The Thought That Shifted Adam Savage's Relationship With Jamie Forever

Does Adam Savage have advice for someone who's trying to price their freelance creations competitively with manufacturers? Which type of supervisor does Adam find more frustrating to work for: micromanagers or laissez-faire? In this live stream excerpt Adam answers these questions from Tested members @Ziz62266 and @Vickie-Bligh, whom we thank for their support! Which sort of manager do YOU prefer?
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Thanks for watching!

[@tested]

Which sort of manager do YOU prefer? Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam a question: kzbin.info/door/iDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOAjoin

[@ashleyanderson2859]

One who has a brain and knows how to listen

[@rpi4sandman]

I was a manager. I did my level best to avoid decisions unless absolutely required by me. I preferred to let my folks sort out the problem or as you say, let the world decide. The trick to avoiding micromanagement is to cultivate patience and trust that your folks are on the right course.

[@aridragonbeard745]

Micromanagers are the WORST. I agree with Adam on this completely. I'm way more efficient at my job when I can just be left to do my thing

[@1JPCustom]

Micromanagers are someone who knows little about what their talking about usually and won't let you work. A lazy manager is not good either but at least the employees are left to work properly.

[@williegillie5712]

I like the panache Adam puts in his experiences. Very entertaining lol and funny

[@DawnDavidson]

“I don’t have to win this argument right now” and “The world will solve this problem for me later.” - WOW. Adam, THANK YOU.

[@user-fk8zw5js2p]

These are good ways to approach many disagreements. But, as Adam said, they had to paint the entire net onsite because he didn't argue. If you let the world solve a problem later, also have a way to correct the wrong approach that you didn't argue against.

[@DawnDavidson]

@@user-fk8zw5js2p that’s true. Sometimes it’s expensive and/or annoying to fix it later. Having a backup plan is good!

[@littlesmallworld123]

@@DawnDavidson Sounds like a huge waste of time when the answer has been proven more times over than one could fathom. Everyone and their grandma knows a surface covered in snow will reflect more light than a surface covered in asphalt. Seems like Jamie just wanted a win to stroke his ego but picked the dumbest possible time to try.

[@toastedpetOG]

It was very well phrased. I use(d) "is this the hill/fight I'm ready to die on/for?" it took me longer than I care to admit to ease into that mindset, but I am better off for it. I was that micro-manager he spoke about for way too long.

[@woronzof3909]

Such a great thought to share. Many thanks!

[@rpi4sandman]

I appreciate the effort you put into trying to understand a question rather than rushing towards an answer.

[@tested]

Thanks for your comment ... we'll pass it on to Adam! Very kind!

[@Frog_Puppet]

@@tested I agree, I appreciate that he pauses to fully analyze a question and craft a well thought out response. I've tried to pick up that habit since watching these videos.

[@gustavofigueiredo1798]

Me too. I felt the empathy.

[@shiroi5672]

​@@Frog_Puppet It's a great mindset to have, even for something you disagree with. Doing the so called steelmanning of an argument instead of strawmanning, all that while being happy, positive and trying to move towards a solution or the truth. Quite hard when the other person doesn't have ears, but worth it for most people.

[@b1oh1]

This is why I love watching Adam. Such a thoughtful person.

[@poultrytruffle]

I love how well the two of you guys outwardly got along for your livelihoods, even though you weren’t very compatible as friends. I’m so glad I had myth busters growing up from a small child and can watch you here now!

[@gabbonoo]

i had always assumed the silly questions was a *teacher asking in a way to have you practice critical thinking*. that doesnt make sense when he asks his colleague of similar experience, even if Adam does seem like someone who gets savant-like tunnel vision.

[@OffGridInvestor]

They were chalk and cheese. I always felt Adam was too loud. He's more of a showman, Jamie was more of a workshop guy.

[@Recessio]

@@OffGridInvestor Jamie knew that by himself, he wouldn't make a successful show. That's why he got Adam involved. Together they balanced each other out perfectly.

[@shables2960]

There always was competition going on, and Adam seemed like it was personal for him, just a type A personality

[@gabbonoo]

@@shables2960 the hard forced laughter feels very type-a... not that those type-whatever are good representation for the nuance of personality. a good time saver, they are.

[@xrockangelx]

As someone who hates being micro-managed but also struggles not to micro-manage, I think you're absolutely right about the reason behind it.

[@gabbonoo]

the polar peaks correlate with trauma. the standard coincides more heavily with habitual perfectionism and risk mitigation converting to micro when managing the human element. arbitrarily made methodology devised through habits>worry>frustration>perfectionism>trauma, from my experience

[@Sosozanyway]

​@@gabbonoo trauma lmao. Stubbing your toe isn't trauma.

[@gabbonoo]

@@Sosozanyway ??? trauma is an injury or something disturbing enough to affect you after. so yeah, stubbing your toe is technically trauma and can be psych trauma too.

[@Sosozanyway]

@@gabbonoo technically, sure. Yet, you won't see anyone calling for a trauma 2 on a stubbed toe in the ED. Hilarious though.

[@Bijlez]

@@Sosozanyway so random

[@darkalman]

My version of the life lesson from this video is: "As a manager sometimes you need to take a step back and let people make mistakes. As a manager my job isn't necessarily to prevent those mistakes, it's to make sure they don't burn the building down while learning their lesson"

[@BlkFireHawk427]

I Loved That!

[@Sordatos]

But the mistake was most likely on the person asking it

[@Patvk8]

Agreed. Otherwise, it's just cat hearding in some businesses

[@robertcasey9550]

Nicely put.

[@Steele47]

I'm sure i read that somewhere

[@ozpin8329]

I will always be thankful for the dynamic that the two of you shared on MythBusters, not just because it made the show better, but for anyone who knew the relationship the two of you had behind the scenes, it was a very good example of professional respect and working with somebody in an environment that you might not have gotten along with on a personal level. In my life, I've had co-workers that I don't get along with on a personal level, but we've never had issues buckling down together professionally to do what's expected of us. Seeing a healthy business relationship for so many years produce so many things is a source of inspiration that I think a lot of people overlook when discussing MythBusters, and I wanted to let you know that even if it's not as visible, it's greatly appreciated.

[@mycatistypingthis5450]

I have friends I could never work with. Some of my best collegues I will never be friends with.

[@awandererfromys1680]

Even back in the day I found the stark contrast between _Mythbusters_ and other shows like _Orange County Choppers_ remarkable. It was an anomaly. Between all the toxic drama and chair-throwing this show had a warm and welcoming vibe and the team were a bunch of wholesome goofballs in the best way possible. And they created some weird and beautiful things together. Like the lead balloon episode, that's pure visual poetry. No wonder it stood the test of time really. I can't think of any other Discovery show as fondly remembered as _Mythbusters._

[@pete_lind]

Jaimie pullet fast one with that, of course you use black strings in movie making, if you dont want those showing very well, reflect less light. 😀

[@growtocycle6992]

​@@awandererfromys1680 dirty jobs and maybe man vs wild, but yeah. Myth busters stands the test of time.

