Bridging Ideals and Reality
Have you ever been in an engineering discussion where someone starts pointing out all the ideals and how much the company sucks? Complaining about all the mistakes the company makes, how things are broken, and how they should be improved? Well, I have been there on many levels. Those are the moments when you truly understand the pain points, and that’s when meaningful discussions can start.
I think it’s good to have those discussions. There’s nothing wrong with pointing out flaws, but what do we do about them? How do we turn the criticism into action? Blaming the executives might feel cathartic (I’ve been guilty of it too), but what’s the path from the current reality to the ideals we envision? How do we inspire change in the right direction, and can we do that within our own sphere of influence? That’s what I want to explore today.
If you’re in a leadership position, it takes time to get a good handle on the story. Every company has its problems to a degree, but they’ve also achieved some success. Honestly, they made it, and something is working. That’s why you are there. Yes, the technology may have flaws, and yes, the processes could be better, but whatever’s in place got the company this far.
