Thread by @polotek

Are we gonna talk about how people also do this to their managers when they're about to quit? No? Okay nevermind then.

https://twitter.com/sethvargo/status/1353016398310744065

It's not ignoring anything. A power dynamic doesn't mean your manager is not a person. Nor does it mean they are unaffected by your unexpected departure. Just say you don't give a shit about managers. It's okay.

https://twitter.com/misturgrieves/status/1353379014547673095?s=19

Y'all: I've had so many different managers. They keep leaving.

Also y'all: Fuck how my manager feels!

You mean before it's time for you to ask for a raise? No idea. Can't think of one reason.

https://twitter.com/Jay_Murs/status/1353383048558112769?s=19

I mean I know this is the basic sentiment out there. I know bad managers (and even mediocre managers) cause a lot of damage. My only real question is how y'all expect to get better managers if you keep making it such a shit job?

https://twitter.com/IvanCaceres/status/1353384909956665344?s=19

I know a lot of y'all don't wanna talk about it. That's why I said nevermind. Just know that when you become a manager having power is not gonna make up for the fact that people treat you like you can't be harmed by their words and actions.

There's no good way to do it. If you've already decided, then just pull them aside and tell them. If they're part of the reason you're leaving then fuck em. If they are a decent manager, consider working with them before you get to the point of quitting.

https://twitter.com/zippy1981/status/1353378356138541058?s=19

You can have a decent relationship with a manager even if they're not very good at their job. It helps a lot if you understand and accept that keeping you happy is not their job.

https://twitter.com/polotek/status/1165106767677800449?s=19

I tell you what, the reactions to my simple suggestion that managers are people should be teaching us a lot. The way a lot of y'all are talking about power dynamic before you get it explains a lot about how you behave after you get it.

Middle managers have a lot of power. Many of them wield it clumsily because they don't understand it. It's true to say they don't have the power that people assume they do. But power is a wide space. Having a narrow view of it isn't helpful.

https://twitter.com/oscargodson/status/1353421907136155648?s=20

A lot of middle managers have also ceded much of their power. Or allowed themselves to become marginalized and ineffectual. That's a whole conversation too, but we probably don't have time today.

One of the most important lessons that @operaqueenie taught me is that *everybody has a boss*. This idea that somebody up in the top seat gets to make decisions without answering to anybody else? That is a fallacy.

Not to mention it's also a really bad idea to not have any checks on your judgment. No matter your position. We're learning that lesson in so many ways and in so many areas. So when people talk about having power in this way, I wonder how much they've considered the implications.

When you talk about climbing up management until you get to make decisions your way and don't have to answer to anybody, what are you asking for really?