The Thought That Shifted Adam Savage's Relationship With Jamie Forever
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- čas přidán 24. 06. 2024
- Does Adam Savage have advice for someone who's trying to price their freelance creations competitively with manufacturers? Which type of supervisor does Adam find more frustrating to work for: micromanagers or laissez-faire? In this live stream excerpt Adam answers these questions from Tested members @Ziz62266 and @Vickie-Bligh, whom we thank for their support! Which sort of manager do YOU prefer?
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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching! - Věda a technologie
Which sort of manager do YOU prefer?
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One who has a brain and knows how to listen
I was a manager. I did my level best to avoid decisions unless absolutely required by me. I preferred to let my folks sort out the problem or as you say, let the world decide. The trick to avoiding micromanagement is to cultivate patience and trust that your folks are on the right course.
Micromanagers are the WORST. I agree with Adam on this completely. I'm way more efficient at my job when I can just be left to do my thing
Micromanagers are someone who knows little about what their talking about usually and won't let you work. A lazy manager is not good either but at least the employees are left to work properly.
I like the panache Adam puts in his experiences. Very entertaining lol and funny
I appreciate the effort you put into trying to understand a question rather than rushing towards an answer.
Thanks for your comment ... we'll pass it on to Adam! Very kind!
@@tested I agree, I appreciate that he pauses to fully analyze a question and craft a well thought out response. I've tried to pick up that habit since watching these videos.
Me too. I felt the empathy.
@@Frog_Puppet It's a great mindset to have, even for something you disagree with. Doing the so called steelmanning of an argument instead of strawmanning, all that while being happy, positive and trying to move towards a solution or the truth. Quite hard when the other person doesn't have ears, but worth it for most people.
This is why I love watching Adam. Such a thoughtful person.
“I don’t have to win this argument right now” and “The world will solve this problem for me later.” - WOW. Adam, THANK YOU.
These are good ways to approach many disagreements. But, as Adam said, they had to paint the entire net onsite because he didn't argue. If you let the world solve a problem later, also have a way to correct the wrong approach that you didn't argue against.
@@user-fk8zw5js2p that’s true. Sometimes it’s expensive and/or annoying to fix it later. Having a backup plan is good!
@@DawnDavidson Sounds like a huge waste of time when the answer has been proven more times over than one could fathom. Everyone and their grandma knows a surface covered in snow will reflect more light than a surface covered in asphalt. Seems like Jamie just wanted a win to stroke his ego but picked the dumbest possible time to try.
It was very well phrased. I use(d) "is this the hill/fight I'm ready to die on/for?" it took me longer than I care to admit to ease into that mindset, but I am better off for it. I was that micro-manager he spoke about for way too long.
I will always be thankful for the dynamic that the two of you shared on MythBusters, not just because it made the show better, but for anyone who knew the relationship the two of you had behind the scenes, it was a very good example of professional respect and working with somebody in an environment that you might not have gotten along with on a personal level.
In my life, I've had co-workers that I don't get along with on a personal level, but we've never had issues buckling down together professionally to do what's expected of us.
Seeing a healthy business relationship for so many years produce so many things is a source of inspiration that I think a lot of people overlook when discussing MythBusters, and I wanted to let you know that even if it's not as visible, it's greatly appreciated.
I have friends I could never work with. Some of my best collegues I will never be friends with.
Even back in the day I found the stark contrast between _Mythbusters_ and other shows like _Orange County Choppers_ remarkable. It was an anomaly. Between all the toxic drama and chair-throwing this show had a warm and welcoming vibe and the team were a bunch of wholesome goofballs in the best way possible. And they created some weird and beautiful things together. Like the lead balloon episode, that's pure visual poetry.
No wonder it stood the test of time really. I can't think of any other Discovery show as fondly remembered as _Mythbusters._
Jaimie pullet fast one with that, of course you use black strings in movie making, if you dont want those showing very well, reflect less light. 😀
@@awandererfromys1680 dirty jobs and maybe man vs wild, but yeah. Myth busters stands the test of time.
@@growtocycle6992 I was gonna say, Dirty Jobs was top tier too.
My favorite type of manager says, "Here's the task, and this is how long you have to get it done. You have the authority to do what you need to meet these goals," and then disappears until I report that I'm finished.
One of my favorite parts of being an EMT is the supervisor essentially goes "Heres your truck and supplies. pay attention to the radio, don't break any laws, and be back in 11hrs. the rest is up to you". a bit exaggerated but the freedom in how you accomplish your tasks is refreshing
Being your own boss without the additional responsibilities it takes to run your own business is about as good as it gets. One of the reasons my 21st anniversary working for the same company is in a few days. In that time I only remember two people who voluntarily quit. You won't build that kind of loyalty micromanaging your employees.
There's definitely some value in checking on a project or task as well as having the people under you send updates on any significant developments. Some people know their stuff but don't have a strong sense of scope or aren't internally motivated. Some are tempted to stretch that authority, possibly in ways that would be unethical. There's a lot of reasons to have your hand on the wheel and the trick is knowing how much control to exert and when. Unfortunately, while I say that like it's one thing it's really an entire skill set and many managers are lacking in parts of it.
"... feel free to come see me if you need anything else."
@@barrygeistwhite3474 That depends on the managers and the employees. I'm just saying what I prefer.
The best thing about these videos is the very natural pauses you allow between sentences. It's refreshing to give each thought that minute to settle.
He has true skill as a presenter
He talked about this in a podcast about learning to be ok with silence when presenting or speaking. Great skill
“They are working through trauma” - you just made dozens of personal interactions with micro-managers make sense. Seriously. Thank you.
"poor fool is so busy trying to help everyone else they can't help themselves" is a bit of a mantra I have to repeat to myself daily so I don't flip out on micromanager types.
