I finally heard my old boss tell a new hire 'just figure it out' and it hit me

I was grabbing coffee at the spot near my old office in Chicago and overheard my former manager say that exact phrase to a young guy on his team. It took me back to 2015 when he said the same thing to me, and I spent a whole weekend stressed trying to learn a new software alone. Now I realize that advice can either build you up or burn you out, depending on the support around it. For those who started their careers a while back, how do you handle passing on 'tough love' advice to new people now?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_stone72mo ago

My old boss in Chicago said that to me too, and lane.joel is right, it just means no help is coming lol.

lane.joel2mo ago

Honestly, that phrase just means they don't want to train you.

noahhall1mo ago

Maybe it's not always that deep though. Could just be a bad manager, not some big company policy.