Episode 407: I'm too territorial and should I quiet quit?
May 6, 2024
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Exploring territorial behavior in a data science team, how to overcome possessiveness and share expertise. Discussion on feeling overwhelmed with unpaid overtime at work, being appreciated, and the dilemma of stepping back. Also, humorous advice on bold quitting and comparing it to Navy SEAL style departure.
Balancing individual expertise with collaboration fosters professional growth and team synergy.
Setting boundaries is vital for maintaining work-life balance and preventing burnout.
Deep dives
Balancing Expertise with Collaboration
Balancing expertise in a specific domain with collaboration and knowledge sharing is crucial for professional growth and team synergy. The podcast delves into a scenario where a data scientist grapples with feeling defensive and possessive about their area of expertise when a new team member shows interest. Encouraging openness and collaboration while maintaining individual expertise is highlighted.
Setting Boundaries for Work-Life Balance
The episode emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The discussion revolves around a data scientist who finds themselves overwhelmed due to voluntary overtime and internal project commitments. It touches on the significance of recognizing personal limits and the potential consequences of overextending oneself.
Navigating Career Growth and Personal Wellness
The podcast explores the intersection of career growth and personal well-being, illustrating the dilemma faced by the data scientist regarding investing time in internal projects versus personal upskilling or external opportunities. It stresses the need to align professional development with self-care and highlights the significance of effective communication with management to navigate such career decisions.
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
I am a data scientist and have been at my company for 2 years. Each of the data scientists on my team specialize in a different area of the business (growth, marketing, etc). I have developed a reputation for being the expert in my area and have worked really hard to understand my domain.
I have a new data science team member who works in an adjacent area and has expressed interest in learning more about “my” area. But every time I talk to him I find myself getting defensive and possessive (on the inside). I don’t want to share my area, and I like being known as the expert, and I don’t want him working on stuff in my domain. Any advice on how to be less territorial here?
Should I quiet quit?
I’m a year in to a new job, and am doing well. I work for a large consulting company, and have been doing a decent amount of unpaid overtime by volunteering for internal projects that we can’t bill to our clients! The extra 5-10 hours a week have been adding up, and I feel overwhelmed. I don’t think the extra work is as appreciated as it should be. I’ve received lots of positive feedback, and my performance reviews have been fine.
Am I getting taken advantage of?
Will people notice if I step back and just do the bare minimum expected for my job?
I like being useful, and do genuinely enjoy some of the projects I’ve volunteered for. They’ve probably also been good for my internal visibility, as I’ve gotten to have my name on some large internal announcements and have had some good face time with very senior people. If I end up sticking around here, it’ll probably be good, and I wouldn’t mind a promotion.
But I’m exhausted, and it’s starting to get in the way of my personal life, hobbies, and even client work sometimes. I’m also wondering if that time would be better spent on upskilling or open source or something outside the company. How far can I cut back without repercussions?
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