Why do people think im incompetent?

So tomorrow is my last day at my current job. Normally people go out for lunch whenever someone leaves the team. But i just found out like there is no plan so far.

I usually don't like to be put on the spot, so I'm ok that they are not going out. But there is something that bothers me like, all these people pretend to be close to me, then right when i'm about to leave they all act like strangers.

Also another thing i found out from one of my project manager is that, my previous project manager told him i'm not very productive.

I usually work harder than most people here but i don't present myself well in the team. When someone make a mistake and break my code (i'm a software developer, if you guys don't know what i do for a living) i don't go around throwing people under the bus to make myself look good. I go to them directly, if that is something i cant fix easily. If its something i can do, i work even overtime to fix it.

But i really don't understand what i have been doing wrong to make them think that I'm incompetent. Can someone point it out to me, what i have been doing wrong? I would like to change that at my next job.

You answered your own question. When someone else messed up what you did, you cover for them and take it on yourself to fix. Thus the management doesn't know what actually happened, they only see that YOUR code is broken. So they can only go by the information that they have about you. Your code broken, you are having to work OT to fix it, you must not be very competent.

It's not that you need to go around complaining and throwing people under the bus. However, you do need to make sure your manager is informed about the situation - bob did x, this broke my code, I have figured out a solution. Manager, if it's OK with you, I will be working OT to fix it. The difference here is now the manager knows that you are working hard to correct an issue not caused by you and therefore good worker, good person to have on the team.

Who cares what they think? You are moving on to bigger and better things. Congrats!

But i really don't understand what i have been doing wrong to make them think that I'm incompetent. Can someone point it out to me, what i have been doing wrong? I would like to change that at my next job.

It'd be best to ask this kind of question to your manager / supervisor during your exit interview (assuming you're getting one). Otherwise, simply sitting down and having a candid conversation with him / her before you leave could be advantageous.

You answered your own question. When someone else messed up what you did, you cover for them and take it on yourself to fix. Thus the management doesn't know what actually happened, they only see that YOUR code is broken. So they can only go by the information that they have about you. Your code broken, you are having to work OT to fix it, you must not be very competent.

 

It's not that you need to go around complaining and throwing people under the bus. However, you do need to make sure your manager is informed about the situation - bob did x, this broke my code, I have figured out a solution. Manager, if it's OK with you, I will be working OT to fix it. The difference here is now the manager knows that you are working hard to correct an issue not caused by you and therefore good worker, good person to have on the team.

i think this is it precisely. keep detailed logs of your tasks, what you did and when and when you took someone else's work, and periodically inform your manager of what you are doing. also ask for feedback. it's not asking to hear a list of your sins, just every once in a while ask whether they're happy with your work and what they would like to see done differently.

as for there not being a farewell organized, maybe other people have initiated one when leaving, or it's to do with how social and how much of a team player one is, and whether their job had them placed in a somewhat solitary position. you can always just announce you're treating them drinks on such and such.

You answered your own question. When someone else messed up what you did, you cover for them and take it on yourself to fix. Thus the management doesn't know what actually happened, they only see that YOUR code is broken. So they can only go by the information that they have about you. Your code broken, you are having to work OT to fix it, you must not be very competent.

 

It's not that you need to go around complaining and throwing people under the bus. However, you do need to make sure your manager is informed about the situation - bob did x, this broke my code, I have figured out a solution. Manager, if it's OK with you, I will be working OT to fix it. The difference here is now the manager knows that you are working hard to correct an issue not caused by you and therefore good worker, good person to have on the team.

Yes i think may be i should do that. I'm just worreid like it will make me look bad when i tell other coworkers or manager that someone break the code. It's more like they will think i'm doing the same to them behind their back.

Who cares what they think? You are moving on to bigger and better things. Congrats!

Thanks! I just want to know my mistake and learn from it. I don't want to be just a software developer my entire life. I want to move up the ladder. But for that i need to have people skill and learn from my mistakes

i think this has something to do with it. it's not that there were "no assignments", it just demanded aggressiveness, and as you probably didn't show that amount of ambition, you got less tasks and thus less done?

it will make me look bad when i tell other coworkers or manager that someone break the code.

