Killer Instinct As An Engineer
Wanted to write about something that clicked last night.
The great differentiator between the median engineer and the median [salesman|manager|product person] is killer instinct.
"Killer instinct" is the drive to hunt down and grab immediate results, setting aside other concerns (like: morality, long-term benefit, or the welfare of others) to do so. It is, in the some ways, the opposite of being a "team player," or "civilized person." It is essential for survival in defect-defect equilibria, which are the default, even in corporations.Two Trains, Headed For Collision...
This causes trouble for engineers. Engineering work does demand that you be a team player, collaborate, exchange information without ego. But engineers work for companies, and you need killer instinct to prosper in companies.
To put that in perspective, understand that a jungle-like environment is the norm, the default. It takes power and constant effort to maintain civilization among your reports. Factor in that management also have to tangle with customers, investors, and firm strategy, and it's no surprise that there just isn't enough time or effort left in the tank to maintain that unnatural structure---a meritocracy.
Sorry, You Have To
Perhaps you don't really have ambitions of promotions or riches---you just want to be a good engineer. Alas, to paraphrase Trotsky, you may not be interested in corporate politics, but corporate politics is interested in you. Status and standing aren't just about promotions or bonuses, but also about, "who we listen to when they say the requirements are impossible and need to be changed, and who we brush off," or, "who we think of as smart and deserving of important work, and who we think of as mildly retarded and relegated to scutwork." And of course, "we'd like some more runway, can we fire so-and-so?"
It may seem insane to you that companies would make important (and to you, obvious) decisions like this based on vague, uninformed impressions-from-a-distance. It is insane, but management are in their own jungle, have a million things to do, and "managing you" is the least-costly ball for them to let drop.
Again: it really is insane. It leads to bad decisions and mismanagement. Thus, you are doing them (and yourself, and everyone) a favor by prioritizing your own image. It gives everyone a clearer picture of your value---which they need, in order to make good decisions.
Why Doesn't Anybody Talk About This?
You won't hear much of any of this from management, for three reasons:
- it reflects badly on them to admit that they're not actually all-knowing, fair, and wise.
- this stuff is table stakes, the ABC's of corporate life. It may seem too obvious to mention. They are unlikely to appreciate how your training and daily work teach you to avoid image management. Thus, if you don't "just get it," perhaps you are an idiot?
- they don't want you to go too far and become an actual sociopath.
How Should I Respond?
Develop a killer instinct. Be more selfish, paranoid and short-term-oriented, and less trusting. You don't have to make a big deal about it. But: be wary of anyone who asks you to do something that will hurt your image. Seek power, as in: the ability to determine what happens at your company. Err strongly towards taking your compensation in cash. Interview regularly.
These are all things a company will tell you not to do, but, paradoxically, as you do them, the better you will find yourself treated.
A Little Goes A Long Way
Note that I didn't say "be selfish, paranoid, and short-term-oriented," but rather, "be more selfish, paranoid, and short-term-oriented." You have cops to support a society, not to be that society.
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