It's only half true, and doesn't really make the behavior acceptable, but I find it really frames things in a way that makes it easier to foster sympathy, rather than unbridled rage.
I think they're often under immense pressure from senior management and feel the need to prove themselves by being everywhere and watching everything all the time!
I Have found that there are more and more micro managers out there than when I was younger and I think it boils down to two things. The first is that managers are now being hired because they went to college rather than having worked up through the ranks. Having had no experience in whatever they are managing they micro manage as a way to feel like they are doing their job mainly because they don't understand what it is that the workers they are managing are doing but because they have a degree and the workers don't they HAVE to be so much smarter than the non-college educated workers that if they don't really grasp what is going on the un-educated workers can't possibly know what they are doing. Even in a field where most of the workers are degree'd many businesses are hiring recent grads and they think that employees that are older than them, even if they have the same degree, must not have been promoted because they were incompetent. Either way micro managing is their way to compensate for not really knowing what is going on and the trauma they are undergoing is impostor syndrome.
The other is mobile phones. I have had to explain to managers how calling me every hour to 'see where I'm at' on a project is delaying the project. Especially those that insist you answer the phone right then no matter what. I often wonder how they think businesses were run successively for centuries before there were even phones much less ones you get to carry around in your pocket.
As a chronic (and apologetic) micro manager, I agree with this. It is our job to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Right? Something beautiful got released in me when he said that. I feel lighter somehow.
My mother had this problem selling ceramics. She had this one piece that just wasn't selling when other people weere selling the same piece at double the price. She added $15 to the price. Problem solved. Know your market. If you sell something too cheap people will assume it's crap.
That reminds me of a co-worker's experience putting out an unwanted and perfectly good entertainment center outside at the end of his driveway with a big "free" sign. There were no takers for about a week, he then put a sign on it... $50.00, and it disappeared within a day or so during the night.
My brother used to sell paintings. His prices were too low, he priced it at what he would pay to buy, but he had no disposable income. When dad suggested he double his prices then things started to shift.
If you say this thing is worth £100 then people will pay attention and try to work out why, rather than skimming over your £25 piece
@@3henry214 To be fair, "free" usually means trash. (and very often is.) If it's worth something, (a) know its worth, and (b) ask a reasonable about based on that. If you really just want to get rid of it, there are plenty of Goodwill (etc.) places.
It's the Stella Artois pricing model: reassuringly expensive
It's what luxury brands use all the time. That purse isn't better, but it's pricier. Careful picking out shoes, because you might be getting better quality at double price, or you might be getting fast fashion. Sure, most of the "exclusive features" iphone brags about are things the competitors have had for so long they stopped considering it worth mentioning. But it's more expensive, so people assume it's better. It's why sites like Temu instantly ring up alarm bells in anything with sense- If it's cheap you wonder why.
The absolute worst manager is one that swings back and forth between micro and laissez faire because of the chaos it creates.
"Why are you doing it this way?" "Because you told me I was supposed to do it that way!!!"
@@SupermegaGchan"...well forget that, we're doing it this way now"
2 weeks later...
"I never told you to do it like x, I told you to do it like y"
@@TheStarBlack i had a job at a place with two owners and this is how my conversations between them went
making power plays at their business and pulling one over on each other was probably just cheaper than couples therapy to fix their marriage but i didn't see any of that money
@@GreedoShotHopefully you never run into that ever again and this advice is only for other commenters, but in such cases I've had some success in getting my instructions in writing (or putting them in writing and sending it out, a la "here is my record of what you told me to do, reply with corrections if this isn't what you want me to do" and when you get a conflict, cc them to each other and say "these instructions are incompatible, let me know when you figure it out amongst yourselves and until then I'll do something else".
In my experience, the most common outcome is that both managers drop their requests rather than argue it out. If they try to get around each other, now you've got a paper trail to escalate to their bosses and cover yourself.
Doesn't help with people who refuse to acknowledge they're giving different orders and also don't have anyone above them, of course, but in the worst case if they fire you, "the courts" are a higher authority and may be able to get proper recompense if you've got evidence backing up your claims they weren't treating you in a way that supports doing work.
I need to remember your words as a mantra. “Do I need to fix this or will the universe fix it for me?” Sometimes it’s best to just stand back and let things play out to their conclusions rather than fight about it. I needed to hear this. I’m tired of fighting.
"Micro managers are dealing with some sort of trauma" so true and insightful.
Thank you Adam; your insight into both “is this a problem I need to solve now,” (along with its analog, do I really need to fight this battle), and the “micromanagers as people who are dealing with trauma,” hit me right where I needed to be hit this evening. Great timing!
SAME. My head is still spinning at how relevant this was for me, and how crazy it is that it showed up when it did. Adam is apparently not only a genius but also a psychic as well. 😁
Possibly THE BEST and most useful episode EVER. So very true on all counts.
At my last "real job" that I only lasted 5-ish months at, my direct supervisor was the single worst micromanager I have ever met. I was writing up an internal informational document from our department that was literally just going to be hung in the break room. Nobody was ever going to see it outside of our employees, and nobody whatsoever was going to do anything except read the text (and if we're honest, almost nobody would even be doing that). I wrote it up, sent it to her for approval, and she calls me over to her desk and asks me to identify "what I think is wrong with this document". After what felt like 5 minutes of standing there and shooting apart my own work, I came up with nothing.
Turns out that one of the blank lines I had used for spacing was an 11pt font blank line rather than a 12pt font blank line. What had likely happened was that I had enlarged the text to better fill out the space and (understandably) did not think to enlarge the size of the blank line because I didn't even realize it HAD a font size associated with it.