[@Vykk_Draygo]

@@growtocycle6992 I was gonna say, Dirty Jobs was top tier too.

[@ironjelly9500]

Its really refreshing to hear someone think before they speak, you can really tell he is giving it his honest thought

[@Mtslzerox]

Sad how rare that is 😂

[@comicus01]

It helps a lot that he's not editing out all his pauses like so many KZbinrs do so that their video has them constantly talking.

[@Mtslzerox]

@@comicus01 True. I don't even like doing it myself, but you almost have due to the algorithm(s); Good on Adam for keeping it real.

[@jlog1c]

I love how seriously Adam takes these questions. He truly cares about people and puts everything into trying to fully understand them and give them a meaningful reply.

[@TechExposedTV]

I don't believe he answers it in a place of 'caring.' He's very intelligent and full of invigorating thoughtful energy, which ends up being caring when he answers it to the fullest degree.

[@gregcampwriter]

My favorite type of manager says, "Here's the task, and this is how long you have to get it done. You have the authority to do what you need to meet these goals," and then disappears until I report that I'm finished.

[@LaEmporoar]

One of my favorite parts of being an EMT is the supervisor essentially goes "Heres your truck and supplies. pay attention to the radio, don't break any laws, and be back in 11hrs. the rest is up to you". a bit exaggerated but the freedom in how you accomplish your tasks is refreshing

[@ulbuilder]

Being your own boss without the additional responsibilities it takes to run your own business is about as good as it gets. One of the reasons my 21st anniversary working for the same company is in a few days. In that time I only remember two people who voluntarily quit. You won't build that kind of loyalty micromanaging your employees.

[@barrygeistwhite3474]

There's definitely some value in checking on a project or task as well as having the people under you send updates on any significant developments. Some people know their stuff but don't have a strong sense of scope or aren't internally motivated. Some are tempted to stretch that authority, possibly in ways that would be unethical. There's a lot of reasons to have your hand on the wheel and the trick is knowing how much control to exert and when. Unfortunately, while I say that like it's one thing it's really an entire skill set and many managers are lacking in parts of it.

[@joeholm4591]

"... feel free to come see me if you need anything else."

[@gregcampwriter]

@@barrygeistwhite3474 That depends on the managers and the employees. I'm just saying what I prefer.

[@protoplasm25]

I love the unedited nature of this. Seeing you wrestle with the question in real time is so refreshing

[@kellin218]

This makes me want to watch more of his videos.

[@BlkFireHawk427]

Ummm, at 6:45, It clearly shows edits 🫡

[@kali-wolf]

@@BlkFireHawk427 I think you got the wrong timestamp, but at any rate it's not what OP was getting at. He appreciated that they left in the part where Adam grappled with the question, not that "the clip has zero edits".

[@BlkFireHawk427]

@kali-wolf that's weird, because their comment literally says "unedited nature of this", yet the video is edited. 😶

[@Wangshapes]

@@BlkFireHawk427 "I love the unedited nature of this." does not mean "I love that this isn't edited". It can be said that some pets have the nature of a baby, it does not literally mean they're a baby. Hope this helps.

[@robinhollinger3531]

“The world will solve this problem for me" is exactly what I needed to hear! I get frustrated when people don't listen, but it's not always worth my energy or stress.

[@mypie2473]

“some people just like to be contrarian” Such an important lesson

[@0okamino]

Makes me think of the Monty Python _Argument Clinic_ sketch.

[@DuncanSteven]

​@@0okamino No it doesn't!

[@0okamino]

@@DuncanSteven Will this be for just the 5 minute argument, or the full half hour?

[@helloyes2288]

Good thing too.

[@stolenrelic]

"Don't engage with trolls," is a specific flavor of this sentiment.

[@jldwolfe]

Some of the best advice I ever received was “Pick your battles.” Some fights aren’t worth winning.

[@mikemikemikemikemikemeup]

So true. And often times they end up resolving themselves later. Know what is import.

[@darinz7182]

A great attitude in a marriage, too.

[@chrisgreek4285]

@@darinz7182Absolutely right! Hubby and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary this August, and we decided pretty early what were the “hills we were prepared to die on” and then worked out compromises based on those. It takes a LOT of soul searching and self-reflection to determine what those core principles are to you and even more time to clearly define the boundaries, but it truly saves a ton of arguments if both people do that; I wish we’d been smart enough to do this as soon as we got married, because those first years of trying to figure each other out completely were less than calm! LOL

[@fullyactivated]

To be more specific, some battles are not worth what it would take to win.

[@kaldo_kaldo]

I had heard that many times, but it never really clicked for me. I do prefer Adam's rendition of it.

[@funkygerbil2530]

My mother had this problem selling ceramics. She had this one piece that just wasn't selling when other people weere selling the same piece at double the price. She added $15 to the price. Problem solved. Know your market. If you sell something too cheap people will assume it's crap.

[@3henry214]

That reminds me of a co-worker's experience putting out an unwanted and perfectly good entertainment center outside at the end of his driveway with a big "free" sign. There were no takers for about a week, he then put a sign on it... $50.00, and it disappeared within a day or so during the night.

[@dominicparker6124]

My brother used to sell paintings. His prices were too low, he priced it at what he would pay to buy, but he had no disposable income. When dad suggested he double his prices then things started to shift. If you say this thing is worth £100 then people will pay attention and try to work out why, rather than skimming over your £25 piece

[@jfbeam]

@@3henry214 To be fair, "free" usually means trash. (and very often is.) If it's worth something, (a) know its worth, and (b) ask a reasonable about based on that. If you really just want to get rid of it, there are plenty of Goodwill (etc.) places.

[@mememaster147]

It's the Stella Artois pricing model: reassuringly expensive

[@maromania7]

It's what luxury brands use all the time. That purse isn't better, but it's pricier. Careful picking out shoes, because you might be getting better quality at double price, or you might be getting fast fashion. Sure, most of the "exclusive features" iphone brags about are things the competitors have had for so long they stopped considering it worth mentioning. But it's more expensive, so people assume it's better. It's why sites like Temu instantly ring up alarm bells in anything with sense- If it's cheap you wonder why.

[@palatonian9618]

I *lovelovelovelove* learning about your relationship from Jamie from your perspective. Learning that there was tension in one of the most dynamic duos of my childhood was kind of earth shattering at first, but now that I am an adult and none of my relationships are perfect I am so grateful to hear about how you two were able to produce such a truly incredible show even with the tension and the details about how you personally tried to problem solve behind the scenes are *such* a gift

[@steveww07]

YOU'RE WEIRD.