You know, it's all relative. Whatever their opinion is may be irrelevant at your new place where they may view what you do as stellar.

Thanks! I just want to know my mistake and learn from it. I want to move up the ladder. But for that i need to have people skill and learn from my mistakes

No one here can completely answer that question without both having the expertise in your field and the capacity to supervise you. Is there someone else whose job you're doing when you're debugging and fixing code other people break? Or are you simply expected to keep your software running smoothly throughout development? If the former, yeah, you're definitely being inefficient. If the latter, I'm not sure throwing others under the bus would have done you any better.

 

It'd be best to ask this kind of question to your manager / supervisor during your exit interview (assuming you're getting one). Otherwise, simply sitting down and having a candid conversation with him / her before you leave could be advantageous.

So we work in team right? So someone will put something that breaks existing freature that was released in previous release or we are still in development phase, where i've added one feature and i'm done with that task. Then move on to the next assignment. Then someone's code break those, and it creates a lot of noise like hey you said it was working now its no longer working. It makes me look like a liar. Like did a ty job and released it.

 

i think this has something to do with it. it's not that there were "no assignments", it just demanded aggressiveness, and as you probably didn't show that amount of ambition, you got less tasks and thus less done?

That was a phase at work. Later i got a lot of assignments. But yea i agree with you, during that period, i sort of checked out. And didnt feel like impressing anyone.

So we work in team right? So someone will put something that breaks existing freature that was released in previous release or we are still in development phase, where i've added one feature and i'm done with that task. Then move on to the next assignment. Then someone's code break those, and it creates a lot of noise like hey you said it was working now its no longer working. It makes me look like a liar. Like did a ty job and released it.

Again, I'm really hesitant to chalk it up to anything specific. You probably couldn't draw up a thread that would give us enough detail and context to criticize or praise your day-to-day productivity if you had a week to spell it all out in a thread.

If you have a good understanding of your industry, are confident in your skills, and can take constructive criticism, it's worth it to ask the person whose actual job it is to evaluate your productivity.

Read some articles on being a team player. It's working together to solve common goals. It may be that you're solving each problem as it arises, and the problems keep happening because the entire group isn't informed. One person might not care or be lazy. Since I don't understand your job, I can just give some vague ideas that you might be able to gear towards your work. Keep your manager regularly informed of what you're working on. Suggest a group e-mail that either he or you come up with, or have a group meeting, to discuss regular problems that could be fixed, with his final okay to the finished product, of course. You can inform the supv. of your discussion with the employee and how you fixed the problem and how long it took. This doesn't mean throwing someone under the bus. You can add info that the employee now understands what happened, so it's less likely to happen in the future. Perhaps you're holed up in an office and without the supv. knowing what you're working on, and he/she is assuming the worst.

I get that. But was it your job to debug and sort out broken code, even if the fault of others?

 

Again, I'm really hesitant to chalk it up to anything specific. You probably couldn't draw up a thread that would give us enough detail and context to criticize or praise your day-to-day productivity if you had a week to spell it all out in a thread.

 

If you have a good understanding of your industry, are confident in your skills, and can take constructive criticism, it's worth it to ask the person whose actual job it is to evaluate your productivity.

It is not like if someone breaks it, i have to fix it. Usually if i break something, people will send email to the whole team or we have daily morning meeting, they will tell me in that meeting.

I just dont do that. I either email them directly or tell them on chat because i dont want to embarassed them infront of the whole team.

So management probably dont know that someone else break what i did.

I work in a very cut-throat environment, where people throw each other under the bus all the time. I want to be a leader one day, getting people in trouble is not a way to go.

Read some articles on being a team player. It's working together to solve common goals. It may be that you're solving each problem as it arises, and the problems keep happening because the entire group isn't informed. One person might not care or be lazy. Since I don't understand your job, I can just give some vague ideas that you might be able to gear towards your work. Keep your manager regularly informed of what you're working on. Suggest a group e-mail that either he or you come up with, or have a group meeting, to discuss regular problems that could be fixed, with his final okay to the finished product, of course. You can inform the supv. of your discussion with the employee and how you fixed the problem and how long it took. This doesn't mean throwing someone under the bus. You can add info that the employee now understands what happened, so it's less likely to happen in the future. Perhaps you're holed up in an office and without the supv. knowing what you're working on, and he/she is assuming the worst.

