4 answers
Jaylynn
Student
6
Questions
Asked
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What kinds of decisions do you make in your role?
What is the most stressful part of your job ?
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4 answers
Doug Johnson
Project Manager
19
Answers
Orland Park, Illinois
Updated
Doug’s Answer
Hi Jaylynn, You have an insightful question.
I think one of the most likely stressful considerations throughout your career will be whether you should stay the course in your position and/or with your current company, or if you should take a chance on a new opportunity. Take a pragmatic approach and make an informed choice on these decisions when you come to them.
Early in your career, the decisions you face will be more tactical. During my career as a software developer, I recall often feeling like I was being pressured to choose speed over quality. It was a balancing act, and I got through it by getting clarification from my manager and thinking long term (poor quality usually comes back to haunt you). Whenever I didn’t get clarification from my manager or didn’t agree with a decision, I followed direction to the best of my ability, but I made a point of communicating the risks and trade-offs that I recognized.
As I progressed in my career, my responsibilities expanded and the impact of my decisions grew. As a team leader. stressful decisions usually involved setting priorities for the team. When setting priorities, be sure to align them with company or department goals. Talk to your manager to confirm those priorities.
As a department manager, the most stressful decisions involved hiring and firing employees. In hiring, I found the most success by prioritizing the candidate’s evidence of taking responsibility and being a team player. When deciding to let an employee go, I realized that if a person isn’t a fit for the position, keeping that employee in that position isn’t helping the company or the employee.
The decisions and choices you face in your career will change over time. Acknowledging these choices, taking responsibility for your choices, and making informed decisions early in your career will prepare you for more difficult decisions later.
I hope this helps.
I think one of the most likely stressful considerations throughout your career will be whether you should stay the course in your position and/or with your current company, or if you should take a chance on a new opportunity. Take a pragmatic approach and make an informed choice on these decisions when you come to them.
Early in your career, the decisions you face will be more tactical. During my career as a software developer, I recall often feeling like I was being pressured to choose speed over quality. It was a balancing act, and I got through it by getting clarification from my manager and thinking long term (poor quality usually comes back to haunt you). Whenever I didn’t get clarification from my manager or didn’t agree with a decision, I followed direction to the best of my ability, but I made a point of communicating the risks and trade-offs that I recognized.
As I progressed in my career, my responsibilities expanded and the impact of my decisions grew. As a team leader. stressful decisions usually involved setting priorities for the team. When setting priorities, be sure to align them with company or department goals. Talk to your manager to confirm those priorities.
As a department manager, the most stressful decisions involved hiring and firing employees. In hiring, I found the most success by prioritizing the candidate’s evidence of taking responsibility and being a team player. When deciding to let an employee go, I realized that if a person isn’t a fit for the position, keeping that employee in that position isn’t helping the company or the employee.
The decisions and choices you face in your career will change over time. Acknowledging these choices, taking responsibility for your choices, and making informed decisions early in your career will prepare you for more difficult decisions later.
I hope this helps.
Seng Gan
Engineer
22
Answers
Ashburn, Virginia
Updated
Seng’s Answer
Hello,
As an IT Architect, my role is to act as a bridge between business needs and our IT developers, determining the functionality of each system. I often find myself in the role of a mediator, as differences of opinion are a natural part of any team dynamic. My approach is to listen attentively to everyone's perspectives, ensuring that each viewpoint is accurately understood by all. My aim is to foster alignment and consensus, rather than prematurely judging any opinion.
One of the more challenging aspects of my job is managing interactions with those who exhibit passive-aggressive behavior. These individuals may withhold their objections during group discussions, yet resist cooperation during the implementation phase.
In essence, the heart of the job is people. Mastering the art of achieving cooperation among a diverse group of individuals is an invaluable skill.
I trust this provides some insight!
As an IT Architect, my role is to act as a bridge between business needs and our IT developers, determining the functionality of each system. I often find myself in the role of a mediator, as differences of opinion are a natural part of any team dynamic. My approach is to listen attentively to everyone's perspectives, ensuring that each viewpoint is accurately understood by all. My aim is to foster alignment and consensus, rather than prematurely judging any opinion.