[@danielbarbour3501]

I appreciate the way you allow yourself to pause and 'think/struggle' through answering a question rather than just present us a polished answer right away (even if might be a 'act' - lol)

[@MikeGaruccio]

“They are working through trauma” - you just made dozens of personal interactions with micro-managers make sense. Seriously. Thank you.

[@itmeurdad]

"poor fool is so busy trying to help everyone else they can't help themselves" is a bit of a mantra I have to repeat to myself daily so I don't flip out on micromanager types. It's only half true, and doesn't really make the behavior acceptable, but I find it really frames things in a way that makes it easier to foster sympathy, rather than unbridled rage.

[@TheStarBlack]

I think they're often under immense pressure from senior management and feel the need to prove themselves by being everywhere and watching everything all the time!

[@robo5013]

I Have found that there are more and more micro managers out there than when I was younger and I think it boils down to two things. The first is that managers are now being hired because they went to college rather than having worked up through the ranks. Having had no experience in whatever they are managing they micro manage as a way to feel like they are doing their job mainly because they don't understand what it is that the workers they are managing are doing but because they have a degree and the workers don't they HAVE to be so much smarter than the non-college educated workers that if they don't really grasp what is going on the un-educated workers can't possibly know what they are doing. Even in a field where most of the workers are degree'd many businesses are hiring recent grads and they think that employees that are older than them, even if they have the same degree, must not have been promoted because they were incompetent. Either way micro managing is their way to compensate for not really knowing what is going on and the trauma they are undergoing is impostor syndrome. The other is mobile phones. I have had to explain to managers how calling me every hour to 'see where I'm at' on a project is delaying the project. Especially those that insist you answer the phone right then no matter what. I often wonder how they think businesses were run successively for centuries before there were even phones much less ones you get to carry around in your pocket.

[@mattw7949]

As a chronic (and apologetic) micro manager, I agree with this. It is our job to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.

[@amystubby]

Right? Something beautiful got released in me when he said that. I feel lighter somehow.

[@future62]

The best thing about these videos is the very natural pauses you allow between sentences. It's refreshing to give each thought that minute to settle.

[@alexven92]

He has true skill as a presenter

[@debrascott8775]

He talked about this in a podcast about learning to be ok with silence when presenting or speaking. Great skill

[@afrodemon8629]

It's refreshing since most KZbinr videos are so heavily edited so that there's no pauses when they're speaking. It's seems a bit weird but I like seeing someone think and process what they want to say in real time. Maybe it's because it seems more natural.

[@C3phoe]

He is a great orator

[@fobbitoperator3620]

He "thinks," before he opens his face-hole!

[@fredbloggs5902]

Precisely aiming a flat mirror is achieved by having a small hole in the mirror, looking through it at the target, then adjusting the mirror until you can no longer see the light spot landing on your face (as seen reflected in polished back of the mirror). This technique is used with survival signal mirrors. (Source: Eagle Annual circa 1967).

[@jimbojangles9056]

I was just thinking wouldn't you be able to aim it at a low point in front of you and then just gradually increase from there? Probably more easy with 1 mirror then 50 or a hundred tho 😅

[@Steve-xo5pq]

Picking your battles and the whole "let it play out" mind set is such a good attitude to have. Sometimes its good to know when your not gonna change someone's mind and at that point you need to ask yourself whether or not this is worth escelating. This was actually a really helpful reminder for me to hear since I have a pretty applicable situation I've been dealing with.

[@Burevix]

The absolute worst manager is one that swings back and forth between micro and laissez faire because of the chaos it creates.

[@Cosmoproto]

"Why are you doing it this way?" "Because you told me I was supposed to do it that way!!!"

[@TheStarBlack]

​@@Cosmoproto"...well forget that, we're doing it this way now" 2 weeks later... "I never told you to do it like x, I told you to do it like y"

[@GreedoShot]

@@TheStarBlack i had a job at a place with two owners and this is how my conversations between them went making power plays at their business and pulling one over on each other was probably just cheaper than couples therapy to fix their marriage but i didn't see any of that money

[@SparkSovereign]

​@@GreedoShotHopefully you never run into that ever again and this advice is only for other commenters, but in such cases I've had some success in getting my instructions in writing (or putting them in writing and sending it out, a la "here is my record of what you told me to do, reply with corrections if this isn't what you want me to do" and when you get a conflict, cc them to each other and say "these instructions are incompatible, let me know when you figure it out amongst yourselves and until then I'll do something else". In my experience, the most common outcome is that both managers drop their requests rather than argue it out. If they try to get around each other, now you've got a paper trail to escalate to their bosses and cover yourself. Doesn't help with people who refuse to acknowledge they're giving different orders and also don't have anyone above them, of course, but in the worst case if they fire you, "the courts" are a higher authority and may be able to get proper recompense if you've got evidence backing up your claims they weren't treating you in a way that supports doing work.

[@Mr_JoeySan]

As a manager I will start with a sort of micro approach with someone new who doesn't have industry specific skills/experience and only transferable ones. I don't hover over them. I offer guidance and ask them questions to understand where their competency is. As soon as I know you got this then you have my full trust and you do you. I don't go back to that kind of micro unless someone wants to move to a different role and there are some elements that I can teach that will help them. As a manager my people's wins are their wins and I do not take from their achievements because I didn't do the work - they did. It was Rob/Sara/Michael or Jane's work and I will let people know that. Now any shortcomings from any member of the team are mine. They aren't failures. They are where I need to improve. As a manager you have their back and the people will give you all they can in return.

[@fredsorre6605]

Adam Savage giving life advise was not what I was looking for in KZbin today but these are among the best you will ever get best to listen in and see if it fits your circumstances and situation.

[@Meg_Davis]

Subscribing to old wise guys for life advice just makes sense.

[@SableRain]

Man, it is so cool to find Adam on KZbin! "Is this a problem I have to solve, or can the world solve it for me?" This applies so well to when your kids won't listen to you. I used to watch Mythbusters all the time when I was a kid. Now, I'm gleaning parenting advice from Adam. So cool!

[@aaron_5994]

A solo podcast or longer form content of Adam sharing his thoughts and wisdom is something I would definitely tune into. Maybe these lessons are better learned in the small chunks we receive them. But something about how he breaks down and analyses different questions makes me want to pop some earphones in and let it run while I go about some chores or whatever else there is to do. Either way, always such a joy to listen to/watch.

[@mordechai9644]

As a Manager for many years in the Restraunt industry I always took the stance of " I don't care what you do, so long as the customer is happy, and the job gets done in a Timely manner, And its to the company Standard"

[@NoName-zn1sb]

it's to

[@parajerry]

I was a manager of a technical team. I took the position that my job was not to manage the team. My job was to give them the tools and training they needed, support, and knock down obstacles in the way of them getting their jobs done. Basically, my job is to give them the latitude and environment they can thrive in. If I had to 'manage' a person, they needed to go find another job.

