I have tried this, I've solved problems that were deemed impossible and too expensive to solve. And not only did I manage to solve it technically, my solution was convenient and polished enough to be widely adopted across the company. However when I expected this to be recognized, the following things happened:
- Nothing. Other than my colleagues and immediate boss giving me props, nobody even knew something changed.
- When I tried to promote the stuff I did, I realized that most management a two or more levels up had zero clue what we did, and what our actual problems were. I needed to be like those made-for-TV guys where I needed to present a problem and a solution.
- I realized that most managers' mental model of the team is the check engine light model. If the light is on, the guy who makes it go away is a hero, no matter what he does. If it's not, then it's useless, and possibly fraudulent waste.
- I was often accused of being a pushy self-promoter, sleazily taking credit and overrepresenting what I did.
- Once I kind of got good at promoting things, I realized that doing the work is optional. This is probably the starting point for most Juliuses.
- Once I started getting recoginition, I started getting it from the weirdest places. I once got a shout-out from the company higher ups. When I talked to them informally during the christmas party, they admitted they had no idea what I did, or why it was important.
- Nothing. Other than my colleagues and immediate boss giving me props, nobody even knew something changed.
- When I tried to promote the stuff I did, I realized that most management a two or more levels up had zero clue what we did, and what our actual problems were. I needed to be like those made-for-TV guys where I needed to present a problem and a solution.
- I realized that most managers' mental model of the team is the check engine light model. If the light is on, the guy who makes it go away is a hero, no matter what he does. If it's not, then it's useless, and possibly fraudulent waste.
- I was often accused of being a pushy self-promoter, sleazily taking credit and overrepresenting what I did.
- Once I kind of got good at promoting things, I realized that doing the work is optional. This is probably the starting point for most Juliuses.
- Once I started getting recoginition, I started getting it from the weirdest places. I once got a shout-out from the company higher ups. When I talked to them informally during the christmas party, they admitted they had no idea what I did, or why it was important.