One of the more challenging aspects of my job is managing interactions with those who exhibit passive-aggressive behavior. These individuals may withhold their objections during group discussions, yet resist cooperation during the implementation phase.
In essence, the heart of the job is people. Mastering the art of achieving cooperation among a diverse group of individuals is an invaluable skill.
I trust this provides some insight!
Charles Brodsky
7
Answers
Updated
Charles’s Answer
Jaylynn, Interesting question and I agree with the other responses.
I remember reading somewhere years ago that people tend to know what needs to be done, but they don’t want to take the responsibility for making that decision. Sometime it’s an ‘authority’ issue such as, “do I have the authority to make this decision”, but what I read at the time implied it was more about a fear of being blamed if something goes wrong.
In may jobs, not just IT, we have to make decisions with limited information. When I first started leading people, I asked my manager at the time (an unusually excellent manager I’m still in regular contact with decades later) “what do you do if you make a wrong decision?” He responded he didn’t make a ‘wrong’ decision, he made the decision that was right at the time and as the circumstances changed, or new information became available, he made another decision.
There are a couple of different ways to look at that advice. First, he can (and has) admitted when he makes a mistake so it would be a mis-interpretation to think he isn’t aware of making mistakes. He was trying to get me to realize that there isn’t a ‘right and wrong’ decision, it’s just a decision. Make it and go forward until you have a reason to re-evaluate it and possibly change direction. Most decisions aren’t going to have a detrimental impact to a person’s life/career if you don’t make the ‘best’ choice. Some people get so caught up in the fear of making a wrong decision that they don’t make any decision. Arguably, this is worse than making a ‘wrong’ decision for a number of reasons.
One way I suggest people become more comfortable and confident in their decision-making ability is to make a decision in their head then talk about it with their manager (or someone else they trust and respect.) Talk through the criteria and information you used and your thought process, and see if there was something you were missing. There may also be things you considered that your manager didn’t (even if they won’t admit it out loud to you.) As long as what you’re doing isn’t illegal, immoral, or unethical you should be fine in most situations. People tend to feel more confident in their decisions when they consistently make similar ones to people they trust and they perceive as having more knowledge/experience in that area.
Remember, if you aren’t making mistakes when you first start doing something, you’re doing it wrong. The first time we try walking we fall down, the first time we threw a ball it didn’t go anywhere, etc. It’s ok (and healthy) to make mistakes, so you have to give yourself permission to ‘be bad at it’ in order to do what you need to be ‘good at it.’ The trick is not to practice on things that can really damage you. Start with decisions that have low consequences, or are easily correctable, and grow from there.
Most stressful part of the job… well, that is a whole other topic. 😊
My opinion is that the most stressful part of anyone’s job boils down to a single word…responsibility. I believe people tend to feel the most stressful about things they perceive as their responsibility. For example, the person setting up lunch for a conference room meeting for the executives may feel more stress (especially if there are delays or logistical issues with getting the right food in the right place at the right time) compared to the stress of an executive responsible for the entire building/division’s operations. The executive likely has trusted people in key positions to ensure things go smoothly, and knows that issues can be quickly resolved because of prepared processes and established procedures.
One of the things that reduces stress is being prepared for issues, and having plans and backup options in place where needed. There is an ancient book on warfare called “The Art of War” and many of the ideas and principles still apply to business, warfare, and life. Two relevant points were knowing yourself (what you’re good at and your weaknesses), and being early to the ‘battlefield’. Preparation, organization, and not feeling rushed typically lead to success. Although there will always be stress and unanticipated issues, being prepared and organized can greatly reduce your stress levels. The opposite can also be true. Some people tend to thrive and perform better under stressful conditions compared to being prepared ahead of time. Know yourself and do what you need to be the most happy and effective, and it’s likely the rest of the issues will ‘work themselves out’ over time.
