WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.759
Welcome back to Day Day Up, the weekly podcast for Chinese professionals navigating the Western workplace.
00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:06.799
I'm Jonathan.
00:00:06.959 --> 00:00:08.320
Let's get into it.
00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:11.839
The harder I work, the more blame I get.
00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.080
Kim said this to me last week.
00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:17.120
She's an AI engineer in a client-facing role.
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:21.359
Like many high performers I work with, Kim suffers from a condition.
00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:23.359
It keeps her up at 2 a.m.
00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:32.799
wondering if her teammate is hitting their deadlines, wondering if the client will call tomorrow asking where the deliverable is, wondering if they've caught every bug.
00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:36.560
There's a name for this condition, ownership.
00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:39.840
Ownership can be a beautiful thing.
00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:43.759
When things go well, the applause goes to you, and so do the rewards.
00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:50.880
That's why so many of us Chinese work weekends and late nights for it while our Western coworkers clock out at five.
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.399
But when things go wrong, suddenly it's all on you.
00:00:54.640 --> 00:01:00.960
If you're like him and you want all the upside of ownership with none of the blame, keep these three principles in mind.
00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.719
One, assume responsibility, not liability.
00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:08.000
Growing up in Canada, I hated group projects.
00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:13.840
Basically, these just meant hardworking Chinese kid John will do the whole project while everyone else plays.
00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:21.040
So at the age of seven, I already learned that responsibility and liability are not the same thing.
00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:24.000
Responsibility is owning your piece and doing it well.
00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:26.799
Liability is taking the blame for the whole thing.
00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:32.480
And when you assume an outcome that was never yours, you set yourself up to fail.
00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:39.840
So next time if the project is bottlenecked by others, don't say workstream B is behind schedule, so I'll make sure it all gets done.
00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:44.000
Do say I've made sure workstream A is done and on track.
00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:47.040
I want to flag that workstream B is behind schedule.
00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.719
I think we should align on how we can support it to get back on track.
00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:53.359
G2, document before dive.
00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:58.319
And when you see a teammate drowning, the instinct is to dive straight in and start helping.
00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.200
But undocumented help is invisible help.
00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:06.319
If the project fails, all anyone sees is your fingerprints on a failed deliverable.
00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:08.719
So document it in two quick moves.
00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:13.759
First, clear it with that person so you're not forcing help they never asked for.
00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:16.000
Part A is done and I have some time.
00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:17.680
I noticed part B is tough.
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:19.120
Want me to take a pass?
00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:20.159
Your call.
00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.520
Then tell your manager.
00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:26.159
So everyone knows where your responsibility starts and ends.
00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:27.520
Quick update.
00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:29.039
Part A is done.
00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:31.919
Teammate, okay, my help on part B.
00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:33.439
So I'm stepping into support.
00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:35.199
Let me know if you have concerns.
00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:40.400
The best part is if your help ends up making a difference, you get the credit you deserve.
00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:45.840
Sometimes visibility is as simple as raising your hand before you solve the problem.
00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:49.439
Three, acknowledge, don't apologize.
00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:54.400
When something breaks, the reflex is to apologize, like, sorry, I should have caught this.
00:02:55.039 --> 00:03:00.159
But in a high stakes moment, every sorry is a quiet confession.
00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:03.039
It tells the room the mistake was yours.
00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:06.960
And it's utterly unfair to put a project mistake onto one person.
00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:13.520
You see, apologizing accepts the blame, but acknowledging just accepts the situation.
00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:18.800
Saying, I know this is frustrating shows you hear them without making it your fault.
00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:24.560
So when you answer for a poor outcome, remind your boss, you're on the same team with the same goal.
00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:27.680
You want to figure out together what to do going forward.
00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:29.680
Don't say, I'm so sorry.
00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.240
Unfortunately, the client terminated our deal.
00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:34.080
I should have flagged this earlier.
00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:38.639
Do say the client went another way, and I'm just as frustrated as you are.
00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:46.080
In our sync last week, we discussed how Part B was behind, and despite our efforts to step in and support, it wasn't enough.
00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:48.479
Here's what I think we can do going forward.
00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:50.800
Take the applause, take the credit.
00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:55.520
Just don't take the fall for a mistake that was never yours alone to own.
00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:59.039
Alright, that's your growth tip for this week.
00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.120
Now let's take a melon break.
00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:07.680
Christopher Nolan's Trojan Horse for months.
00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:12.800
Christopher Nolan's new movie, The Odyssey, was the internet's favorite thing to hate.
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.399
A few reasons, whether you agree or not, he cast Lupita Nyongo, a black actress, as Helen of Troy.
00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:24.959
He was rumored to cast Elliot Page, formerly Ellen Page, a trans man as Achilles.
