+1 to this, and it's a good lesson to appreciate with regards to more traditional forms of work, too.
The system (TM) exists because it is trying to efficiently optimize decisions and pathing over a large population, but that is not the end goal of the system.
The system (TM) exists because it is trying to efficiently optimize decisions and pathing over a large population, but that is not the end goal of the system.
The work is the work. If you find yourself in a place which has lost sight of that, Beyonce Option.
("I can get another one of you in a minute so don't you ever ever ever get to thinking you're irreplaceable.")
("I can get another one of you in a minute so don't you ever ever ever get to thinking you're irreplaceable.")
And really even the self-conception that work is getting rewarded is probably incorrect, because the company is actually scored on value generation, which is heavily heterogenous over work.
Efficiently executing assigned tasks is not a success-maximizing strategy over a career.
Efficiently executing assigned tasks is not a success-maximizing strategy over a career.
It's always interesting talking to people who have not internalized the truth of this yet, because our indoctrination into that is so strong that actually being effective looks like cheating.
"Oh sure X but that's a different project."
"Yeah project selection is important."
"Oh sure X but that's a different project."
"Yeah project selection is important."
"But I'm not senior enough to pick my projects."
"Nobody is senior enough to pick their projects. People pick projects; the ones who succeed at them are described as senior, sometimes post-facto."
"Nobody is senior enough to pick their projects. People pick projects; the ones who succeed at them are described as senior, sometimes post-facto."
