

On Design Approval and Intentional Flaws - br0ke
http://nathanbarry.com/design-approval/

======
nathanbarry
The one thing I left out of the article is tackling the problem head on. This
may not make sense with every manager, but it could be worth trying:

Adding an intentional flaw is not addressing the core problem. Consider
talking to them directly, pointing out their behavior, and try to get them to
only make valid changes. Not just to leave their mark on the design.

Like I said, this may not always work, but it is better for your long term
relationship with your manager.

~~~
ahoyhere
_Like I said, this may not always work, but it is better for your long term
relationship with your manager._

Is it? I think you're making a pretty big logical jump here. It's just as easy
-- maybe easier! -- to argue that letting your manager retain his Feeling of
Importance (a la Dale Carnegie) is the better way to maintain a good working
relationship.

Only you can know whether your husband or wife would be happy if you answered
"How does this make me look?" with "Fat." Same principal applies to telling
your manager you're faking things to soothe his ego and need to tweak…
regardless of how diplomatically you put it.

------
ctruman
I often find that a simple way to make a manager feel like they have control
and have made a good decision, is to make one version of something that is
obviously inferior and one that you like. The manager can then exert his
creative vision by choosing the good one. It is a bit of a risky play since
there is a chance the manager could choose the terrible one :P

------
ahoyhere
left this comment on the post:

Every problem is a people problem. Managing managers (stakeholders, whatever)
is just the same. We "fixers" tend to think that what we're _really_ doing is
fixing a problem or building a new thing, but that's rarely how the people
hiring us look at it. They're the star of their own show (just like we're the
star of ours), and they are doing it for their own reasons. Often those
reasons have to do with feeling good about their contribution, looking good at
work, leaving a mark, as you say, or CYA, etc.

If you don't understand that, and don't want to deal with it, then being a
consultant or employee is a bad career choice!