[@OneTrueCat]

​@@NoName-zn1sb I was reading this comment and then my neighbor came and we read it together. He said this comment really changed his life and it touched my heart. My village people are so grateful. Am proud to say cool post wow thanks for sharing

[@Cosmoproto]

I remember one time breaking it down to the second how much extra time my micromanager was costing me by making me keep track of the time I was taking.

[@2adamast]

The team being toxic being none of your business.

[@Vickie-Bligh]

Adam, I agree about Micromanagers and the difficulty in getting things done. Yes, far more energy is expended. Thanks once again for taking my question.

[@tested]

You have great questions, Vickie!

[@Vickie-Bligh]

@@tested Thanks, Kristin.

[@Cricket2731]

My Mom was a bit of a micro-manager (she was a teacher for 20+ yrs). To this day, I'm none to fond of this management style.

[@Smellslikegelfling]

This is a lesson all managers need to learn. Trust your workers to get things done because they have more experience doing it than the managers. When more people get involved and try to micro manage the result is almost always wasted time and reduced quality.

[@sergiopinto6356]

So, what you're saying is, there's never enough time to do the job correctly the first time, but there is always time to re-do the job a second time.

[@FO18L]

i LOVE that you leave in the pauses while you THINK!! i fear (personal experience with too many humans) that is somehow a social stigma that people are expected to be constantly talking, or to instantly have a flawless answer, when really it should be important that people feel relaxed and permitted to take their time and think and rethink and remember and rerethink. thank you adam!

[@Neoyoshi-FFXIV]

Watching Adam think and articulate all of these thought processes right in front of the viewer, and in real time, is maddeningly fun to watch and listen to. Thank you Adam. I miss MB so much, i'm happy you are still around and i hope Jamie and the other gang are doing well. :)

[@MrOskiee]

I learned the lesson of "do I need to fix this problem now? Maybe it'll fix itself later" a long time ago. Plus it works really well when you're an adhd procrastinator like myself.

[@Dr.Quarex]

Yeah I think some small part of why my last relationship failed was because I subscribe so hard to the "if no action is taken this will resolve itself" mindset, and to my ex- the problem is only solved if you take immediate and direct action. She would actually be mad at me when problems resolved themselves without me having to solve them.

[@TheVeganarchism]

Stop watching KZbin and get back to work!

[@martinswiney2192]

Glad to know im not the only self admitted procrastinator here. I long ago declared myself Master Of Unfinished Projects. I have unfinished projects dating back to 1989. Another that is so close to being complete about 12 hours of work and it would be done. Started in 1995. In fact im going to come back later and finish thi…..

[@Michelle-zz7no]

@@Dr.Quarexlol. My husband says, “Well, once again your procrastination has paid off.” 😂😂

[@gileee]

I'm sorry but that sounds like an awful life motto. I understand Adam not wanting to argue about a specific at that moment, but avoiding problems till they go away..

[@joyl7842]

I learned to tell myself that I had no power over anything when getting delayed in traffic or taking public transportation, so I shouldn't bother putting energy into it. It was very liberating.

[@system331]

Not taking energy from yourself during situations that you have no control over is one of the biggest gifts to yourself.

[@RealDGoodwin]

MICRO MANAGERS- Are working through some trauma. Thank you Adam for this pearl of wisdom! This is the simplest and most accurate way of explaining micro-management, especially when they know the people surrounding them are more skilled than themselves! However, if you have an issue and feel the managers are “laissez-faire”, then you might want some self reflection. I have found most of the time the manager either has confidence in you and feels you can handle the job, so they’re giving you the room to work OR they don’t know the work well enough to know that you’re in over your head. If you have mentioned that you need help and they just do the minimum of responding in say an email and the still aren’t helping, then that’s when a laissez-faire manager can be bad.

[@robertorex]

The world will solve it. That's pure gold. Love you Man.

[@r0llinguphill483]

When speaking efficiency, I have heard the saying "Slow is Smooth, Smooth is fast". I think it is a wonderful saying. If you take the time to be methodical, diligent, and pruposeful you, likely, end up saving time.

[@chazw6023]

The saying comes from the Seal Teams. Its meaning is more of a mindset for dealing with tasks while under duress. Combat tends to make people panic and panic will get you killed.

[@ZenRyoku]

Slow...in fact smooth...and smooth in fact FAST.....💯 No exceptions

[@adriansolis5362]

"Slow down, son! We're in a hurry!"

[@ZenRyoku]

@@adriansolis5362 Hurry up and wait....😂

[@adriansolis5362]

@@ZenRyoku lol I can't stand the 'hurry up and wait' mentality! 🤣 Keep it slow. Keep it moving.

[@leighbartoo574]

"Do I have to solve this problem now or will the universe solve this problem for me?" YES, such a great lesson to learn!

[@carpandrei7493]

This mind set of not having to win an argument at the moment it is happening, is pure gold. This is something I should apply more!

[@pattyquay]

You can be happy or right, not both. This was the best relationship advice a therapist gave me!

[@caldw615]

Skill issue.

[@mealsome1571]

What if i take great satisfaction in being right? Which I do. i really really do. I enjoy being correct and when people don't listen i can wipe my hands of it, specifically because they didn't listen.

[@megan-mr9vk]

@@mealsome1571is that the only way you can find satisfaction or happiness? relationships themselves can fulfill that for many people. also, if you take such pleasure in being right, maybe do some work to figure out why that is. does it come from a place or insecurity or superiority? are you trying to assert your own value through intelligence? were there situations growing up where you were wrong and the consequences were great?

[@mealsome1571]

@@megan-mr9vk nope, not the only way. who said I don't find satisfaction in relationships that challenge me? maybe I have different groups of friends that provide different types of relationships? Maybe do some work on why you feel the need to automatically equate things to insecurity? because right now to me. it seems you are judging me for what makes me happy, which seems kind of screwed up. to me right now, it seems like you are trying to be correct about another person who you only responded to one time on the internet. Are you trying to assert your own value through your perceived intelligence? are you trying to apply some form of textbook psychology because you in all likelihood do not have a degree in psychology or could not find a job in your desired profession? We could sit here arguing all day on each others assumed characteristics. or you could have just accepted that being correct is what makes me happy in most situations and not read into it like someone who got fired from working at betterhelp (a low low low bar to fail).

[@Chickeeenz]

About micromanagement; a couple of years ago one on my three man team went home with stress for 9 months.. the first 3 months my manager would come down multiple times a day and micro manage my coworker and I, ruining our own flow.. after 3 months pleading from us to be left alone he tried it out for a couple of days. He came to realize we could push almost double the amount through without him interfering all the time. Since then he rarely dictates in what order we do stuff because he knows we will get it done within the day.

