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Comment by netjiro | Hacker News Reader

Sad stories.

Just get it done. Don't ask.

A potential customer had been debating a problem for a couple of months with feasibility studies, lots of meetings, etc.

They asked me about it as an aside over a coffee. I implemented a quick prototype while they were describing their intended project structure to me. I gave it to them for free.

I did not continue with this customer. But I heard later on that a VP refused to accept the solution because he insisted it must be wrong since it was completely inconceivable that it could be solved that quickly.

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> Just get it done. Don't ask.

Yeah, I didn't think it would go the way it did. That was the first time I noticed a problem.

What I really should have done is start searching for another job a week into this "process".

I'd rather give employers what they want, and -- if what they want is stupid or insane like that -- leave before I have to give the employer very much of what it wants, because I don't want to be a part of that.

> I heard later on that a VP refused to accept the solution because he insisted it must be wrong since it was completely inconceivable that it could be solved that quickly.

I loathe crap like that.

Autonomy and Agency.

Trust your people. Make sure they feel safe (not afraid) to make decisions and take action.

It drastically reduces the need for management. It makes people feel happier about their work, raises quality and reduces employee turnover rates. It makes it simpler to keep high skill people, which in turn makes it easier to recruit high skill people.

The counter argument I run across is that the mistake rate will increase. But that is simply not true. Through all my data I have never seen that happen. Generally the mistake rate goes down, and the cost of mistakes goes down a lot. And the cost of all actions goes down since fewer people are needed.

Couple this with transparency, asynchronous communication and decision making, and you have drastically reduced your company's management overhead, increased speed, increased well being, increased innovation, etc.

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