Chapter 1: The Incident

In a previous piece, I discussed how a colleague lost their job. To summarize, their downfall stemmed from a lack of participation in meetings. The decision to let them go didn’t come as a shock to anyone.

However, another aspect of this situation concerns how they interacted with management, particularly their superior's superior, which plays a crucial role in workplace dynamics.

What transpired?

This story revolves around a seemingly insignificant situation involving a front-end developer. The developer encountered a comment from their boss's boss on a JIRA ticket, likely pointing out a minor issue like a color mismatch. Addressing misalignments or visual errors is routine for front-end developers. Unfortunately, the soon-to-be-unemployed developer dismissed the comment with, "Designers don’t use JIRA."

This remark, while not a major offense, had unforeseen consequences. Dismissing feedback from higher-ups can be detrimental, and it's naive to think it didn’t affect perceptions.

The personal toll

This incident was not solely about that specific ticket; it contributed to the developer's growing negative reputation. I recall their manager's words: "They’re unhappy when they have too much work and unhappy when they have too little." Their boss remarked that this is simply part of the software development landscape.

Despite the truth in that statement, it highlighted a deteriorating relationship with management. After working remotely for an extended period, they had also isolated themselves from potential allies in the workplace.

By undermining someone in a higher position, they inadvertently revealed their own insecurities, illustrating a common rookie mistake.

What can we take away from this?

The lesson here isn't about becoming a developer who prioritizes social connections over technical ability. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of balancing your professional skills with how you are perceived by others.

If only our technical abilities were the sole determinant of our success! Unfortunately, that’s not the reality. Misjudging this balance could lead you to face a fate similar to our featured colleague.

Could you mean a few months of paid leave followed by a better opportunity? That’s indeed what unfolded.

Conclusion

Rather than solely focusing on coding challenges, consider investing time in building relationships with your coworkers over a casual drink.

Truth About The Author

Professional Software Developer “The Secret Developer” can be found on Twitter @TheSDeveloper and regularly publishes articles through Medium.com.

Chapter 2: Lessons Learned

The video titled "How to Configure a Permission Scheme in Jira | Atlassian Jira" discusses the significance of understanding permissions and managing relationships within JIRA effectively, which ties back to the importance of communication in the workplace.