[@wwaxwork]

To me one of the signs of being a "grown up" is the fact you don't have to win an argument and can just wait and let the person learn for themselves that the stove is hot or that black doesn't reflect as many photons as white or whatever the matter is.

[@TheOneWhoMightBe]

"Some men just have to pee on the electric fence themselves" or something like that.

[@tommo0]

the problem I have with this is so often other people's mistakes cost me time/money/etc. like with the netting fence example that Adam gave - so many hours and dollars would have been saved had he won the argument but instead many hours were wasted on painting.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

I mean, it's true that white reflects more. But it's also sitting out there in full daylight, so how visible will extra light be in that case? I might have argued for setting a canopy above the target to make it easier to see.

[@TheStarBlack]

I could understand Jamie's approach, he was probably thinking about contrast and that white light would show up better against a dark background. They probably should have tested it on a small scale and thus avoiding an unnecessary argument AND the cost of fixing the mistake later.

[@awandererfromys1680]

The thing is, I can kinda understand where Jamie was coming from. White light on white netting might not be as visible as white light on black netting. He was thinking about contrast and visibility from a distance, and there is some sound logic to that reasoning. It failed when it met with reality, but still.

[@billm5435]

Problem with some of the logic is "lets just do it and see how it turns out" when in reality that can be extremely costly to do so.

[@dragonesswings]

The submitted question is how you rush headlong into a glorious idea and end up both broke and completely wrung out of any joy you had when beginning the project. People who understand the art but also understand how to organize said art and artist are invaluable. It means us implacable dreamers get to do awesome shit without dying in a gutter like Poe

[@DreamyAileen]

Obviously there's a limit to how far you can take it. But I think what Adam is saying is to _consider_ the option of "let's just do it and see if it works" every time there's a disagreement.

[@kirche7]

and for not having that argument he instead had to spend a frustrating amount of time and effort painting black netting white, maybe just have your arguments when they matter rather than having an argument after you let the problem become reality

[@kevbu4]

I still wonder why they didn't get a small piece of netting to test the idea on a small scale before committing to buying that much netting of a given color. If it was time constraints, then that didn't work out.

[@Esch_atton]

I was one of the students at Encinel High school holding a mirror for that episode! It was awesome getting to meet you guys and be a part of the show!

[@InspectahReese]

Adam answers each of these from such a considerate and grounded perspective, very refreshing to hear somebody speak very open and honestly

[@nancyreid8729]

Thank you Adam; your insight into both “is this a problem I need to solve now,” (along with its analog, do I really need to fight this battle), and the “micromanagers as people who are dealing with trauma,” hit me right where I needed to be hit this evening. Great timing!

[@dawnieb.7394]

SAME. My head is still spinning at how relevant this was for me, and how crazy it is that it showed up when it did. Adam is apparently not only a genius but also a psychic as well. 😁

[@DawnDavidson]

Possibly THE BEST and most useful episode EVER. So very true on all counts.

[@thepalmpilot3g]

I could spend a thousand days with Adam and hear stories every day and still feel absolutely intrigued and enjoy every second of it.

[@ALabInSaintDenis]

You can tell when people are intensely smart because they don't rush into answers and they want to make sure that they are understanding everything correctly before speaking. Well done my guy.

[@daustonian9331]

How perfect of a description!!! ‘Micromanagers are working through trauma’. Truly beautiful, Adam

[@mbgrafix]

I began my freelance graphic design and web design business back in 1996. I made many mistakes at first, but as it turned out, they were nothing more than the cost of my tuition in the school of hard knocks as I learned from my mistakes and thus sharpened my business focus. One of the things that I learned is that those potential customers who come to you seeking "Walmart prices" you simply pass up as they are not the clientele you are seeking so it makes no sense to waste time and money trying to land a client that you do not want anyway. Instead, focus in on those clients who know and understand the value of what you offer and thus they are happy to pay the additional cost. As a matter of fact, underpricing your products/services will only serve to give the impression that you offer lower quality products/services and thus the clients that you seek will pass you up. Fine diners do not go to posh restaurants and ask, _"do you have a value menu?"_

[@parajerry]

The less they pay, the more demanding and unreasonable they are. Don't be a bottom feeder. Provide a premium product/service and charge a premium price for it. You will have a much more pleasant experience, make more money, and won't be competing with the unlimited supply of bottom feeders.

[@mbgrafix]

@parajerry Absolutely! It cost me some bucks for sure learning that lesson! Furthermore, that lesson also taught me to not seek the cheapest prices when looking for goods and services for myself. Afterall... _You get what you pay for!_

[@daveh7720]

Whenever someone talks about competing with Walmart's and Amazon's pricing I think, "And are you going to match their sales volume?" Most of the manufacturers I've worked for, and yet more that we partnered with, have intentionally over-bid on RFQs that were seeking the lowest price widget that fulfilled the requirements, and promised sizeable orders to whoever won the contract. We didn't want to be locked into a contract that would consume our manufacturing capacity for a 3% profit margin. (Which would evaporate if we had to contract out the manufacturing.)

[@Sgt_Glory]

Same business, and I've learned as well that If a potential client smells like trouble, they probably will be, and to avoid them like the plague. After a while you become a good enough judge of character to see them coming a mile away.

[@mbgrafix]

@Sgt_Glory Indeed! Over time you begin to recognize that your peace of mind has a value as well.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

I love your pauses Adam. I want to learn to have these considered pauses. I think they’re important.

[@jimmytheenlightenedcentrist]

How the fuck did I not know Adam Savage had a YT channel. I fucking loved mythbusters, it really got my young mind thinking. Now looking back as an adult I really have an affinity for trying to mechanically figure out how things work. This was a fascinating video. Thank you Adam!

[@johnbeauvais3159]

Every Jamie story makes me appreciate the interactions I have with my colleague that I have had a semi professional relation with for 7 years now, he too likes to be a contrarian and your attitude of “I’ll let the world prove me right” is how I deal with him now

[@coreyg2177]

I walked off the job after four years of putting up with a micromanager. I violated my own rule of having a new job before you quit the current one because I value my mental health too much to put up with someone who would come to staff with a problem, and even though it was something we all were going to have to deal with on a daily basis, and telling us how it would be done from now on. It was one incident that was the equivalent of putting the baby into a car seat, bundling them up and strapping them in nice and secure, and then putting the car seat, unsecured, on the roof of the car before driving away. I have no idea how people that insecure get a job managing others.

[@1queijocas]

Similar case to mine. The manager got the job by being friends with the owner, often friendship is the most important qualification for a job

[@causarumcognitio]

There’s a small pamphlet called “A Message To Garcia” that reflects your story’s moral very well.

