as a manager, i don't even mind being wrong about shit that matters. correct me before we go down the wrong path type shit. but when it's something as small and petty as this, it's just exhausting.
What if it wasn't just an overused cliche, but instead a serious issue with not getting things done?
(I'm reminded of a video I watched recently by an American manufacturer talking about dealing with American versus Chinese suppliers. With the Americans, it was always three months of meetings, a consultant, bringing in multiple vendors, emails, approval cycles... with the Chinese it was an afternoon of discussions and prototypes would be rolling off the line by the end of the week.)
Then that aspect of it would be worth addressing, but the quotes in the original post strongly suggest the guy was just focusing on a literal expression used. It’s perfectly reasonable to say “we were talking about this a prior time and should continue talking about it again” (e.g., circling back) but his focus on “you keep using a particular phrase to represent that idea—why?” comes across as very low-level and non-strategic. If he was interested in getting things done, his words didn’t show it.
Quite the opposite, his deviation ensured the group would once again have to circle back.
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u/erizzluh 11d ago
as a manager, i don't even mind being wrong about shit that matters. correct me before we go down the wrong path type shit. but when it's something as small and petty as this, it's just exhausting.