Lines Matching refs:you
5 on who you ask) management style for the linux kernel. It's meant to
16 companies. If you sign purchase orders or you have any clue about the
17 budget of your group, you're almost certainly not a kernel manager.
18 These suggestions may or may not apply to you.
38 particular, if somebody tells you "choose (a) or (b), we really need you
39 to decide on this", you're in trouble as a manager. The people you
40 manage had better know the details better than you, so if they come to
41 you for a technical decision, you're screwed. You're clearly not
44 (Corollary:if the people you manage don't know the details better than
45 you, you're also screwed, although for a totally different reason.
46 Namely that you are in the wrong job, and that _they_ should be managing
51 makes you look like you know what you're doing, so what a kernel manager
56 small one is whether you can fix your decision afterwards. Any decision
57 can be made small by just always making sure that if you were wrong (and
58 you _will_ be wrong), you can always undo the damage later by
59 backtracking. Suddenly, you get to be doubly managerial for making
67 you cannot escape. A cornered rat may be dangerous - a cornered manager
72 fairly easy to backtrack. Since you're not going to be able to waste
73 huge amounts of money that you might not be able to repay, the only
74 thing you can backtrack on is a technical decision, and there
75 back-tracking is very easy: just tell everybody that you were an
76 incompetent nincompoop, say you're sorry, and undo all the worthless
77 work you had people work on for the last year. Suddenly the decision
78 you made a year ago wasn't a big decision after all, since it could be
83 - admitting you were an idiot is harder than it looks. We all like to
84 maintain appearances, and coming out in public to say that you were
86 - having somebody tell you that what you worked on for the last year
89 deleting it, you may have irrevocably lost the trust of that
95 admitting up-front that you don't have a friggin' clue, and telling
99 to admit that you are stupid when you haven't _yet_ done the really
107 not. After all, if _they_ aren't certain whether it's a good idea, you
112 Remember: they'd better know more about the details than you do, and
114 thing you can do as a manager is not to instill confidence, but rather a
126 smelling like roses, and you avoided yet another decision that you could
132 Most people are idiots, and being a manager means you'll have to deal
149 (2) learn how to apologize when you forgot rule (1)
151 The problem with #1 is that it's very easy to do, since you can say
152 "you're a d*ckhead" in millions of different ways (*), sometimes without
154 you are right.
156 And the more convinced you are that you are right (and let's face it,
157 you can call just about _anybody_ a d*ckhead, and you often _will_ be
160 To solve this problem, you really only have two options:
177 sadly that you are one too, and that while we can all bask in the secure
181 other people that are less of an idiot that you are.
185 Make sure that you, as a kernel maintainer, are in the second group.
187 easier. In particular, they'll be able to make your decisions for you,
190 So when you find somebody smarter than you are, just coast along. Your
195 smarter person hadn't thought about. In either case, you win.
198 not necessarily translate to other areas. So you might prod people in
201 naturally gravitate back to what they are good at, so it's not like you
202 are doing something irreversible when you _do_ prod them in some
208 Things will go wrong, and people want somebody to blame. Tag, you're it.
215 will grudgingly admit that you at least didn't try to weasel out of it.
217 Then make the developer who really screwed up (if you can find him) know
219 future, but so that he knows he owes you one. And, perhaps even more
221 face it, it sure ain't you.
223 Taking the blame is also why you get to be manager in the first place.
224 It's part of what makes people trust you, and allow you the potential
225 glory, because you're the one who gets to say "I screwed up". And if
226 you've followed the previous rules, you'll be pretty good at saying that
234 first you can apologize for, the second one you won't really get the
235 chance. They likely will no longer be listening even if you otherwise
240 be morally and intellectually superior to everybody around you, but
241 don't try to make it too obvious unless you really _intend_ to irritate
246 internet, nobody can hear you being subtle". Use a big blunt object to
247 hammer the point in, because you can't really depend on people getting
252 without making it painful to the recipient, who just thinks you're being
259 a while, and you'll feel cleansed. Just don't crap too close to home.
266 you're incompetent, the obvious question becomes one of why do it in the
269 First off, while you may or may not get screaming teenage girls (or
271 room door, you _will_ get an immense feeling of personal accomplishment
272 for being "in charge". Never mind the fact that you're really leading
274 as you can. Everybody will still think you're the person in charge.
276 It's a great job if you can hack it.