This is why I so frequently get overwhelmed at work. I would always rather do things that talk about doing things, so I just do the things, and end up owning everything
That’s a big part of it for me, too. The other part is that I document things pretty thoroughly, but no one wants to read that. I’d much rather they read the docs I wrote and ask specific questions than expect me to just explain everything from scratch.
Similarly, teaching someone how to do something (that of course I taught myself, as my preferred means of knowledge attainment) is 10x more difficult that doing that something. The frequent lack of desire for people to experiment and learn anything on their own is very off-putting. Of course this makes me curmudgeon.
I am also extremely introverted but grew up playing team sports so while I am very much like you in that I taught myself and get frustrated when people don’t want to experiment on their own, I enjoy getting in the trenches with other people and hopefully teaching along the way as we do the thing together. Doesn’t work for all learning styles, though
The frequent lack of desire for people to experiment and learn anything on their own is very off-putting.
Any time I hear someone say “I didn’t think about that” when dealing with a very simple problem, I just want to pull out “How long did you piss on the toilet seat before someone told you to lift it when you go?”
Seriously, I shouldn’t have to describe how to remove the ball bearings from this part, because I explained how to do an identical one 2 minutes ago.
I love taking things apart to know what makes them work. Electronics and mechanical devices are fascinating.
And I don’t understand how someone can look at things and go “yeah no need to look any deeper, I know enough already”
I don’t understand how someone can look at things and go "yeah no need to look any deeper, I know enough already
I swear some people never grow out of the “I’m a big kid now!” mindset. Just like how little kids always seem to think <age they currently are> is the age where now they suddenly deserve respect, lots of adults go “well now I’m an adult, so that means I know everything. It’d be embarrassing if I didn’t!”
Yeah this is a long-standing problem for me as well that grew out of necessity, originally. Previous organization I worked at went through some serious money problems due to negligence and I had many years of doing what I could with peanuts. Now that I’m with a place that has plenty of funding and staffing, I have a hard time delegating or asking for help, as well as asking for any paid products.
Yeah. We have a decent budget and aren’t opposed to buying software (or, shudder, contracting a vendor), but we always try to seek out an open source solution first.
I find that there is usually a big problem with understanding a topic to get to a point where someone can ask a question. I’ve dealt with people a lot in my line of work who don’t understand that certain items are linked.
The question they should ask is “what should I have questions about?”
The odds of 3am phone calls increase explosively if I let other people touch it. And they will still not know how to do it, so after they get the call they’ll call me anyway.
But well, not all “other people” are alike. That’s valid only for some of them.
This is one of the hardest things to let go of when I was a people leader. It’s a lesson I’ve had to teach myself that if I do it, I deprive other people from learning and growing, even if it takes twice as long.
I’m there to help and guide, and not do the work because I am only one person.
It’s an uncomfortable position but it’s something every leader needs to be okay with.
Rubber duck debugging. If you’re stuck on a problem, explain it to a rubber duck. Before you’re done explaining it, you’ll probably figure out the solution. That’s why it’s beneficial to let people explain things without being judgemental or interjecting, they’ll figure it out by saying it out loud. That’s also why it’s important to say things out loud, so you can undertand them better yourself.
“By the time I explain how it needs to be done, I could have just done it”
Do you know how much effort it takes us to explain stuff, let alone talk to people?
This is why I so frequently get overwhelmed at work. I would always rather do things that talk about doing things, so I just do the things, and end up owning everything
That’s a big part of it for me, too. The other part is that I document things pretty thoroughly, but no one wants to read that. I’d much rather they read the docs I wrote and ask specific questions than expect me to just explain everything from scratch.
Similarly, teaching someone how to do something (that of course I taught myself, as my preferred means of knowledge attainment) is 10x more difficult that doing that something. The frequent lack of desire for people to experiment and learn anything on their own is very off-putting. Of course this makes me curmudgeon.
I am also extremely introverted but grew up playing team sports so while I am very much like you in that I taught myself and get frustrated when people don’t want to experiment on their own, I enjoy getting in the trenches with other people and hopefully teaching along the way as we do the thing together. Doesn’t work for all learning styles, though
Any time I hear someone say “I didn’t think about that” when dealing with a very simple problem, I just want to pull out “How long did you piss on the toilet seat before someone told you to lift it when you go?”
Seriously, I shouldn’t have to describe how to remove the ball bearings from this part, because I explained how to do an identical one 2 minutes ago.
I love taking things apart to know what makes them work. Electronics and mechanical devices are fascinating.
And I don’t understand how someone can look at things and go “yeah no need to look any deeper, I know enough already”
I swear some people never grow out of the “I’m a big kid now!” mindset. Just like how little kids always seem to think <age they currently are> is the age where now they suddenly deserve respect, lots of adults go “well now I’m an adult, so that means I know everything. It’d be embarrassing if I didn’t!”
Pride is a hell of a drug.
Yeah this is a long-standing problem for me as well that grew out of necessity, originally. Previous organization I worked at went through some serious money problems due to negligence and I had many years of doing what I could with peanuts. Now that I’m with a place that has plenty of funding and staffing, I have a hard time delegating or asking for help, as well as asking for any paid products.
Yeah. We have a decent budget and aren’t opposed to buying software (or, shudder, contracting a vendor), but we always try to seek out an open source solution first.
Train AI using the docs and redirect users to the AI first.
Get out.
I find that there is usually a big problem with understanding a topic to get to a point where someone can ask a question. I’ve dealt with people a lot in my line of work who don’t understand that certain items are linked.
The question they should ask is “what should I have questions about?”
And now you’re the only one who can do it. Enjoy those 3am phone calls.
The odds of 3am phone calls increase explosively if I let other people touch it. And they will still not know how to do it, so after they get the call they’ll call me anyway.
But well, not all “other people” are alike. That’s valid only for some of them.
Ah the joys of being an hourly employee. They can try calling me at 3am. I won’t be answering though.
That’s okay, I’m also unfirable and the highest paid person in the building.
This is one of the hardest things to let go of when I was a people leader. It’s a lesson I’ve had to teach myself that if I do it, I deprive other people from learning and growing, even if it takes twice as long.
I’m there to help and guide, and not do the work because I am only one person.
It’s an uncomfortable position but it’s something every leader needs to be okay with.
Rubber duck debugging. If you’re stuck on a problem, explain it to a rubber duck. Before you’re done explaining it, you’ll probably figure out the solution. That’s why it’s beneficial to let people explain things without being judgemental or interjecting, they’ll figure it out by saying it out loud. That’s also why it’s important to say things out loud, so you can undertand them better yourself.