Episode 451: Un-collaborative architect and who is my boss?

26 snips

Mar 10, 2025

Dive into workplace woes and hilarious tech anxieties! A listener grapples with a non-collaborative architect undermining their expertise, prompting tips on maintaining professionalism. Ever feel like you have too many bosses? One principal developer shares the chaos of juggling countless urgent requests while struggling with unclear expectations. Discover how to navigate tricky team dynamics and set boundaries while fostering effective communication. Expect laughter mixed with practical advice for unique professional challenges!

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ANECDOTE

Un-collaborative Boss

Jameson experienced a boss who disregarded existing practices and knowledge.
This boss prioritized their own ideas, causing friction and ultimately leading Jameson to leave.

ADVICE

Focus on Specifics

Address specific design flaws instead of questioning the architect's general attitude.
Focus on potential issues and how they deviate from best practices.

ADVICE

State Your Intentions

State your intentions clearly when disagreeing with someone's approach.
Explain the reasoning behind your suggestions to avoid misunderstandings.

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In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

A listener named Scot asks,

A new architect was hired at my company 6 months ago. I’m an engineer one rung lower on the hierarchy and have been here for 3.5 years. He hasn’t done much to learn about any of us who have been here for a while, so he is constantly undermining my skills and suggestions and assuming he’s smarter than me. On our most recent project we had a lot of issues due to his design, which departed from our best practices. He’s still acting like he knows best and is getting under my skin. Our company usually hires more collaborative people so I’ve not had to deal with this before. How can I stay calm, professional, and confident in my skills while working with this guy?
Who is my boss? No, really. I need answers.

I’m a Principal Developer with so many bosses, I’m starting to wonder if this is a multi-level marketing scheme. My team lead gives me work. His boss gives me work. Every project lead crashes into my inbox like the Kool-Aid Man screaming that their thing is the most urgent. My calendar is a cursed artifact, filled with 20+ hours of meetings a week, where I nod knowingly while my soul quietly exits my body.

My team lead is a Designer and has no idea what I actually do or the expectations of a Principal Developer, which is convenient, because neither do I.

When I asked his boss to help me prioritize, I was told, “It’s all important—just make sure mine is done first, and don’t tell the project leads.” Our product owner wants to be anything but a product owner, and our scrum master is treated like the office secretary, not a blocker remover.

Top it off, I’m now being asked to weigh in on architecture decisions for our tech stack while not being invited to architecture meetings and being told to “just figure it out” when I asked how to structure the documents and diagrams they want. So now I’m behind on doing dev work, pretending to be an architect, and the team I’m meant to be mentoring never see me unless they’re in one of the same meetings I’m trapped in.

How do I set boundaries and prioritize without causing a nuclear meltdown? Or should I just consult a Magic 8-Ball and let fate decide? Because honestly, I’m one email away from faking my own disappearance and leaving an out-of-office message that says, “No.”