She could have fixed it herself and not even brought it up, so the project would be finished. She could have reformatted the template to remove the need to even have that object there and head the issue off at the pass. But she didn't. She forced me to stand there and flounder for several minutes trying to find fault in my own work, wasting my time and her own time, before telling me to go back to my desk and fix it before resubmitting it for approval.
That one, single experience impregnated me with utter, unflinching contempt for micromanagers of any stripe.
Not sure, She's setting a standard and let you self manage to go to that standard. That standard was probably too high, but that doesn't make it micromanagement. Laissez-faire management of a team is probably just as bad
Managers who think its ok to talk to you like a schoolchild are awful. Abusing power for their own ego.
That’s neither micromanagement nor an abuse of power. LF manager here. Set standards for a capable team and get out of their way. LF is a luxury. Actual micromanagement is a vice for the insecure. Expecting teachability from a junior team member does not a micromanager make.
@@msw1185 If your method of teaching involves deliberately going out of your way to humiliate your pupils in order to "set standards", I see absolutely no point in trying to learn what is supposedly being taught. A white-collar office environment is not a cliche bad guy martial arts dojo where students are taunted and degraded in order to feed their anger and therefore their strength. The only things that interaction taught me is that neither I, nor my work, nor my time was valued or respected, and that I had to go into every single interaction with her on war footing. What kind of psychopath looks at that situation and goes "I'm happy with this dynamic?"
You don't have to be buddy-buddy. Shit, you don't even have to LIKE the other person. But you should at least respect them as a grown-ass adult human instead of a 3-year-old that needs to be led by the hand. If you can't understand that the active contempt brought on by NOT doing that is a net negative to the operation, respectfully, I don't think you should be in a position of authority or leadership.
@@TheStarBlack 100% agreed with this. I've had some bad managers, but the worst ones were always the ones that pose everything like a question as if you're a kid at school being tested.
As a Manager for many years in the Restraunt industry I always took the stance of " I don't care what you do, so long as the customer is happy, and the job gets done in a Timely manner, And its to the company Standard"
it's to
I was a manager of a technical team. I took the position that my job was not to manage the team. My job was to give them the tools and training they needed, support, and knock down obstacles in the way of them getting their jobs done. Basically, my job is to give them the latitude and environment they can thrive in. If I had to 'manage' a person, they needed to go find another job.
@@NoName-zn1sb I was reading this comment and then my neighbor came and we read it together. He said this comment really changed his life and it touched my heart. My village people are so grateful. Am proud to say cool post wow thanks for sharing
I remember one time breaking it down to the second how much extra time my micromanager was costing me by making me keep track of the time I was taking.
The team being toxic being none of your business.
Adam, I agree about Micromanagers and the difficulty in getting things done. Yes, far more energy is expended. Thanks once again for taking my question.
You have great questions, Vickie!
@@tested Thanks, Kristin.
I began my freelance graphic design and web design business back in 1996. I made many mistakes at first, but as it turned out, they were nothing more than the cost of my tuition in the school of hard knocks as I learned from my mistakes and thus sharpened my business focus. One of the things that I learned is that those potential customers who come to you seeking "Walmart prices" you simply pass up as they are not the clientele you are seeking so it makes no sense to waste time and money trying to land a client that you do not want anyway. Instead, focus in on those clients who know and understand the value of what you offer and thus they are happy to pay the additional cost. As a matter of fact, underpricing your products/services will only serve to give the impression that you offer lower quality products/services and thus the clients that you seek will pass you up. Fine diners do not go to posh restaurants and ask, _"do you have a value menu?"_
The less they pay, the more demanding and unreasonable they are. Don't be a bottom feeder. Provide a premium product/service and charge a premium price for it. You will have a much more pleasant experience, make more money, and won't be competing with the unlimited supply of bottom feeders.
@parajerry
Absolutely! It cost me some bucks for sure learning that lesson! Furthermore, that lesson also taught me to not seek the cheapest prices when looking for goods and services for myself.
Afterall...
_You get what you pay for!_
Whenever someone talks about competing with Walmart's and Amazon's pricing I think, "And are you going to match their sales volume?"
Most of the manufacturers I've worked for, and yet more that we partnered with, have intentionally over-bid on RFQs that were seeking the lowest price widget that fulfilled the requirements, and promised sizeable orders to whoever won the contract. We didn't want to be locked into a contract that would consume our manufacturing capacity for a 3% profit margin. (Which would evaporate if we had to contract out the manufacturing.)
Same business, and I've learned as well that If a potential client smells like trouble, they probably will be, and to avoid them like the plague. After a while you become a good enough judge of character to see them coming a mile away.
@Sgt_Glory
Indeed! Over time you begin to recognize that your peace of mind has a value as well.
Adam answers each of these from such a considerate and grounded perspective, very refreshing to hear somebody speak very open and honestly
To me one of the signs of being a "grown up" is the fact you don't have to win an argument and can just wait and let the person learn for themselves that the stove is hot or that black doesn't reflect as many photons as white or whatever the matter is.
"Some men just have to pee on the electric fence themselves" or something like that.
the problem I have with this is so often other people's mistakes cost me time/money/etc. like with the netting fence example that Adam gave - so many hours and dollars would have been saved had he won the argument but instead many hours were wasted on painting.
I mean, it's true that white reflects more. But it's also sitting out there in full daylight, so how visible will extra light be in that case? I might have argued for setting a canopy above the target to make it easier to see.
I could understand Jamie's approach, he was probably thinking about contrast and that white light would show up better against a dark background.
They probably should have tested it on a small scale and thus avoiding an unnecessary argument AND the cost of fixing the mistake later.
The thing is, I can kinda understand where Jamie was coming from. White light on white netting might not be as visible as white light on black netting. He was thinking about contrast and visibility from a distance, and there is some sound logic to that reasoning. It failed when it met with reality, but still.
