I have seen multiple version of ‚Kevin‘, sometimes as the ‚Dungeon Master‘ aka former architect of the platform, sometimes as someone with years of company politics and power plays.
Those people are toxic to common sense as it undermines their influence and threatens their ability to ‚get things done‘ the dirty way.
They usually treat the developers not as teams but as singular resources they can orchestrate.
As an engineer, so much comes down to the answer to “What is the most important problem to solve right now?” If it’s a disjointed list of tickets, the plot has been lost. If it’s too general, there’s no plot at all.
If it’s pretty clear and is not full of “business-talk” gobbledegook… well then we’ve got something!
So true. Culture eats everything, and if the senior leadership hasn’t created a culture of clarity, compassion, and competence, then the probabilities of success will be low.
It resonated with Deming's philosophy that highlighted most of an individual performance can be attributed to the system, rather than the individual themselves.
Management should focus on nurturing a better system, rather than badgering individuals to do better
Great article, putting words to situations I have felt as well. I was in a situation where everything was working against me, it felt like. It is hard to know in that case if it's my lack of competence or the situation and conditions that are just too hard to overcome.
Referring back to „The environment vs. individual debate often becomes a religious/philosophical argument. But even if we constrain ourselves entirely to the individual competency frame, difficult environments demand specialized, usually extreme, skills.” - would you be able to share your thoughts about those „extreme skills” in various scenarios?
I think it would be very interesting to get your perspective on this.
you find kevins all too often especially in the startup world, in ic or managerial positions, technical or not. that story certainly scratches a wound.
sometimes the kevin even hides in plain sight and may take work to be identified. helps to consider who benefits the most from the status quo. the answer not uncommonly lies with people who’s title grew faster than them.
and it takes a lot to eliminate the imposed inertia but it’s certainly worth it. just one may not come out of it completely unscathed
I have seen multiple version of ‚Kevin‘, sometimes as the ‚Dungeon Master‘ aka former architect of the platform, sometimes as someone with years of company politics and power plays.
Those people are toxic to common sense as it undermines their influence and threatens their ability to ‚get things done‘ the dirty way.
They usually treat the developers not as teams but as singular resources they can orchestrate.
As an engineer, so much comes down to the answer to “What is the most important problem to solve right now?” If it’s a disjointed list of tickets, the plot has been lost. If it’s too general, there’s no plot at all.
If it’s pretty clear and is not full of “business-talk” gobbledegook… well then we’ve got something!
So true. Culture eats everything, and if the senior leadership hasn’t created a culture of clarity, compassion, and competence, then the probabilities of success will be low.
Agree 100%
It resonated with Deming's philosophy that highlighted most of an individual performance can be attributed to the system, rather than the individual themselves.
Management should focus on nurturing a better system, rather than badgering individuals to do better
Great article, putting words to situations I have felt as well. I was in a situation where everything was working against me, it felt like. It is hard to know in that case if it's my lack of competence or the situation and conditions that are just too hard to overcome.
That Kevin bit haunts me to this day. I've had a few experiences with such person.
Thank you for the article.
Referring back to „The environment vs. individual debate often becomes a religious/philosophical argument. But even if we constrain ourselves entirely to the individual competency frame, difficult environments demand specialized, usually extreme, skills.” - would you be able to share your thoughts about those „extreme skills” in various scenarios?
I think it would be very interesting to get your perspective on this.
"Good ideas and common sense are not enough"
you find kevins all too often especially in the startup world, in ic or managerial positions, technical or not. that story certainly scratches a wound.
sometimes the kevin even hides in plain sight and may take work to be identified. helps to consider who benefits the most from the status quo. the answer not uncommonly lies with people who’s title grew faster than them.
and it takes a lot to eliminate the imposed inertia but it’s certainly worth it. just one may not come out of it completely unscathed
If you want a playbook, Manager-Tools.com was a lifesaver for me when the division I led doubled in size from ~35 to 70 FTEs.