Article Link : https://chaoticgood.management/how-to-be-a-leader-when-the-vibes-are-off/
Overall I agree with the majority of the start of this article and I think it’s likely the author and I have worked at very different tech companies, but at a certain point I just saw our opinions diverge and I wanted to jot this down as it got my brain spinning. If you want to have a clue what is going on, read the article first.
My standard advice to anyone with a management role and anyone at the Staff+ level of individual contributor is that “wearing the company hat” should be the default.
Fuck that! If you lead a team then they are your number one responsibility. When bullshit rains down from on top you should be there holding an umbrella above the team so they can keep doing what they do best. After that, you go to the source of the bullshit and tell them it’s bullshit and why, then figure out how to best resolve this.
When whatever is going on is all over, layoffs, merger, policy change, you’ll still know your team and be on good terms with them. You can always move jobs, and likely, your team may want to join you, possibly even many years down the road. those colleagues and friends will know you stuck to your principles and the drive to make something awesome with awesome people. If you side with the company and the company fires you, or tanks, you’re left standing on your own in a pile of rubble and tears.
contradicting the bosses in a broad forum can kill the credibility you have the leadership across the wider team
If credibility is funded from parroting with whatever people above you say, regardless of how much you agree with it, then I think you’re building that credibility in a swamp. If you’re unable to vocally disagree with management, then management will never understand why a policy, idea or initiative is a bad idea for a group or everyone.
It’s also a good way to get yourself fired.
And if you get fired for doing the right thing, then you did the right thing.
Let them know you’re still on their side
100% agree. This should never be in question by the team, but reassuring them is always a good move. A good manager doesn’t need to tell their team to stand behind them, they will naturally stand behind your leadership.
The right thing to do in this situation is to acknowledge that you see the situation the same way they do, but do it privately, within your immediate team only or in 1-1s.
I half agree. You should tell the entire team so that everyone knows what everyone else knows. Not 1 on 1s. When the team can share a truth together, they can move together without friction or politics. Your team should know that you’re in the same seat as them and have their best interests at heart. The best way to achieve this is honesty.
In public, you have to support the policies, but when you’re in private with your manager and your peers, that’s the time you can safely push for change.
Saying one thing in one circle and another thing in a different circle feels spineless to me. A game of playing politics that could very easily end up with you in a scenario where you’re questions about two conflicting opinions. Take a stance, and keep it consistent.