[@bleuefish]

The phrase which stuck with me forever way is, "discretion is the better part of valor", which means: 1. pick your battles and 2. keep your mouth shut. Always glad to see insights from you, Adam. Thank you

[@bmckin2011]

As a therapist, I LOVED how you looked at this and evaluated the position of all people. So well done. Wanna be a therapist next?!?? lol!

[@CrucibleMediaLabs]

At my last "real job" that I only lasted 5-ish months at, my direct supervisor was the single worst micromanager I have ever met. I was writing up an internal informational document from our department that was literally just going to be hung in the break room. Nobody was ever going to see it outside of our employees, and nobody whatsoever was going to do anything except read the text (and if we're honest, almost nobody would even be doing that). I wrote it up, sent it to her for approval, and she calls me over to her desk and asks me to identify "what I think is wrong with this document". After what felt like 5 minutes of standing there and shooting apart my own work, I came up with nothing. Turns out that one of the blank lines I had used for spacing was an 11pt font blank line rather than a 12pt font blank line. What had likely happened was that I had enlarged the text to better fill out the space and (understandably) did not think to enlarge the size of the blank line because I didn't even realize it HAD a font size associated with it. She could have fixed it herself and not even brought it up, so the project would be finished. She could have reformatted the template to remove the need to even have that object there and head the issue off at the pass. But she didn't. She forced me to stand there and flounder for several minutes trying to find fault in my own work, wasting my time and her own time, before telling me to go back to my desk and fix it before resubmitting it for approval. That one, single experience impregnated me with utter, unflinching contempt for micromanagers of any stripe.

[@2adamast]

Not sure, She's setting a standard and let you self manage to go to that standard. That standard was probably too high, but that doesn't make it micromanagement. Laissez-faire management of a team is probably just as bad

[@TheStarBlack]

Managers who think its ok to talk to you like a schoolchild are awful. Abusing power for their own ego.

[@CrucibleMediaLabs]

@@msw1185 If your method of teaching involves deliberately going out of your way to humiliate your pupils in order to "set standards", I see absolutely no point in trying to learn what is supposedly being taught. A white-collar office environment is not a cliche bad guy martial arts dojo where students are taunted and degraded in order to feed their anger and therefore their strength. The only things that interaction taught me is that neither I, nor my work, nor my time was valued or respected, and that I had to go into every single interaction with her on war footing. What kind of psychopath looks at that situation and goes "I'm happy with this dynamic?" You don't have to be buddy-buddy. Shit, you don't even have to LIKE the other person. But you should at least respect them as a grown-ass adult human instead of a 3-year-old that needs to be led by the hand. If you can't understand that the active contempt brought on by NOT doing that is a net negative to the operation, respectfully, I don't think you should be in a position of authority or leadership.

[@jlcdavenport6268]

@@TheStarBlack 100% agreed with this. I've had some bad managers, but the worst ones were always the ones that pose everything like a question as if you're a kid at school being tested.

[@gorkyd7912]

@@2adamast And that standard she set was "waste as much time as possible trying to prevent really innocuous mistakes that affect nothing because your time is worthless to your manager."

[@Dorvahn]

A laid-back manager is perfect in my mind. Not off the throttle enough to allow things coming apart at the seams, but not overbearing as to not discourage good ideas and communication that your team could come across in the field.

[@Stand.Your.Ground.]

I love you man. I literally have grown into an adult watching you my entire life. It’s crazy! My little sister was always annoyed I hogged the TV because I wanted to watch Mythbusters. One of the best episodes was when you guys tried to see if a sinking ship had enough force to suck you down.

[@Marzkep]

My husband and his father (who work together) were both “Jamies” it all changed when my husband asked, “Am I bringing problems to a solution.” And stopped being so contrary for no real reasons.

[@n6st]

My Mom made me a custom engraved coffee mug with my Amateur Callsign on it. When my ham friends saw it they wanted one. I asked Mom what she would charge. She said $10. I told the guys $20, to which they said "is that all?" I helped the late, great Grant Imahara prepare for the Mythbusters episodes on whether cell phones cause planes to crash. I spent over an hour on the phone explaining how to use a spectrum analyzer and interpret the results. I appreciate that Grant had the time to do the job right.

[@maxbracegirdle9990]

Is this two different stories??

[@AFrogInTheStars]

I am confusion

[@lpark8]

@@AFrogInTheStarsI am also confusion

[@MikeDQB]

The way I interpreted the first question was more of, "How can I help my friend to see the value of her time and the works she creates? She doesn't have to compete with wal-mart on price."

[@AndreSjoberg]

+1 for that, that is how I interpreted it as well. Step 1 is always to calculate the actual cost in materials, then in time spent, then relate that to how many can be made in a give time vs how much money needs to come in to cover expenses like salary, workspace etc - and then, only then, based on your expense level before profit, can you compare what you need to charge to what walmart charges, and other competitors charging more, and land one something that will cover expenses *and* make a profit on top for further investment and growth and/or personal profit on top of salary.

[@OmegaGamer1989]

It's funny, because I honestly got the exact opposite interpretation. To me it felt like this person was saying "I don't think anyone is going to pay as much for my friends stuff as they would for something from Walmart, because Walmart stuff is 'professionally' made and her stuff is made by 'just some rando.' It seemed like they were trying to convince their friend that, being a freelancer, they need to charge LESS for their work because they're not a big established brand.

[@robo5013]

I see it differently than all three of you. First she is starting a home business trying to turn a hobby into a job. While there is nothing wrong with that, try to do what you love, the main mindset one needs to have when doing so is to go into it with the idea that all that you will accomplish is funding your hobby. The chances of the business becoming successful enough to make a living at are slim to none. The chances that it will take off and you will become rich at it are less than zero. I'm not being pessimistic but realistic. There is nothing wrong with dreaming but you must first establish realistic expectations. Secondly, as Adam has said many times and something I did WAY before anyone even knew who he was when making money off a hobby is that when you start out the most expensive thing in your small business is materials. I only considered the material costs incurred when making my products and just doubled them for the sale price. If you try to calculate your time in terms of dollars per hour and feel like you need to make as much (or more) as you would if working a 9-5 job you will overprice your products by a lot. There is nothing wrong with keeping track of everything including hours spent working, that is a good practice, but adding your time value to the final price of a product isn't going to work. When you do keep track of time it will give you a realistic view on what would happen if you feel the need to expand your business by hiring an employee. I bet you will find that you wouldn't be able to pay them even minimum wage. And that is why you will never be able to compete with Wal-Mart prices. One you don't have tens of thousands of stores making money off of volume of sales and two, most importantly, you are trying to make money in American dollars while the manufacturers of the products that Wal-Mart sells are paying employees who work in countries where one U.S. dollar is worth hundreds or more in their currency. As I stated at the beginning if you are trying to turn a hobby into a money making venture go into it with the mindset that all you are doing is letting other people fund your hobby. As the old saying goes, don't quit your day job.