I learned the lesson of "do I need to fix this problem now? Maybe it'll fix itself later" a long time ago. Plus it works really well when you're an adhd procrastinator like myself.
Yeah I think some small part of why my last relationship failed was because I subscribe so hard to the "if no action is taken this will resolve itself" mindset, and to my ex- the problem is only solved if you take immediate and direct action. She would actually be mad at me when problems resolved themselves without me having to solve them.
Stop watching CZcams and get back to work!
"Do I have to solve this problem now or will the universe solve this problem for me?" YES, such a great lesson to learn!
I learned to tell myself that I had no power over anything when getting delayed in traffic or taking public transportation, so I shouldn't bother putting energy into it. It was very liberating.
When speaking efficiency, I have heard the saying "Slow is Smooth, Smooth is fast". I think it is a wonderful saying. If you take the time to be methodical, diligent, and pruposeful you, likely, end up saving time.
The saying comes from the Seal Teams. Its meaning is more of a mindset for dealing with tasks while under duress. Combat tends to make people panic and panic will get you killed.
Slow...in fact smooth...and smooth in fact FAST.....💯
No exceptions
"Slow down, son! We're in a hurry!"
@@adriansolis5362 Hurry up and wait....😂
@@ZenRyoku lol I can't stand the 'hurry up and wait' mentality! 🤣
Keep it slow. Keep it moving.
A laid-back manager is perfect in my mind. Not off the throttle enough to allow things coming apart at the seams, but not overbearing as to not discourage good ideas and communication that your team could come across in the field.
About micromanagement; a couple of years ago one on my three man team went home with stress for 9 months.. the first 3 months my manager would come down multiple times a day and micro manage my coworker and I, ruining our own flow.. after 3 months pleading from us to be left alone he tried it out for a couple of days. He came to realize we could push almost double the amount through without him interfering all the time. Since then he rarely dictates in what order we do stuff because he knows we will get it done within the day.
There's just something extra wonderful about listening to thoughtful, brilliant teaching with a disco ball in the background.
People value things based on how it makes them feel. That is how odd things get such odd prices.
When people do it, it's fine. Like my car; I love it, I'm going to ask way more than it's worth according to some indifferent ratings agency like KBB. People can just not buy it. But when a corporation does this people go bananas. $1200 iPhone? Yeah, they think it's worth $1200 but if you don't think so then don't buy it.
Could literally listen to you talking about this stuff for hours. You are now my white noise that brings nostalgia and thought.
On the subject of micromanaging. A very wise person once told me, " Don't tell a person how to do something, tell them what needs to be done, and often they will astound you with their ideas".
The way I interpreted the first question was more of, "How can I help my friend to see the value of her time and the works she creates? She doesn't have to compete with wal-mart on price."
+1 for that, that is how I interpreted it as well. Step 1 is always to calculate the actual cost in materials, then in time spent, then relate that to how many can be made in a give time vs how much money needs to come in to cover expenses like salary, workspace etc - and then, only then, based on your expense level before profit, can you compare what you need to charge to what walmart charges, and other competitors charging more, and land one something that will cover expenses *and* make a profit on top for further investment and growth and/or personal profit on top of salary.
It's funny, because I honestly got the exact opposite interpretation. To me it felt like this person was saying "I don't think anyone is going to pay as much for my friends stuff as they would for something from Walmart, because Walmart stuff is 'professionally' made and her stuff is made by 'just some rando.' It seemed like they were trying to convince their friend that, being a freelancer, they need to charge LESS for their work because they're not a big established brand.
I see it differently than all three of you. First she is starting a home business trying to turn a hobby into a job. While there is nothing wrong with that, try to do what you love, the main mindset one needs to have when doing so is to go into it with the idea that all that you will accomplish is funding your hobby. The chances of the business becoming successful enough to make a living at are slim to none. The chances that it will take off and you will become rich at it are less than zero. I'm not being pessimistic but realistic. There is nothing wrong with dreaming but you must first establish realistic expectations. Secondly, as Adam has said many times and something I did WAY before anyone even knew who he was when making money off a hobby is that when you start out the most expensive thing in your small business is materials. I only considered the material costs incurred when making my products and just doubled them for the sale price. If you try to calculate your time in terms of dollars per hour and feel like you need to make as much (or more) as you would if working a 9-5 job you will overprice your products by a lot. There is nothing wrong with keeping track of everything including hours spent working, that is a good practice, but adding your time value to the final price of a product isn't going to work. When you do keep track of time it will give you a realistic view on what would happen if you feel the need to expand your business by hiring an employee. I bet you will find that you wouldn't be able to pay them even minimum wage. And that is why you will never be able to compete with Wal-Mart prices. One you don't have tens of thousands of stores making money off of volume of sales and two, most importantly, you are trying to make money in American dollars while the manufacturers of the products that Wal-Mart sells are paying employees who work in countries where one U.S. dollar is worth hundreds or more in their currency.
As I stated at the beginning if you are trying to turn a hobby into a money making venture go into it with the mindset that all you are doing is letting other people fund your hobby. As the old saying goes, don't quit your day job.
@robo5013 I think the term "over pricing" is harsh. Why isn't their product worth their time, expertise, and effort? It's only seen as over priced because big companies take advantage of low-cost foreign labour + economies of scale have skewed the perception of what something "should" cost. So either we undercharge our expertise trying to keep up with what people think is market rate, or we battle people thinking we're overcharging because labour in a specific field is so undervalued. Neither is ideal and it's only getting worse
@@JInuOneSix Like I said, when starting out trying to turn a hobby into a money making venture if you try to add your time into the price as if it is your regular job it will cause it to be over priced. Small business owners don't pay themselves an hourly rate, whatever profit is left after deductions for overhead is their salary. If turning your hobby into a business becomes a successful way to make a living then you can start to adjust the price of the product up, once you have a demand for your product. Like I said you should have realistic expectations and be happy if you make enough money to fund your hobby but going into it as if it will be your main source of income, especially if your hobby is niche, will only lead to disappointment. Why isn't their product worth their time, expertise, and effort? Because you can only price something to what the market will bear, especially if there is no prior demand for it. Sometimes the truth is harsh.
