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@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

What makes this pretty difficult is that a lot of knowledge workers are still in that simple mindset. "Just tell me my part and leave me alone. I don't want to care what other people are doing."

That makes everything more difficult. For everybody.

@DaveHolmes ("Dave Holmes") wrote:

“Welcome in” is having a real moment.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

Middle managers absorb a tremendous amount of the overhead required to coordinate large groups of people and their detail work. We try hard to create plans and help people show up at the right place at the right time so everything works out.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

We have people doing parts of the work. Those people need to make important decisions about their work. And those need to be matched up with decisions people are making in other areas. That's the only way we're going to get to a finished product that does what it's supposed to.

@zkat__ ("kat marchán") retweeted:

@ThanatosArchive ("The Thanatos Archive") wrote:

Apache Ghost Dance ceremony, taken by Edward Curtis circa 1906.

@zkat__ ("kat marchán") wrote:

I wonder how much of an artist's. "style" is really just "I didn't bother fixing this thing I did wrong"

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

One of the things that makes knowledge work different (and more valuable), is that each person gets to make *important* decisions about what happens in their area. We spent a long time trying to give people "detailed requirements" and we realized that produced terrible results.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

When we talk about knowledge work, that system of coordination is so much more complicated. Because the systems are more complex. No one person can wrap their head around all of the details of what needs to get done.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

If you've ever tried to help someone move when they're not organized, you know what it feels like when that coordination isn't happening.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

But this simplistic notion breaks down pretty quickly. A good example is moving house. If you carry a box, then you're helping. But someone has to make decisions. Which boxes? In which order? How do we not break the fragile things?

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

Most of the time, we have this simple notion of how work gets done. If each individual does their one part, then eventually the whole thing will be done. You can do your part without being too worried about whether other people are doing their part.

@bascule ("Spooky RFC5280 Section 4.1.2.7 (SPKI) 🎃👻🦀🌹") wrote:

Bitcoin incentivizes fossil fuels. So sayeth… Pomp?!

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@APompliano ("Pomp 🌪") replied to a tweet by @APompliano:

The amount of Bitcoin’s hashrate that comes from oil and gas companies right now is probably less than 10%.

But over the next 10 years, these players will dominate mining.

If you’re haven't been paying attention, I would suggest you start now.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

The core context is knowledge work. That's the only context I'm speaking in because that's what I do. When people talk about "tech work" that is a subset of knowledge work. So you can assume most of what I'm talking about applies to tech jobs.

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@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

The thing that has been stuck in my head is this idea of "knowledge work". My loose definition for this is the rise of the kind of role where your value as an employee is making key decisions based on your expertise and also executing on those decisions to produce outcomes.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") wrote:

I'm going to answer this question. It's going to require context. As in not all situations and companies fit this mold. It's also going to require throwing away some deeply held assumptions.

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@zippy1981 ("Justin Dearing") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

@polotek So as someone who is about to have two direct reports for the first time in a a week, what is the most important part?

@billyeichner ("billy eichner") wrote:

🕵️‍♂️

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@BeeBKNY ("Bee") wrote:

Good afternoon to @billyeichner’s trench coat in #ImpeachmentFX and only @billyeichner’s trench coat in #ImpeachmentFX

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

Yeah this is true. See the point I made any how managers are actually humans. People who are not managers are also not that great at describing what they do.

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@marquisatwork ("Marquis Dugger") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

@polotek From what I've seen? They either have a hard time articulating and/or quantifying what it is they do, how much, to what extent, etc.

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") replied to a tweet by @polotek:

A lot of people have convinced themselves that there's something magical about the conversations they're not in. I promise you it's not as interesting or exciting as you assume. I will also say that many managers don't understand which part of the job they do is truly important.

@KamalaHarris ("Kamala Harris") wrote:

Thanks to President @JoeBiden’s leadership, the Department of Labor will require any business with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is vaccinated against COVID-19 or tests negative at least once per week.

Vaccine requirements save lives.

@katya_zamo ("Katya") wrote:

Some light Sunday reading https://trixieandkatya.substack.com/p/30-day-prawn-cleanse?r=pe4qv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=

@polotek ("Marco Rogers") wrote:

Have you tried asking your manager what they do all day? Have you considered that maybe they have told you before what they do and you thought it can't actually be that?

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@AJKandy ("A.J. Kandy") wrote:

So there’s an interesting discussion around @polotek’s thread on how workers don’t understand the pressures of management. It’s a good take, but I think it’s missing an important point: the fact that management often feels like a black box - we can’t see how or why it works.

@AlanTudyk ("alan tudyk") retweeted:

@bluegal ("Frances Langum 🧶") wrote:

Let's hope there's wall-to-wall Adam Schiff on the teevee this week.

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@AdamSchiff ("Adam Schiff") replied to a tweet by @AdamSchiff:

I wrote Midnight in Washington to describe how Trump was able to dismantle so many of our democratic institutions.

To tell the stories of those who capitulated to his immortality, but also the stories of those who stood tall.

The book is out on Tuesday.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669172/midnight-in-washington-by-adam-schiff/

@jayKayEss ("Justin Kerr Sheckler") wrote:

Is it just me or does everyone walk three abreast in the sidewalk anymore and act like it’s your fault for being in the way

@bylgja_babylons ("Bylgjan🐝") wrote:

Today is mental health awareness day and also my 5th day of taking Sertraline. It’s just a coincident though, I didn’t plan it or anything.

@mark_wilkins ("Mark W / CCP Darwin") retweeted:

@dadimakesmusic ("Daði Freyr 🥑") wrote:

how much baby is 2 much baby?

Video:

@MattBaume ("Matt Baume") wrote:

Yesterday I texted someone to apologize for being behind on replying to emails, and meant to write "I've nearly caught up" but actually wrote "I've nearly caught you"

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@Ethelmonster ("Methelistopheles") wrote:

Whenever some rancid comedian goes off about how you arent allowed to be funny anymore or jokes are impossible without being nasty, I think of how someone posted a menu that had misspelled "shrimp" as "sprimp" and how.i laughed so hard I nearly threw up

@AlanTudyk ("alan tudyk") retweeted:

@SpookyGothLoser ("‏َ") wrote:

"been chasing people in their dreams so long i forgot to chase my own"

@timminchin ("Tim Minchin") wrote:

News: 📺 Heads-up UK - if you tune into @ITV ~9:30am tomorrow morning, Tim’ll be joining @lorraine for a chat.

📷Damian Bennett

@MattBaume ("Matt Baume") wrote:

How did I not know that before she was an actress, Bea Arthur was a truck driver in the Marines???

@daborsk ("Shawn Borsky") retweeted:

@Mike_Hixenbaugh ("Mike Hixenbaugh") wrote:

Tweeted from a hospital bed after getting an emergency medical treatment that costs minimum of $2,100 per infusion (big pharma 💰), while his wife, who’d gotten the $25 jab, rested at home.

@daborsk ("Shawn Borsky") retweeted:

@RacerSonic ("That Dude That Spooks🎃(comms closed temporarily)") wrote:

Accurate