[Photo: @FelixFoggCircus, by @Karol_Jurga] I’ve been delivering the talk “Let’s stop making each other feel stupid” for a few years now. It’s a popular talk, and a topic that’s close to my heart. H…
The Stupidity Manifesto
LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. Instead, let’s…
ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ASK QUESTIONS
Lead by example: Be honest when we’re confused
Value curiosity over knowledge
Prioritise clarity over jargon
Remember we all forget stuff
Get excited about teaching and learning
Acknowledge the broad range of knowledge in our industry, and avoid judging someone if their knowledge doesn’t match ours
Usually when I encounter folks who are tired of explaining things to peers, the issue is with them not having strong teaching skills.
Not being good at teaching is perfectly fine for a regular team member. But on my teams, senior title means doing mentorship. And lead title means doing Mentorship often and well.
I’ve inherited a team lead who was frustrated with how much of his time I expected him to spend mentoring. (I would not have promoted him to that level, prematurely, but he already had the title when I was hired to save the team.)
My response for him (in private one on one) boiled down to “get good, newbie, or there’s the door”. Anyone on my team with a senior or lead title is expected to prioritize teaching and mentorship. If they want to spend less time doing mentorship, they can either get really good at it, or find a team that fits them better.
Of course, I rarely hire unteachable folks, and I do fire them if needed. I know we’ve all worked with someone that makes us think “what about this clown?”
Edit: The ending of my annecdote is that team lead improved at mentorship dramatically, and discovered that his effective influence on the team increased dramatically in lock-step.
There’s not really any such thing as unteachable, just people who are too stubborn to admit they could learn a thing or two (or even worse, those who rebel against being told what to do).
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I love this.
Usually when I encounter folks who are tired of explaining things to peers, the issue is with them not having strong teaching skills.
Not being good at teaching is perfectly fine for a regular team member. But on my teams, senior title means doing mentorship. And lead title means doing Mentorship often and well.
I’ve inherited a team lead who was frustrated with how much of his time I expected him to spend mentoring. (I would not have promoted him to that level, prematurely, but he already had the title when I was hired to save the team.)
My response for him (in private one on one) boiled down to “get good, newbie, or there’s the door”. Anyone on my team with a senior or lead title is expected to prioritize teaching and mentorship. If they want to spend less time doing mentorship, they can either get really good at it, or find a team that fits them better.
Of course, I rarely hire unteachable folks, and I do fire them if needed. I know we’ve all worked with someone that makes us think “what about this clown?”
Edit: The ending of my annecdote is that team lead improved at mentorship dramatically, and discovered that his effective influence on the team increased dramatically in lock-step.
There’s not really any such thing as unteachable, just people who are too stubborn to admit they could learn a thing or two (or even worse, those who rebel against being told what to do).
Agreed.