| I did this a few weeks ago. In hindsight, I should have explained more about "why we kind of suck at that right now," and what we are doing to improve on it. I realized I could have used a more positive positioning to describe the team's shortcomings. "This process isn't the best right now and can be improved. This is how we can improve on it..." sounds a bit softer, but people will listen. Most people, when they hear the word "we... suck..." they probably aren't going to listen to the rest of what will you say. These comments can make people feel uncomfortable, especially in today's working environment. It's probably easier to say this in a small, trusted team meeting where folks can laugh. I wouldn't rely on this is just how this person is. It's easy to get a new manager or start working with a new team where this kind of behavior wouldn't fly and would work against you. Anyone can say this sucks. It's good to explain why it sucks or how it could be improved. Most folks will hear you out if you have a good reason or give them new ideas to explore. If the problem is cannot be solved now, it may better to document. I've been pointing out issues in our app for years, and now some folks are using my documents as the starting point to solve some of these problems. "I wrote about that issue a year ago. Happy that document was able to give some context!" Depending on your 'personal' philosophy or your corporate 'shared' meta philosophy... If the problem is not your problem to solve, it might be best not to comment at all, as it is not your burden to bear. |