[@JInuOneSix]

​@robo5013 I think the term "over pricing" is harsh. Why isn't their product worth their time, expertise, and effort? It's only seen as over priced because big companies take advantage of low-cost foreign labour + economies of scale have skewed the perception of what something "should" cost. So either we undercharge our expertise trying to keep up with what people think is market rate, or we battle people thinking we're overcharging because labour in a specific field is so undervalued. Neither is ideal and it's only getting worse

[@robo5013]

@@JInuOneSix Like I said, when starting out trying to turn a hobby into a money making venture if you try to add your time into the price as if it is your regular job it will cause it to be over priced. Small business owners don't pay themselves an hourly rate, whatever profit is left after deductions for overhead is their salary. If turning your hobby into a business becomes a successful way to make a living then you can start to adjust the price of the product up, once you have a demand for your product. Like I said you should have realistic expectations and be happy if you make enough money to fund your hobby but going into it as if it will be your main source of income, especially if your hobby is niche, will only lead to disappointment. Why isn't their product worth their time, expertise, and effort? Because you can only price something to what the market will bear, especially if there is no prior demand for it. Sometimes the truth is harsh.

[@teeconsigliano7631]

in many cases, not always, communicating proactively and anticipating what your manager needs avoids micro management. i don't think most people want to micromanage but feel they need to when someone isn't communicating or performing

[@ViewlessWings]

"The world will solve the problem" is a variant of something I try to keep in mind "reality wins in the end" and is good advice!

[@CigarAttache]

"Micro managers are dealing with some sort of trauma" so true and insightful.

[@MiniatureMasterClass]

Not everyone has trauma. It's an excuse. Some people are just a$$holes.

[@kirknitz3794]

I worked at a place with a micro-manager. It was not pleasant. Instead of being in the background where he could see the big picture, he chose to be down in the weeds with us. He would proofread every letter we going to send out. He marked my first letter and indicated the changes he wanted. So I recomposed the letter according his then whims. I reprinted the letter and he pored over the second letter. It came back to me with his then commands. Guess what? It was the way I had originally had written it. Famous quote from him "Just do what I say and shut up." So glad I got out of there.

[@AAVIATOR481]

OMG I LOVE THIS! I have a family member who started a photography business and when I learned to think exactly like this... "Do I have to solve this? It will solve itself!" changed everything. I stopped losing hair that was being pulled out too!

[@WrongVlad]

Single handedly mythbusters and the professional relationship and work on set made me get into science and engineering at the age of 7. Appreciate all the hard work and dedication yall put into the series.

[@jonathanashley6661]

Could literally listen to you talking about this stuff for hours. You are now my white noise that brings nostalgia and thought.

[@Rick_Hoppe]

I’m an artist. I’ve worked for both types. I’ll take laissez faire anytime. The message I’ve gotten from micro managers is, “You’re not an artist/creator, you’re a WRIST in my employ.” This absolutely KILLS inspiration and creativity.

[@Tardis1217]

Just got out of a toxic workplace with a micromanager GM who definitely had a personality disorder. I told my boss many times, "Why not just save money by hiring a bunch of high school grads with no formal education if the people on this team are going to be treated like morons who can't do the work and have to be told how to do every single step? Why even post requirements on job openings when nobody is allowed to use their skills?" She was unfortunately the type to just shake her head and say, "I know..."

[@user-ut7hh3zb2f]

I've found that micromanagers cause the problems, they force the failures. They just have to "F" with things UNTIL they break.

[@DrokiHazan]

Thank you for this. That "Do I have to win this argument right now?" attitude feels like it could be a cheat code for work, friendships, relationships, life in general. This is really insightful and I appreciate it.

[@chaddixson8398]

This legitimately just changed my life 42 minutes in. Thank you.

[@steveschein2619]

On the subject of micromanaging. A very wise person once told me, " Don't tell a person how to do something, tell them what needs to be done, and often they will astound you with their ideas".

[@RedBloopCreature]

This is the issue I now have with my creative job. The new director tells me what and how to design rather letting me solve the problem at hand. It has sucked all the joy out of my job. The worst part is she doesn’t care and likes the thrill of conflict. It really sucks…

[@StumpkillerCP]

I was a cost accountant at a company that operated at a 7-1/2% margin. That's tight. But we knew we had to be the "good as but slightly less expensive" alternative to Kodak film & paper. Then we merged with Ilford. They knew they were better than Kodak and attracted customers looking for their product for large format and artistic prints. You can be Walmart, or you can be Saint Laurent. People WILL pay more for better products. But not as many. PS - Ilford is still around. Kodak bought us for the patents and closed the plant. And then had their own woes when digital imaging and good color printers came along.

[@mal2ksc]

I always liked Ilford XP-200, being the only black and white film I could get processed in an hour at any photo lab because it was process C-34.

[@rehustler]

Adam, I love your videos for multiple reasons. And one of the more unusual reasons is that I like it when you pause--sometimes at length--to think before you respond or continue a thought. Thanks for not editing out those moments. 🙂

[@xwhatisthepointx]

as someone who recently started a business with my friends... this was one of the best things I needed to hear. thank you.

[@ReaperStarcraft]

On the topic of micromanaging I once heard someone explain it a really memorable way. If you're hands off there's a question of why they keep you around - if the project goes well then what did you contribute, and if it goes poorly then why weren't you in there doing everything you could? Whereas for a micromanager if the project goes well they can get all the credit, and if it goes badly then at least they were trying to fix it. Of course that's not quite how things really are, but, from a self-esteem and outside appearances perspective I think it makes sense.

[@jakebaldwin2146]

It takes a lot of self-understanding and wisdom to realize that an argument did not need to happen.

[@randomthoughtinstantiator]

Most useful epiphany in my life was: “If I believe that reality will argue in my favor, then I should leave it up to reality. And if I don’t believe it will, then I’m wrong.”

[@roboticd]

Oh my god, this just helped solve a problem in an interpersonal relationship for me. The right advice at the right time.

[@robcoscia1574]

There's just something extra wonderful about listening to thoughtful, brilliant teaching with a disco ball in the background.

[@Just_Call_Me_Tim]

There’s so much going on in the background there…

[@rybaneightsix5085]

This is a milestone i think many, many many people never hit. You don't have to be right all the time. You don't have to let everyone know that you're right all the time. Sometimes it's better to let someone be wrong.

[@LifeOWrylee]

If more people put the time you put into understanding a question, the world would be a better place. Great segment.

[@Ayeohx]

Adam's micromanager comment needs to be clipped into it's own video so we can send it to our favorite supervisors. Anonymously, of course.

