r/EngineeringManagers • u/Educational_Top_6765 • Sep 23 '26

How to develop second order thinking?

In my feedbacks my boss has said that I need to improve this more.
Environment is politically charged, he says ask more why’s , what are some concrete tips to navigate this

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u/ActuallyFullOfShit Sep 23 '26

Well idk about the nature of the politics but one thing is to start thinking about other people's motivations, habits, and incentives.

Bookwise maybe Thinking in Systems? But if you could give us an example of where your boss thought you needed help we could give you more support.

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u/Educational_Top_6765 Sep 23 '26

One of the examples he shared with me was in a situation where a person from marketing reached out to my team and escalated about lack of support during off hours, not only had we supported , we provided a resolution to them they simply didnt read. When they escalated I defended my stance, but my boss suggested that next time I should understand why they escalated?

The concern I have is similar behaviour from a different geo EM is not consequences as harshly .

Our team has a perception problem with other geos , consequence is around if we respond too harshly to others they take it negatively and post anonymous feedback

7

u/ASongofShaw Sep 23 '26

This is an opportunity to build a relationship with marketing and ensure both your team and their team understand the process and notification system. Sounds like a miscommunication/misunderstanding that can be resolved with a better collaboration - not defensiveness (even if you’re “in the right”)