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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   4360 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 27, 2022

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

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I moved from a mid-sized corporation (with an IT department under 1000) to a huge-boring one (with an IT department in the tens of thousands). It's been a year and I still feel like I'm failing to deliver. I am a manager, so it's more likely I am actually failing.

Get to know people in all three dimensions: up and down the data flow, up and down the process flow, up and down the reporting chain. Don't be a headache for your manager. If you're on top of your obligations, you're golden. If you promptly escalate any blockers to your manager, you're silver. If you use your relationships with people along the dimensions to unblock yourself, you're brilliant, make sure to let the manager know and they will blow you. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn a bit.

Thanks. It seems my main focus should be on building relationships very broadly.

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