Thanks for your input. Yes its true, i need to communicate more. My direct manager knows though, when im working on something. It's just that someone who is above him dont know.

obviously, getting yourself in trouble by throwing yourself under the bus isn't either.

you can take responsibility for others' actions because you're just too nice. but when you take it upon yourself, it will be considered yours. if that bothers you, choose otherwise. if it bothers you more to be assertive and clear, then you've bartered the right to complain that you're held accountable for the mistakes of others, because you have already decided it is preferential to keep others comfortable. it isn't complicated.

So we work in team right? So someone will put something that breaks existing freature that was released in previous release or we are still in development phase, where i've added one feature and i'm done with that task. Then move on to the next assignment. Then someone's code break those, and it creates a lot of noise like hey you said it was working now its no longer working. It makes me look like a liar. Like did a ty job and released it.

That's a bad team you are in. Hopefully you would have an open conversation with your supervisor to explain that situation so they are aware and can change the whole team's approach.

It sounds like you guys have a poor change control process.

obviously, getting yourself in trouble by throwing yourself under the bus isn't either.

 

you can take responsibility for others' actions because you're just too nice. but when you take it upon yourself, it will be considered yours. if that bothers you, choose otherwise. if it bothers you more to be assertive and clear, then you've bartered the right to complain that you're held accountable for the mistakes of others, because you have already decided it is preferential to keep others comfortable. it isn't complicated.

It hit the nail on the head. It's true, i'm way too nice. It's not that i don't know it. I am struggling with how to be more assertive without coming off as a .

That's a bad team you are in. Hopefully you would have an open conversation with your supervisor to explain that situation so they are aware and can change the whole team's approach.

 

It sounds like you guys have a poor change control process.

My supervisor knows. But he doesnt have much power. He is somewhat quiet guy himself. He doesnt like the team structure, so he's leaving this team end of March as well

It hit the nail on the head. It's true, i'm way too nice. It's not that i don't know it. I am struggling with how to be more assertive without coming off as a .

i know, it's a stubborn problem. sorry for putting it so bluntly, i wanted it to sink in. again, i empathize, i still find myself doing it as well. for me, what works is seeing just what a mess i land myself in when i'm not assertive. i currently have five months of another person's crap to clean up, because i played "nice" with someone who kept saying and showing they won't take responsibility. the extent of extra work is a really good deterrent to not do this again. it has deterred me from being so accommodating with others, and i averted another crisis that could've happened in the same manner if i continued the "nice" game. sometimes we just have to weight it against the consequence. you'll be elsewhere soon, and starting there one experience wiser.

my previous project manager told him i'm not very productive.

 

I usually work harder than most people here but i don't present myself well in the team..

Can you elaborate on this please? That could have something to do with giving the impression you are not very productive?

Why do people think im incompetent?

Because you haven't been proactive enough to find out why--from them.

So, I think it depends on how things work in your team. I work on teams in my new job (5 months) and I used to, for over 10 years, prior to this. I think that keeping a paper trail from the word go is the way to do it -make sure your supervisor knows how responsibilities are divided up. If a code is broken by someone else and you need to work OT to fix it, email the supervisor and state that you discovered that there was a problem with the code when it was given back to you and you are now trying to fix it and you will. Make it about keeping your supervisor informed of what you are doing and why.

A few weeks ago my supervisor emailed my team and was unhappy that something she had asked to be done had not been done. It had NOTHING to do with my work, at all - I was completely out of the loop on that aspect -and I knew who had made the mistake. Since she emailed all of us and knew that I had not been on the email chain for that aspect, I stayed silent. She wasn't singling me out, my telling her wouldn't get the work done faster, and if it was that important to her she could check the email chain to figure it out. I don't know if the person who made the mistake told her (and he had given notice which also made the whole thing a bit awkward). It really is a case by case thing.

As far as presenting well- that is essential to work on. How you present can be so important because that might be the only face time you get with your team concerning that project. Practice on your posture, tone, word choice - and be ultra organized when it's your turn to present. Always have something to write with and a pad -or something to type on. Work on eye contact too.

Good luck!