Oh my god, this just helped solve a problem in an interpersonal relationship for me. The right advice at the right time.
When I first heard Adam say that he and Jaime never socialized outside of the show I was a little disappointed to find out they weren't friends in real life. However, neither were the members of Led Zeppelin, The Police or the Beatles. In fact, members of the Police had a very contemptuous working relationship and got along better once they broke up as a band.
Also they were both older when they started the show and many people over thirty tend to concentrate more on their spouses and families and are less concerned with having a social life.
I've had a large number of co-workers I never socialized with outside of work. people forget that during the filming of mythbusters, that was Adam and Jamie's work.
Penn and Teller also
@@ortzinator But they are friends and spend holidays together. I know them.
An economist friend told me something very applicable here: In the absence of other information, people use price as a proxy for quality.
Actually, Paul and John were very close until the last year or two of the band.
My boss always has a “novel” or “contrarian” solution for anything you ask or are brainstorming. It’s exhausting. I could say “ are you ok with us mailing this letter” his response would be “ you could do that. Or you could put in a box with a gps tracker. There’s a guy the next town over who will deliver it in twice the time for 3 times the cost, if you can even find him”. And I’m an engineer so you can imagine what kind of answers im an actually getting.
Stop asking him permission to do things. Homeboy is bored and craving attention.
Oh he's making the mistake of thinking "I'm the boss so I must know better'. Grr I've had a few of those over the years too!
@@ryanmccann2539 our clients require almost everything to be Quality Controlled. So even the most basic of basic changes to something requires a review, so no real way around it
@@TheStarBlack your right, but he also did it before he was the boss, so more of a personality thing I think.. It’s having to show he always has a solution that you didn’t think of, even if impractical or nonsensical for the simple task at hand. He’s at least a nice enough guy.
@@not1not2but3 All managers are promoted to their level of incompetence heh
I worked at a place with a micro-manager. It was not pleasant. Instead of being in the background where he could see the big picture, he chose to be down in the weeds with us. He would proofread every letter we going to send out. He marked my first letter and indicated the changes he wanted. So I recomposed the letter according his then whims. I reprinted the letter and he pored over the second letter. It came back to me with his then commands. Guess what? It was the way I had originally had written it. Famous quote from him "Just do what I say and shut up." So glad I got out of there.
My wife ran a hand dyed yarn business for a few years. She bought quality wool blend yarn that wasn't cheap. She spent hours doing the dyeing. Even with all that, she STILL had folks comparing her prices to Wal-Mart.
I walked off the job after four years of putting up with a micromanager. I violated my own rule of having a new job before you quit the current one because I value my mental health too much to put up with someone who would come to staff with a problem, and even though it was something we all were going to have to deal with on a daily basis, and telling us how it would be done from now on. It was one incident that was the equivalent of putting the baby into a car seat, bundling them up and strapping them in nice and secure, and then putting the car seat, unsecured, on the roof of the car before driving away. I have no idea how people that insecure get a job managing others.
Thank you for letting us see you actually considering the question before answering and your answer, especially ‘do I need to have this argument now?’, was honestly mind-blowing for me. What a thing to learn, something I’ve struggled with and can really use.
On the topic of micromanaging I once heard someone explain it a really memorable way. If you're hands off there's a question of why they keep you around - if the project goes well then what did you contribute, and if it goes poorly then why weren't you in there doing everything you could? Whereas for a micromanager if the project goes well they can get all the credit, and if it goes badly then at least they were trying to fix it. Of course that's not quite how things really are, but, from a self-esteem and outside appearances perspective I think it makes sense.
Adam, you are. The world's. Best. Communicator. I love to hear how your spread ideas
Adam - I appreciate your ability and willingness to think things through and see different viewpoints while answering. Thinking out loud is an undervalued skill.
Also - micromanagers kill efficiency, self-sufficiency, institutional memory and morale.
Your chats are always such a pleasure to hear. Thanks!
I was a cost accountant at a company that operated at a 7-1/2% margin. That's tight. But we knew we had to be the "good as but slightly less expensive" alternative to Kodak film & paper. Then we merged with Ilford. They knew they were better than Kodak and attracted customers looking for their product for large format and artistic prints. You can be Walmart, or you can be Saint Laurent. People WILL pay more for better products. But not as many. PS - Ilford is still around. Kodak bought us for the patents and closed the plant. And then had their own woes when digital imaging and good color printers came along.
I always liked Ilford XP-200, being the only black and white film I could get processed in an hour at any photo lab because it was process C-34.
I never paid too much attention to mythbusters, only watching it very sparsely, but you seem like a really wise person! Opened this video without much expectation and left being impressed.
Thanks for this Adam!
I’m currently working under both a contrarian and micromanager.
The world will solve this issue for me is such a beautiful thought process.
Micromanaging is about trust. If you trust the team or group you are managing, then there is no need to be hands on day to day to get the mission done.
Simply focus on the end goal or accomplishing each milestone of the project as it comes along. Less stress on the manager and results in greater team productivity.
I’ve had a similar thought with people that instead of arguing with them they just are going to have to figure it out on their own and make their own mistakes as long as they’re not too severe.
