Lines Matching refs:you
7 on who you ask) management style for the linux kernel. It's meant to
18 companies. If you sign purchase orders or you have any clue about the
19 budget of your group, you're almost certainly not a kernel manager.
20 These suggestions may or may not apply to you.
42 particular, if somebody tells you "choose (a) or (b), we really need you
43 to decide on this", you're in trouble as a manager. The people you
44 manage had better know the details better than you, so if they come to
45 you for a technical decision, you're screwed. You're clearly not
48 (Corollary:if the people you manage don't know the details better than
49 you, you're also screwed, although for a totally different reason.
50 Namely that you are in the wrong job, and that **they** should be managing
55 makes you look like you know what you're doing, so what a kernel manager
60 small one is whether you can fix your decision afterwards. Any decision
61 can be made small by just always making sure that if you were wrong (and
62 you **will** be wrong), you can always undo the damage later by
63 backtracking. Suddenly, you get to be doubly managerial for making
71 you cannot escape. A cornered rat may be dangerous - a cornered manager
76 fairly easy to backtrack. Since you're not going to be able to waste
77 huge amounts of money that you might not be able to repay, the only
78 thing you can backtrack on is a technical decision, and there
79 back-tracking is very easy: just tell everybody that you were an
80 incompetent nincompoop, say you're sorry, and undo all the worthless
81 work you had people work on for the last year. Suddenly the decision
82 you made a year ago wasn't a big decision after all, since it could be
88 - admitting you were an idiot is harder than it looks. We all like to
89 maintain appearances, and coming out in public to say that you were
91 - having somebody tell you that what you worked on for the last year
94 deleting it, you may have irrevocably lost the trust of that
100 admitting up-front that you don't have a friggin' clue, and telling
104 to admit that you are stupid when you haven't **yet** done the really
112 not. After all, if **they** aren't certain whether it's a good idea, you
117 Remember: they'd better know more about the details than you do, and
119 thing you can do as a manager is not to instill confidence, but rather a
131 smelling like roses, and you avoided yet another decision that you could
138 Most people are idiots, and being a manager means you'll have to deal
140 **you**.
156 (2) learn how to apologize when you forgot rule (1)
158 The problem with #1 is that it's very easy to do, since you can say
159 "you're a d*ckhead" in millions of different ways [#f2]_, sometimes without
161 you are right.
163 And the more convinced you are that you are right (and let's face it,
164 you can call just about **anybody** a d*ckhead, and you often **will** be
167 To solve this problem, you really only have two options:
186 sadly that you are one too, and that while we can all bask in the secure
190 other people that are less of an idiot than you are.
194 Make sure that you, as a kernel maintainer, are in the second group.
196 easier. In particular, they'll be able to make your decisions for you,
199 So when you find somebody smarter than you are, just coast along. Your
204 smarter person hadn't thought about. In either case, you win.
207 not necessarily translate to other areas. So you might prod people in
210 naturally gravitate back to what they are good at, so it's not like you
211 are doing something irreversible when you **do** prod them in some
218 Things will go wrong, and people want somebody to blame. Tag, you're it.
225 incompetence will grudgingly admit that you at least didn't try to weasel
228 Then make the developer who really screwed up (if you can find them) know
230 future, but so that they know they owe you one. And, perhaps even more
232 face it, it sure ain't you.
234 Taking the blame is also why you get to be manager in the first place.
235 It's part of what makes people trust you, and allow you the potential
236 glory, because you're the one who gets to say "I screwed up". And if
237 you've followed the previous rules, you'll be pretty good at saying that
246 first you can apologize for, the second one you won't really get the
247 chance. They likely will no longer be listening even if you otherwise
252 be morally and intellectually superior to everybody around you, but
253 don't try to make it too obvious unless you really **intend** to irritate
258 internet, nobody can hear you being subtle". Use a big blunt object to
259 hammer the point in, because you can't really depend on people getting
264 without making it painful to the recipient, who just thinks you're being
271 a while, and you'll feel cleansed. Just don't crap too close to home.
279 you're incompetent, the obvious question becomes one of why do it in the
282 First off, while you may or may not get screaming teenage girls (or
284 room door, you **will** get an immense feeling of personal accomplishment
285 for being "in charge". Never mind the fact that you're really leading
287 as you can. Everybody will still think you're the person in charge.
289 It's a great job if you can hack it.