability can be more constructive. For example, implementing a shared record of decisions made during meetings can assist everyone, including the boss, in recalling points discussed. This focuses on team success and can enhance communication, reducing the potential negative perception of the boss's memory lapses.
Navigating Skip Level Meetings
In skip level meetings, proactively seeking meaningful engagement is crucial, especially for a new senior developer in a larger organization. Instead of arriving with no questions, one can inquire about the broader organizational map or how their team fits into larger company goals. Asking insightful questions, such as how to help the organization excel or who else in the company to connect with, demonstrates engagement and may lead to valuable insights. This not only builds rapport with a skip level manager but also positions the developer as a committed contributor.
Improving Memory and Accountability
Coping with forgetfulness, whether in personal life or at work, can often be managed using effective techniques. Keeping detailed notes or employing reminders, like marking decisions made during meetings, can discourage future lapses. Tools like shared agendas or task management software can create a collective understanding among team members, lowering the chance of revisiting previously settled discussions. This proactive approach instills accountability within the team, reinforcing the importance of documentation in cultivating a productive work environment.
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
My boss has been forgetting a lot of stuff lately — decisions from team discussions, action items from meetings, their own decisions that they then go against later, etc. They’re great overall, and this is definitely just a human thing… we’re not perfect. But how can I help them remember or remain accountable without feeling like the snitch from “Recess”?
Listener Gill Bates,
Hey! I started working in a big tech company recently and I feel like I am on a different planet all of a sudden. Before, I did only work in startups and small companies. I have joined as a senior developer and have a weekly 1:1 meeting with my manager, but also a biweekly 1:1 meeting with the skip level manager. The latter is where I am having problems. I don’t really know what to talk about in this meeting and fear that this is seen as disengagement. The first time I had the meeting, the skip level manager mentioned that he was sure I would have tons of questions and in reality I had none at all. I feel like, in my senior role, I must come into this meeting with good questions, but all questions I have, I am discussing with my peers or manager directly. So nothing left really for my skip level manager. I am starting to prepare fake questions, where I already know the answer to, just to seem engaged. It feels like a game. So please Dave & Jamison, tell me how to play that 1:1 skip level manager game.
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