Regarding the first question, as someone with two businesses, I think their friend is approaching her business with exactly the right mindset to start out with. I'd much rather see that mindset than the opposite, when someone has no idea how to balance costs and revenue, doesn't understand their market, and doesn't even seem to care to do so. With the solid framework she's already established, Adam is right on in that the "world" (or the market) will correct any issues later on. Understanding the "retail" aspect of it all will give her a leg-up when she needs to make adjustments later on.
It’s so fun to watch you think through a question
This is a very good answer. Thank you for taking the time to answer so fully.
I don't remember where I heard it. (Good) Managers do not manage people. They manage problems as they come up. They manage obstacles in the team's way. Sometime they're there to shield the team from bad clients. From dumb corporate doctrines and rules. They are the shield and the team is the sword. And as a teammate under this type of manager, you take responsibility for the jobs you are assigned. The manager is ONLY there, to make sure you have all the tools available to finish said job. Not do the job for you. But help you be the best you can be. And in turn you help your fellow team be the best. In an ideal world this is how every work place should be. But not every great job I ever had, had this environment. When I was younger I thought every work place would be like Star Trek. Just competent leaders surrounded by competent teams. My god, imagine my shock when I realized how many jobs aren't like this. And if I could slap my younger self for walking away from said jobs, I definitely would. Shoulda never left that warehouse job.
That is how I managed when I was heading a technical team at Disney. I would estimate that 95+% of teams are not run this way. Your Star Trek example is interesting because almost no company, department, or team is like that in reality. Too many personalities, feelings, egos, power trips, and conflicts for most teams to work competently like Star Trek. There are always lazy employees, power hungry employees, vindictive or overly competitive (in a bad way) employees, incompetent employees and more we have to deal with. This is why is it important that when you interview perspective employees, skills and experience are only a small part of the decision. Figuring out their motivations, personality, and ability to fit into the existing team are more important if they have the basic skills needed. They can learn the job intricacies. If they don't fit into the team well, that is unlikely to change and can destroy an effective team. Today, it is also important to weed out the woke, entitled, and usually litigious problem people. They will always cause friction and problems...and will end in legal cases over perceived injustices that are actually their 'feelings.'
@@parajerryyou complain about woke people starting legal cases about injustices which are actually their feelings. But you just admitted to trying to 'weed' them out. You can't discriminate against people because of their political beliefs.They have every right to challenge you legally if that's what you're doing.
"everything I hate is woke 😤"
@@parajerry "Woke" people can only cause problems for you if YOU are the problem.
@@TheStarBlack grow up. You just showed you are not someone I would hire. Effective teams work together. Allowing one of these woke a-holes on your team is the fastest way you can destroy a team. Selecting employees that will make the team better and more productive is the primary job of a manager. It would be malfeasance to knowingly hire a person that will disrupt a team and destroy productivity. You are not entitled to a job. You have to make yourself the right fit for the job with skills, experience, and attitude. Personality certainly is an ingredient as well. In your world, interviews would be unnecessary. Check of a list of requirements and the job is yours….not in the real world.
It's happened, I've watched enough of these that I'm hearing stories I've heard before 😅
You may have caught the live stream ... This is an excerpt from an earlier live stream. But if not, thank you for being such a regular viewer! We appreciate it!
I remember hearing the netting story before too.
@@testedI know the netting was talked about before. Adam mentioned under the idea that he came to appreciate that Jamie wouldn't simply make the assumption about anything he hadn't tested. white netting may not be better since he had never seen it tested as true personally so he had no reason to believe that white netting was somehow better than black, since he thought black would have better contrast to sunlight possibly.
You guys made my childhood. Thank you for all the smiles
It's kind of astounding how much clearly-articulated wisdom Adam packed into 9 minutes there.
I always tell people who get into over thinking that the problems will come and the solutions will follow.
I forget which maker's youtube channel had this advice, but it is *great* advice: While you're correct that you should be thinking like your customer, it's equally important to *choose* your customers. And one way you do that by setting your price to attract the customer base you want. If your prices are Walmart level, you'll attract Walmart-level customers. Sure, maybe lots of them, but is it really worth your time? If your prices are Lamborghini level, you'll attract those types of customers, but far fewer and perhaps not as many as needed. Somewhere in the middle is the answer. It isn't just materials+time.
Walmart level customers have unrealistic expectations and are far more demanding than premium customers. The less they pay, the more demanding they are. I know this through a lot of experience.
@@parajerry
Yeah, I've noticed that the closer you get to the median amount people would be willing to pay for something, the less entitled and demanding that general customer base will act towards you
I really have bee enjoy watching your videos in the morning with my coffee for the past months.
You have a great personality and are truly an inspiration. Your storytelling offers valuable insights, helping people grow creatively, ambitiously, and confidently. In this video, I appreciate how you pause to fully analyze questions and craft well-thought-out responses. The effort you put into understanding rather than rushing to answer is wonderful.
*IM A SEMI PROFESSIONAL BESPOKE TAILOR* of men's historical suits 1890 to 1940 - I charge about €5,000
I dont have a website or any promotional "stuff" going on cos I have to turn away work as it is. People who want hand made high quality WILL EITHER PAY FOR IT - OR THEY WONT
There is a bit in the middle of the Venn diagram of people who want it, people who appreciate it, and people who can afford it and you have to target that. --->
Expanding that area by making it cheaper will NOT make you enough money to keep doing it.
Thinking about it, after Jamie made such a comment, I'd have been considering that the white might reflect too much light, either from the environment or from the mirrors, making it harder to pick out the reflections of specific mirrors. Obviously, turns out that wasn't the case, but it would have beem my first concern after such a comment.
Yeah, I'm with Jamie as well. Seems "obvious" that it'll be easier to see a spot of light on a black surface better than a white one. Of course they could have spent 5 minutes to walk outside and try it...