I remember reading somewhere years ago that people tend to know what needs to be done, but they don’t want to take the responsibility for making that decision. Sometime it’s an ‘authority’ issue such as, “do I have the authority to make this decision”, but what I read at the time implied it was more about a fear of being blamed if something goes wrong.
In may jobs, not just IT, we have to make decisions with limited information. When I first started leading people, I asked my manager at the time (an unusually excellent manager I’m still in regular contact with decades later) “what do you do if you make a wrong decision?” He responded he didn’t make a ‘wrong’ decision, he made the decision that was right at the time and as the circumstances changed, or new information became available, he made another decision.
There are a couple of different ways to look at that advice. First, he can (and has) admitted when he makes a mistake so it would be a mis-interpretation to think he isn’t aware of making mistakes. He was trying to get me to realize that there isn’t a ‘right and wrong’ decision, it’s just a decision. Make it and go forward until you have a reason to re-evaluate it and possibly change direction. Most decisions aren’t going to have a detrimental impact to a person’s life/career if you don’t make the ‘best’ choice. Some people get so caught up in the fear of making a wrong decision that they don’t make any decision. Arguably, this is worse than making a ‘wrong’ decision for a number of reasons.
One way I suggest people become more comfortable and confident in their decision-making ability is to make a decision in their head then talk about it with their manager (or someone else they trust and respect.) Talk through the criteria and information you used and your thought process, and see if there was something you were missing. There may also be things you considered that your manager didn’t (even if they won’t admit it out loud to you.) As long as what you’re doing isn’t illegal, immoral, or unethical you should be fine in most situations. People tend to feel more confident in their decisions when they consistently make similar ones to people they trust and they perceive as having more knowledge/experience in that area.
Remember, if you aren’t making mistakes when you first start doing something, you’re doing it wrong. The first time we try walking we fall down, the first time we threw a ball it didn’t go anywhere, etc. It’s ok (and healthy) to make mistakes, so you have to give yourself permission to ‘be bad at it’ in order to do what you need to be ‘good at it.’ The trick is not to practice on things that can really damage you. Start with decisions that have low consequences, or are easily correctable, and grow from there.
Most stressful part of the job… well, that is a whole other topic. 😊
My opinion is that the most stressful part of anyone’s job boils down to a single word…responsibility. I believe people tend to feel the most stressful about things they perceive as their responsibility. For example, the person setting up lunch for a conference room meeting for the executives may feel more stress (especially if there are delays or logistical issues with getting the right food in the right place at the right time) compared to the stress of an executive responsible for the entire building/division’s operations. The executive likely has trusted people in key positions to ensure things go smoothly, and knows that issues can be quickly resolved because of prepared processes and established procedures.
One of the things that reduces stress is being prepared for issues, and having plans and backup options in place where needed. There is an ancient book on warfare called “The Art of War” and many of the ideas and principles still apply to business, warfare, and life. Two relevant points were knowing yourself (what you’re good at and your weaknesses), and being early to the ‘battlefield’. Preparation, organization, and not feeling rushed typically lead to success. Although there will always be stress and unanticipated issues, being prepared and organized can greatly reduce your stress levels. The opposite can also be true. Some people tend to thrive and perform better under stressful conditions compared to being prepared ahead of time. Know yourself and do what you need to be the most happy and effective, and it’s likely the rest of the issues will ‘work themselves out’ over time.
Abbas Abidi
Engineer/Director, Consulting Services
10
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Abbas’s Answer
Hello Jaylynn. I am a business leader for a large technology company. Most of the decisions in my role are related to 3 primary categories: 1) customer business, 2) company matters and 3) people needs.
Any of the three could be stressful, but those dealing with people tend to be most stressful. Having said that, most of the times it is the positives that totally outweigh the negatives. As one grows in their career, usually a person learns to deal with matters well and keeping a positive approach.
Cheers!
Any of the three could be stressful, but those dealing with people tend to be most stressful. Having said that, most of the times it is the positives that totally outweigh the negatives. As one grows in their career, usually a person learns to deal with matters well and keeping a positive approach.
Cheers!