00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:29.759
He gave ancient Greek warriors American accents and modern English dialogue.
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.560
Armor in the movie, according to historical purists, was not historically accurate.
00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:47.279
It was a$250 million bet on a 2,700 year old poem three hours long, rated R, filmed entirely on IMAX cameras for the first time in history.
00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:53.040
Everyone had already decided it was going to be a disaster, even before they had seen a single frame.
00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:55.519
Nolan's response?
00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:57.279
He shrugged.
00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:06.639
These conversations that happen before people see the film, they're always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet.
00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:10.560
Then just a few days ago, the movie came out.
00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:12.879
And it came out in a big way.
00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:20.800
The Odyssey opened to$263.7 million globally, the biggest opening weekend of Nolan's entire career.
00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:28.879
At the time of writing, it has amassed a 94% rating from critics and a 97% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:34.800
Critics are calling it his best work, and whispers of best picture are spreading.
00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:40.079
The loudest people in the room from a few months ago are now suddenly very, very quiet.
00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:44.959
I applaud my favorite director for his inspirational vision yet again.
00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:51.360
When I see it in theaters, I doubt the Odyssey will replace Interstellar or the prestige in their special place in my heart.
00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:57.120
But this movie's story outside of the theater has been a hero's journey of its own.
00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.879
Here's how you can use this topic in Small Talk next week.
00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:04.079
With coworkers, did you end up seeing the Odyssey?
00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:09.600
Everyone was roasting it online for months, and then it broke Nolan's own box office record.
00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.399
Kind of hilarious how fast the internet changed its mind once people actually watched it.
00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:16.319
With your boss.
00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:20.160
The Odyssey rollout was a good reminder about pre-launch noise.
00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:24.639
There was months of backlash before anyone saw the film, and now it's breaking records.
00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:31.920
Makes me think about how much energy teams spend reacting to opinions before a thing even ships versus just letting the work land.
00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:40.720
Daity Up is written, produced, and hosted with love by me, Jonathan Lee.
00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:48.639
To learn more, check out my free weekly newsletter for communicating in the Western Workplace, read by over 2,000 Chinese professionals.
00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.920
Just search Daily Up Jonathan and you will find me.
00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:53.360
That's all for today.
00:06:53.600 --> 00:07:06.079
See you next Sunday with the Chisang Sho Banco.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.759
Welcome back to Day Day Up, the weekly podcast for Chinese professionals navigating the Western workplace.
00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:06.799
I'm Jonathan.
00:00:06.959 --> 00:00:08.320
Let's get into it.
00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:11.839
The harder I work, the more blame I get.
00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.080
Kim said this to me last week.
00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:17.120
She's an AI engineer in a client-facing role.
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:21.359
Like many high performers I work with, Kim suffers from a condition.
00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:23.359
It keeps her up at 2 a.m.
00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:32.799
wondering if her teammate is hitting their deadlines, wondering if the client will call tomorrow asking where the deliverable is, wondering if they've caught every bug.
00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:36.560
There's a name for this condition, ownership.
00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:39.840
Ownership can be a beautiful thing.
00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:43.759
When things go well, the applause goes to you, and so do the rewards.
00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:50.880
That's why so many of us Chinese work weekends and late nights for it while our Western coworkers clock out at five.
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.399
But when things go wrong, suddenly it's all on you.
00:00:54.640 --> 00:01:00.960
If you're like him and you want all the upside of ownership with none of the blame, keep these three principles in mind.
00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.719
One, assume responsibility, not liability.
00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:08.000
Growing up in Canada, I hated group projects.
00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:13.840
Basically, these just meant hardworking Chinese kid John will do the whole project while everyone else plays.
00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:21.040
So at the age of seven, I already learned that responsibility and liability are not the same thing.
00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:24.000
Responsibility is owning your piece and doing it well.
00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:26.799
Liability is taking the blame for the whole thing.
00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:32.480
And when you assume an outcome that was never yours, you set yourself up to fail.
00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:39.840
So next time if the project is bottlenecked by others, don't say workstream B is behind schedule, so I'll make sure it all gets done.
00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:44.000
Do say I've made sure workstream A is done and on track.
00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:47.040
I want to flag that workstream B is behind schedule.
00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.719
I think we should align on how we can support it to get back on track.
00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:53.359
G2, document before dive.
00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:58.319
And when you see a teammate drowning, the instinct is to dive straight in and start helping.
00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.200
But undocumented help is invisible help.
00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:06.319
If the project fails, all anyone sees is your fingerprints on a failed deliverable.
00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:08.719
So document it in two quick moves.
00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:13.759
First, clear it with that person so you're not forcing help they never asked for.