Thinking about it more, the white will reflect more light directly back at you, so as you wave the mirror around you'll spot the "flash" of your beam better. Cold & dark here, so I'm not going outside to test. I did wave a torch at a few things though, and yeah, obvious ain't obvious.
@j.f.christ8421 well, not like I know that was what Jamie was thinking, and as Adam says, turned out black didn't work and they had to paint the net white, so whatever Jamie was thinking turned out to not be right, but I do agree that a bit of experimenting before ordering would have been in order if that was indeed what Jamie was thinking.
@@spudgamer6049 It's easier to reason something when you know what the result is. Had Adam not said "Well, there's you problem!", I'd be helping Jamie set up the black netting.
I think it was good that they at least thought of the white vs black netting issue ahead of time. It is something that they should have done a small scale test of though. Because I would have guessed that either wouldn’t block enough light to matter. And maybe the white would have been caused more blinding light.
Black netting would work if it had like a shiny finish. But being fabric-y it's probably more of a matte, which just hides the reflection pretty well.
I wasn't tired of the other membership invite. You're a likeable guy and you say stuff like that in a likeable way.
My Mom made me a custom engraved coffee mug with my Amateur Callsign on it. When my ham friends saw it they wanted one. I asked Mom what she would charge. She said $10. I told the guys $20, to which they said "is that all?" I helped the late, great Grant Imahara prepare for the Mythbusters episodes on whether cell phones cause planes to crash. I spent over an hour on the phone explaining how to use a spectrum analyzer and interpret the results. I appreciate that Grant had the time to do the job right.
Micromanagers just suck the joy out of any job.
In one company I worked for we used to have a micromanaging CEO.
Absolutely! And a person who micro manages needs to be in engineering or accounting and not in management. Management is setting the broad strategy and the people will fill in those details.
I certainly remember that one armrests death ray
Thanks for your beautiful words on micro managers, currently working w/ my corporate HR dept to get out from under one, it ain't easy but I'm committed to seeing it through. Perseverance and persistence... getting worse before the big payoff of having a life 🙏📿🛐🤞
A friend of mine used to say, "It's easier to put your price down than it is to put it up."
From my time playing MMOs specifically EVE Online I also really grew to hate micro managers... Now in EVE Online when your space ship blows up it's gone for good, you've got to build a new ship. Those ships can be equipped with stuff and in general each group has their own doctrine fits for each type of ship, but some FCs(fleet commanders/managers) are very accomidating and will do their best to make sure everyone can take part, and is willing to say let someone use a different engine module even though it will mean they'll be slightly slower than everyone else, they get to take part and have fun with everyone else.
Some FCs... some will want to manage every single person's equipment and I've even seen one not trust people to such a degree they had us all un-dock into space, he then flew his ship along the fleet using a piece of equipment called a "ship scanner", and literally scanned every single one of us to make sure we had the exact equipment the exact way he wanted it so he could "ensure the fleet action went smoothly" This took OVER AN HOUR, and by the time he was done scanning every single one of us, the objective we had in mind was no longer possible, and he basically messed up everyone's night. Made worse by he basically kicked multiple people from the fleet because they didn't have the ability to equip the specific stuff he wanted, or refused to equip it because it was to expensive(keep in mind in EVE when you did you lose your ship and everything equipped to it), so even if we could have still did our original mission, we would have had a much harder time because he had kicked some 1/3rd of the people who wanted to take part out of the fleet.
On the flip side when I would FC a fleet, I would run what's called "kitchen sink" fleets, basically "bring what you've got and are comfortable losing, we're gonna go shoot some dudes and hopefully those dudes shoot back." I had people turning up in mining ships, some in industrial ships(think space 18 wheelers), and others showing up in super expensive stuff just to show off, but everyone had fun, and it was a blast and we were in general more effective than the fleets set up by the micro managers.
Hell I remember one time rallying a fleet of miners who had never done PvP(player vs player) before in their lives, to chase down some people in rather scary large ships and we chased them out of our space. Sure a few of us lost their ships, but I covered everyone's losses, and we had a good laugh about it. Watching this combat ships running away from some dusty mining ships, while this micro managing FC from before was trying to get an organized fleet together, and actually reprimanded ME for the fleet I cobbled together because in his mind I slowed down his fleet forming, and we might have destroyed the hostile ships if his fleet had gotten organized. He might have been right, but I know we would have lost a fair few mining ships to these PvPers while he was forming his fleet, and my little fleet of dusty mining barges did in fact take down one of the PvPers.
EVE Online was a wild game, can't speak much for how it is today as I haven't played in years. Developers have kind of gone off the deep end a bit. Likely still a fun game there if you look hard enough though. The game did teach me a fair bit about management, as well as spread sheets and economics. So I've got that going for me. I definitely learned that I like a more hands off management style, and even when things need to be perfect that it's best to accommodate people rather than exclude them.
If anyone is reading my ramblings this far, thanks for that and I hope you are having a great day/night!
It was interesting! I hope you're having a good day too :)
The more I read about Eve the more I think it just sounds like having a second job. This kind of stuff is why I stopped playing MMOs
Eve is a blast. I used to hop on Newbie raids ran by Greygal. So much stupid fun.
@@elobiretv There is a common joke in the EVE community, "The games only called EVE Online, because 'Second Life' was already taken."
Some MMOs are fine, and don't require much of your time unless you want to give it to them. Maplestory is a good example, Phantasy Star Online 2 is also a fairly casual MMO, but I can agree MMOs aren't for everyone, and that's perfectly fine! Plenty of other games to appeal to basically anyone out there.
i work in higher ed and our dean is the perfect (imo) mix of laissez-faire and micromanager: only when a faculty/staff member starts notably underperforming or in some way expresses that they "shouldn't have to teach so much" does the dean start micromanaging. the change between the two dispositions seems to either shock the offending party back to reason or, occasionally, elicit a resignation signed "i feel that i've been scrutinized" or some equally egotistic drivel. in my ~3 years here i've seen 2 folks go out in the latter way and, in both cases, boy howdy was that scrutiny well earned
First 2 mins is so amazing.
