Happy New Year! Bearer of Bad News
"Don't nobody bring me no bad news." sings the wicked witch in "The Wiz". I was part of that play in high school. I believe I was a part of the Yellow Brick Road foursome and one of the Dancing Poppies. Not big roles. Could never pass the singing auditions due to bad nerves though I'm fine in a small group; no solos.
Anyway....I started this year at work feeling like crap. I feel like I tell my boss and Product Managers bad news or guarded news everyday. I'm terribly honest and I try not to spin too much when I have to tell folks about the realities of software, how long it takes to fix a bug, etc. I'm honest because I believe it is my job. But I HATE it because I never feel "popular" meaning who wants to hear from the woman who never seems to say something sunny?
But today I heard my CEO say that he wants to hear the bad news. And I can't agree with him more. I quite publically said that if Engineering doesn't come clean and tell our Products Team or the Sales Force the TRUTH about our product, we put them in a compromising position. We don't enable them to do their jobs and we fail to work as a TEAM. Their job is to advocate our work and our product. They aren't going to sell us out; they are there to spin and negotiate and set expectations. It felt good to publically share this in front of the company. If felt good to try and encourage people to be confident and brave and work well together.
I hope that folks take this to heart. I see too much insecurity, too much blame-game or duck-and-cover or CYA from folks and I think that is UNHEALTHY. Not that people should be outspoken and blunt like me (atleast not always or not all people) but I do appreciate it when people think critically about things and reflect on ways to solve problems as well as identify them.
Happy New Year! I think 2007 is going to be great. I finally feel like there is some hope in Washington, DC and that my views will be better represented and better empowered.
Anyway....I started this year at work feeling like crap. I feel like I tell my boss and Product Managers bad news or guarded news everyday. I'm terribly honest and I try not to spin too much when I have to tell folks about the realities of software, how long it takes to fix a bug, etc. I'm honest because I believe it is my job. But I HATE it because I never feel "popular" meaning who wants to hear from the woman who never seems to say something sunny?
But today I heard my CEO say that he wants to hear the bad news. And I can't agree with him more. I quite publically said that if Engineering doesn't come clean and tell our Products Team or the Sales Force the TRUTH about our product, we put them in a compromising position. We don't enable them to do their jobs and we fail to work as a TEAM. Their job is to advocate our work and our product. They aren't going to sell us out; they are there to spin and negotiate and set expectations. It felt good to publically share this in front of the company. If felt good to try and encourage people to be confident and brave and work well together.
I hope that folks take this to heart. I see too much insecurity, too much blame-game or duck-and-cover or CYA from folks and I think that is UNHEALTHY. Not that people should be outspoken and blunt like me (atleast not always or not all people) but I do appreciate it when people think critically about things and reflect on ways to solve problems as well as identify them.
Happy New Year! I think 2007 is going to be great. I finally feel like there is some hope in Washington, DC and that my views will be better represented and better empowered.
posted by Mommy Coder at
11:10 PM
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