Managing Humans: More Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

© Michael Lopp 2021

M. LoppManaging Humanshttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-7116-2_15

15. Managementese

Michael Lopp¹  

(1)

Los Gatos, CA, USA

 

One of my teams is facing a significant decision regarding future product direction, and the process has split the team in half: the Yes We Shoulds and the No Way in Hells. The manager of the team is facing a rebellion and is spending much of his time trying to drive the team toward a decision.

I walked by his office, where he was talking with one of the No Way in Hells, trying to influence her to come over to the other side of the fence. I overheard a snippet of his conversation: “I think it’s a key decision and I’m asking you to think outside of the box...”

I cringed.

Management speak.

Walking back to my office, ...