My mother makes and sells crafts and way way under values her creations. Thanks for giving me a monologue to show her. 🤙🏼
I love both of you guys! Funny to hear about the behind the scenes arguments 😂
I sometimes micromanage but you're right it's incredibly stressful for everyone involved. I try not to do it but I've found that some people simply can't be trusted, slack when they are out of my sight, or ignore important details despite repeated explanations. For me, trust is the issue. If I had my druthers, I simply wouldn't work with people that can't be trusted to work on a project by themselves. Sadly, I don't control hiring. So, tho there are control freaks that love to control everyone else, there are also people like me that are goal focused and have to manage people that don't really give a damn. There is a certain amount of stuff that needs to get done every day or it's *my* ass. Damn straight I'm going to micromanage in that situation. Argh.
I have these people in my life and I know they throw verbal jabs how I'm annoying by constantly being on top of them. But, by experience, if I am not it is not a case of something taking longer to do but rather a case of it simply not being done. No 'dang, forgot, about the thing I had to do, I'll rush and finish it' and instead if it was not done then it is now completely wiped from memory never to be done.
So I bear with the snark and mention things three times. More than once the third time is met with a 'ooooh yeah, right'.
Micro-managers deserve malicious compliance.
And laissez-faire teams deserve toxicity
That’s a really good way of explaining a thought process and a way to use your time and energy for the greatest return/ success rate
Loved that answer, really helps my perspective
Just sitting here, waiting for a new Adam Savage video to drop
Every Jamie story makes me appreciate the interactions I have with my colleague that I have had a semi professional relation with for 7 years now, he too likes to be a contrarian and your attitude of “I’ll let the world prove me right” is how I deal with him now
This is a great one with a lot of wisdom, thanks for posting it!
I watched this live but had to watch it again because it is so good
Excellent video as usual. Thank you for the wisdom, Adam.
When I was in the min wage force I worked under some traumatized micro managers. I learned to work less because I expected them to tell me to clean things twice or three times no matter what. 🤷
This seems like an incredibly valuable lesson for just about anyone. Thanks so much for sharing this, I think this might help me a lot.
ive been wanting to do this with crochet. and im so scared to even start. starting out is expensive and pieces take a long time. you really have to hope people will actually want and appreciate the product
Wow, you have pointed out exactly how I am driving everyone around me nuts. Thanks. I need to change me. 👍👍
I love your thought processes. Wider views of the problem. Your saying about the world solving the problem is also stated as, "That's a tomorrow problem."
Thank you Adam. I'm writing this one down on a sticky note to put over my computer monitor right now!
I don't know how many times I've laconically said "well, no matter what we do now reality will come and bite our ass anyway" instead of trying to win the discussion at work. It's lovely advice actually. Some things you just need to know. It's up there with - just because someone is a nice guy/gal and nice to cooperate with, does not imply that they're good at their job - and - the most important thing to say at work is no. If you say yes, you will get more extra tasks, even more than you have time to finish.
Such an endlessly important detail that Adam points out there,
that remarkable, notable, added value, is not value that applies to or for every customer,
whether potential or realized customer, every added value does not apply to everyone and what you add, as a value, as a creator, is ultimately what's important to and what you're giving to your customer.
Everything that you do that IS valuable, will not always be appreciated by EVERY customer, but that does not diminish the benefit and value of that idea.
Don't be discouraged by people being individuals and not all wanting the same things. There are millions and millions of people in the world, don't be discouraged at the small percentage because there can EASILY yet still be a very very large number of people that find value in your idea.
That is such a great observation that the personal narrative surrounding the a given product adds value to that product, but not for every potential buyer of that project.
What a great discussion, thanks Adam
Ty for these mythbuster memories. I still adore that show and reference it so often, I’ve alienated friends and family 😅. So these are a lovely trip down memory lane.
Nice video . Thank you so much .
Wow, that’s a great mindset! I will try to start applying it in my life. There are so many uses for ‘letting the world solve the problem later’.
I want to thank you Adam, because instead of coming with a simple answer, we can really see you thinking and debating all the sides of the question.
I have reached a similar solution: when there's is someone completely contrarian and there's no problem taking their option I let them decide and if it goes wrong, it will be on their face.
Regarding managers, I really hate micromanagers. There's was one time we had a critical bug and the manager wanted an status all the time, so one point I answered "literally the same way it was 5 minutes ago", only then he backed away and let work on the problem
I need a poster with the "Do I have to solve this now..." quote for my office! Such a good approach to many discussions that derail forward progress!
Great answers!
Such great advice.
I actually do this pretty often, someone at work brings up a very under developed idea with a ton of confidence.
I don't say anything, they try it out and fail, then I give them advice and help them.
Only then will they even consider outside ideas.
Thanks for teaching me the word 'inculcate'.
I came to the same conclusion about letting the world solve a problem, but from a different direction: I don't have to be the bad guy who ruins someone's dream. Everybody expects the world to do that already. But if they succeed anyway, I can be happy for them and know I didn't stand in their way.
Dude! I’m glad you made this video. I think how you thought. I’ve been struggling with it because i’m aware of it.
Currently working for a micro manager. It is exhausting!!!!
That's absolutely the correct way to start a business. If you want to be profitable you have to know what your costs are. Far too many businesses just get started and don't have any way of knowing whether they're making or losing money.
I'm still trying to get passed Jaime not realizing why white would be the superior reflector for that project.