00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:16.000
Part A is done and I have some time.
00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:17.680
I noticed part B is tough.
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:19.120
Want me to take a pass?
00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:20.159
Your call.
00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.520
Then tell your manager.
00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:26.159
So everyone knows where your responsibility starts and ends.
00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:27.520
Quick update.
00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:29.039
Part A is done.
00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:31.919
Teammate, okay, my help on part B.
00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:33.439
So I'm stepping into support.
00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:35.199
Let me know if you have concerns.
00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:40.400
The best part is if your help ends up making a difference, you get the credit you deserve.
00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:45.840
Sometimes visibility is as simple as raising your hand before you solve the problem.
00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:49.439
Three, acknowledge, don't apologize.
00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:54.400
When something breaks, the reflex is to apologize, like, sorry, I should have caught this.
00:02:55.039 --> 00:03:00.159
But in a high stakes moment, every sorry is a quiet confession.
00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:03.039
It tells the room the mistake was yours.
00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:06.960
And it's utterly unfair to put a project mistake onto one person.
00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:13.520
You see, apologizing accepts the blame, but acknowledging just accepts the situation.
00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:18.800
Saying, I know this is frustrating shows you hear them without making it your fault.
00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:24.560
So when you answer for a poor outcome, remind your boss, you're on the same team with the same goal.
00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:27.680
You want to figure out together what to do going forward.
00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:29.680
Don't say, I'm so sorry.
00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.240
Unfortunately, the client terminated our deal.
00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:34.080
I should have flagged this earlier.
00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:38.639
Do say the client went another way, and I'm just as frustrated as you are.
00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:46.080
In our sync last week, we discussed how Part B was behind, and despite our efforts to step in and support, it wasn't enough.
00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:48.479
Here's what I think we can do going forward.
00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:50.800
Take the applause, take the credit.
00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:55.520
Just don't take the fall for a mistake that was never yours alone to own.
00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:59.039
Alright, that's your growth tip for this week.
00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.120
Now let's take a melon break.
00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:07.680
Christopher Nolan's Trojan Horse for months.
00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:12.800
Christopher Nolan's new movie, The Odyssey, was the internet's favorite thing to hate.
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.399
A few reasons, whether you agree or not, he cast Lupita Nyongo, a black actress, as Helen of Troy.
00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:24.959
He was rumored to cast Elliot Page, formerly Ellen Page, a trans man as Achilles.
00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:29.759
He gave ancient Greek warriors American accents and modern English dialogue.
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.560
Armor in the movie, according to historical purists, was not historically accurate.
00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:47.279
It was a$250 million bet on a 2,700 year old poem three hours long, rated R, filmed entirely on IMAX cameras for the first time in history.
00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:53.040
Everyone had already decided it was going to be a disaster, even before they had seen a single frame.
00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:55.519
Nolan's response?
00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:57.279
He shrugged.
00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:06.639
These conversations that happen before people see the film, they're always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet.
00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:10.560
Then just a few days ago, the movie came out.
00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:12.879
And it came out in a big way.
00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:20.800
The Odyssey opened to$263.7 million globally, the biggest opening weekend of Nolan's entire career.
00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:28.879
At the time of writing, it has amassed a 94% rating from critics and a 97% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:34.800
Critics are calling it his best work, and whispers of best picture are spreading.
00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:40.079
The loudest people in the room from a few months ago are now suddenly very, very quiet.
00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:44.959
I applaud my favorite director for his inspirational vision yet again.
00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:51.360
When I see it in theaters, I doubt the Odyssey will replace Interstellar or the prestige in their special place in my heart.
00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:57.120
But this movie's story outside of the theater has been a hero's journey of its own.
00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.879
Here's how you can use this topic in Small Talk next week.
00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:04.079
With coworkers, did you end up seeing the Odyssey?
00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:09.600
Everyone was roasting it online for months, and then it broke Nolan's own box office record.
00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.399
Kind of hilarious how fast the internet changed its mind once people actually watched it.
00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:16.319
With your boss.
00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:20.160
The Odyssey rollout was a good reminder about pre-launch noise.
00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:24.639
There was months of backlash before anyone saw the film, and now it's breaking records.
00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:31.920
Makes me think about how much energy teams spend reacting to opinions before a thing even ships versus just letting the work land.
00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:40.720
Daity Up is written, produced, and hosted with love by me, Jonathan Lee.
00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:48.639
To learn more, check out my free weekly newsletter for communicating in the Western Workplace, read by over 2,000 Chinese professionals.
00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.920
Just search Daily Up Jonathan and you will find me.
00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:53.360
That's all for today.
00:06:53.600 --> 00:07:06.079
See you next Sunday with the Chisang Sho Banco.
