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AyeWantWhatAyeWant

So, how can you engage in HelpingBossesBeSane, when they start with AyeWantWhatAyeWant?

You have to first master yourself, I think. But that's just me.

-- JimBullock 2006.10.02

Starting with SteveSmith's situation from ItsJustOneSmallChange:

"What are you willing to give up to get this?" - JimBullock 2006.09.29 (I'm easy but I'm not cheap.)

Answer: Nothing.

Are willing to accept dissatisfied customers? Answer, No. And stop trying to negotiate with me. I didn't try to negotiate with Joe. He said we must do whatever it takes to gain the revenue. He said make it happen. So just do it.

<snip> (originally from ItsJustOneSmallChange, entry by SteveSmith)

While the direction is clear and unambiguous, it can certainly be forgotten after the fact, when the trade-offs come due. So, three things:

• "Boss, I see a risk for you here." The risk is collateral damage. If boss-guy still wants to do it, you can offer to give him visibility into the cost, so he doesn't get caught blind later. "Well, I'll keep you appraised along the way of the side-effects. This way, you won't get surprised later." Notice how this finesses leaving you holding the bag for the riot in the parking lot, should that occur. Of course, confirm this in the memo you send thanking boss-guy for the meeting.
• Event by event, you communicate in this form: "In order to <blah>, we see no way to avoid <blah>. This will have consequences of <blah>, which can be mitigated by <blah>, <blah>, and <blah>. Since doing otherwise would impact our mandate to <take that hill at all costs>, this remains our best option." In writing, of course. You might want to check-in periodically to make sure boss-guy is getting the insight he needs into how his direction is panning out. Another finesse. By simply being willing to admit that you can't do any impossible thing with no consequences, you're off the hook for doing any impossible thing. Me, I'm willing to be uncreative and ineffective. Get somebody better and I'll learn from them, if you'll let me.
• When the spasm ends, either by taking that hill, regeime change, or simple passage of time have another conversation. "OK. Here we are. Let's look at this pile of side effects we incurred, and decide how we're going to address them." Of course, thank boss-guy for that conversation. Refer to the list of costs, noting that this is just a summary of the operating information you've been providing all along. Remember to note that you did <take that hill at all costs> if that's what happened.

The big trick here is to 1) not get left holding the bag, should there happen to be incompatible stealth direction, explicitly "just do it" and silently "no impact" and 2) do this in a way that isn't antagonistic to boss-guy, or disruptive to the organization.

So, snap to, and get marching - effectively, visibly, with total transparency into how you are executing the direction you have received, especially the costs. Simply asserting reality from your POV won't work. Boss-guy is likely under immense stress in turn. He won't hear it unless and until he sees you as supportive. Perhaps not then, but it's a precondition.

If boss-guy is so dumb, or so insane that he objects to information about executing on his mandate, that's a different problem. Depending on the organization he may be doomed before you are, or the other way around. Any boss-guy with a grain of sanity left will accept this approach, and over time will likely come to rely on you.

The big trick to doing this is getting over it. You don't like the trade-off. Fine. You may think the trade-off is dumb. Also fine. Get over it and execute to your best ability although you disagree with the decision. The hook comes when you think you'll be accountable for consequences of a decision you disagree with. So, get yourself off that hook. The big trick to doing that is simply declining to own the consequences of decisions that aren't yours. Don't own them in the organization. Don't own them in your own head. "This department is going to hell, fast." OK. Do you own all of that? How much?

-- JimBullock 2006.09.30 (This is not playing dirty. You haven't seen playing dirty from me yet.)

Jim's got a point about not getting on the hook for someone else's decision. One of my scarriest professional moments was staring down the gun (figuratively) at two levels of managers who were trying to get me to commit to someone else's untested fiction of a schedule. Putting myself on to that hook probably would have been hell. I stayed off it by being very clear about what I could commit to, and by suggesting some sanity tests on the schedule that could get me to advance my level of commitment.

I found out later that the managers were already suspicious of the schedule, and were testing it by seeing who would sign up. (A dangerous test, given how easily many developers will cave to perceived pressure.)

--DaveSmith 2006.10.01

One of the hardest things in the world to do is stand up to people "demanding" a commitment you can't make. Harder still when there are multiple demands. Harder still when what you *can* do is unclear. Harder still when what "you" can do is dependent on other people doing stuff, stuff you at best vaguely understand.

In an organization in trouble, how relentless is the pressure to slip, and simply say what people want to hear, one time?

Maybe, as employees we can help bosses be more sane by helping them stand up to the relentless pressure to promise what isn't so, to "make it all go away." We can start by holding our own unreasonable, impossible demands, like perfect knowledge (of what is going on in the organization and what is going to to happen next), perfect predictability (of what is going to happen to us. We are such demanding children, sometimes.), perfect reasonableness (from our POV, of course), and perfect behavior, despite their splitting headache, or jet-lag.

It all starts with you, however, as boss hearing someone who is trying to help, or guy pushing back on the boss, or simply as someone trying to refrain from throwing gas on the fire.

If you want to be (?amplify?) effective, work on yourself, first.

Just a thought. -- JimBullock 2006.10.02 (Been there. Interesting experience.)