[@nebuler1]

A hundred percent. A great insight.

[@not1not2but3]

My boss always has a “novel” or “contrarian” solution for anything you ask or are brainstorming. It’s exhausting. I could say “ are you ok with us mailing this letter” his response would be “ you could do that. Or you could put in a box with a gps tracker. There’s a guy the next town over who will deliver it in twice the time for 3 times the cost, if you can even find him”. And I’m an engineer so you can imagine what kind of answers im an actually getting.

[@ryanmccann2539]

Stop asking him permission to do things. Homeboy is bored and craving attention.

[@TheStarBlack]

Oh he's making the mistake of thinking "I'm the boss so I must know better'. Grr I've had a few of those over the years too!

[@not1not2but3]

@@ryanmccann2539 our clients require almost everything to be Quality Controlled. So even the most basic of basic changes to something requires a review, so no real way around it

[@not1not2but3]

@@TheStarBlack your right, but he also did it before he was the boss, so more of a personality thing I think.. It’s having to show he always has a solution that you didn’t think of, even if impractical or nonsensical for the simple task at hand. He’s at least a nice enough guy.

[@3nertia]

@@not1not2but3 All managers are promoted to their level of incompetence heh

[@gregoryjasongranado5248]

I haven't heard contrarian since my grandmother used to call my mother that. Thanks for bringing back a good memory of my Nana!

[@Theghostcloset]

I feel like more often than not, people tend to micro-manage me in a work environment. And 10 times out of 10, it turns out I was, in fact, doing the thing correctly. Your revelation perfectly describes the mindset that I need to put myself in.

[@zombiehiphophex]

I need to remember your words as a mantra. “Do I need to fix this or will the universe fix it for me?” Sometimes it’s best to just stand back and let things play out to their conclusions rather than fight about it. I needed to hear this. I’m tired of fighting.

[@charlietheunicorn5383]

Micromanaging is about trust. If you trust the team or group you are managing, then there is no need to be hands on day to day to get the mission done. Simply focus on the end goal or accomplishing each milestone of the project as it comes along. Less stress on the manager and results in greater team productivity.

[@Kjata316]

This is why I admire Adam so much. He seriously considered the question and gave heart felt advice that was good. Craig Ferguson had an awesome bit in the same vein that I took too heart and try (and often fail) to remember: 1. Does this need to be said 2. Does this need to be said by me 3. Does this need to be said by me right now

[@toportime]

I managed a resturant for a while, and got my crew to set records with our numbers. I wasn't either extreme. I helped my staff identify what held them back, and devised retraining to fix it, then used a "work hard, play hard" mindset to maintain employee morale.

[@sarchizm]

As a bespoke furniture maker 17 years ago, I based my pricing on lead time. The longer lead time, the more demand I had, the higher the price went, and the longer I worked the better the product got.

[@DosHemperor]

Oh-yeeeuh!? Cool.

[@MoreLikePuma]

I don't remember where I heard it. (Good) Managers do not manage people. They manage problems as they come up. They manage obstacles in the team's way. Sometime they're there to shield the team from bad clients. From dumb corporate doctrines and rules. They are the shield and the team is the sword. And as a teammate under this type of manager, you take responsibility for the jobs you are assigned. The manager is ONLY there, to make sure you have all the tools available to finish said job. Not do the job for you. But help you be the best you can be. And in turn you help your fellow team be the best. In an ideal world this is how every work place should be. But not every great job I ever had, had this environment. When I was younger I thought every work place would be like Star Trek. Just competent leaders surrounded by competent teams. My god, imagine my shock when I realized how many jobs aren't like this. And if I could slap my younger self for walking away from said jobs, I definitely would. Shoulda never left that warehouse job.

[@parajerry]

That is how I managed when I was heading a technical team at Disney. I would estimate that 95+% of teams are not run this way. Your Star Trek example is interesting because almost no company, department, or team is like that in reality. Too many personalities, feelings, egos, power trips, and conflicts for most teams to work competently like Star Trek. There are always lazy employees, power hungry employees, vindictive or overly competitive (in a bad way) employees, incompetent employees and more we have to deal with. This is why is it important that when you interview perspective employees, skills and experience are only a small part of the decision. Figuring out their motivations, personality, and ability to fit into the existing team are more important if they have the basic skills needed. They can learn the job intricacies. If they don't fit into the team well, that is unlikely to change and can destroy an effective team. Today, it is also important to weed out the woke, entitled, and usually litigious problem people. They will always cause friction and problems...and will end in legal cases over perceived injustices that are actually their 'feelings.'

[@TheStarBlack]

​@@parajerryyou complain about woke people starting legal cases about injustices which are actually their feelings. But you just admitted to trying to 'weed' them out. You can't discriminate against people because of their political beliefs.They have every right to challenge you legally if that's what you're doing.

[@batkat0]

"everything I hate is woke 😤"

[@THE_bchat]

@@parajerry "Woke" people can only cause problems for you if YOU are the problem.

[@parajerry]

@@TheStarBlack grow up. You just showed you are not someone I would hire. Effective teams work together. Allowing one of these woke a-holes on your team is the fastest way you can destroy a team. Selecting employees that will make the team better and more productive is the primary job of a manager. It would be malfeasance to knowingly hire a person that will disrupt a team and destroy productivity. You are not entitled to a job. You have to make yourself the right fit for the job with skills, experience, and attitude. Personality certainly is an ingredient as well. In your world, interviews would be unnecessary. Check of a list of requirements and the job is yours….not in the real world.

[@stxrynn]

I'm in the midst of moving to a new shop. And the last bit about managing was illuminating. I have a helper, and I micromanaged a bit in the beginning of the move. They said, "You are trying to hit a deadline. Do you want to do this slowly and leave stuff behind or move it all in the window we have?" I crave clarity, and brother, that was a moment of it. I can see where the "this will solve itself down the road" is a good rule of thumb, too. Thanks for posting this. I got two bright lights to judge my way of doing things.

[@SuperSubmachinegun]

All I ever hear about since your show ended was the falling out between you two, and this video helps explain why - you never stop talking about it even years later!

[@lawnmowerdude]

I’ve had a similar thought with people that instead of arguing with them they just are going to have to figure it out on their own and make their own mistakes as long as they’re not too severe.

[@daveayerstdavies]

The 'retail' mentality is that the lower your price the more you will sell. That works for soap powder or breakfast cereal but not for art or craft items. I fell into the trap of lowering my prices during the recession of 2008/9. I sold almost nothing for months. An artist friend advised me to raise my prices dramatically. He said that "if you don't put a high value on what you produce, your customers won't either". He was absolutely right. I raised my prices by an order of magnitude and within weeks my business picked up again, and the higher prices meant that I could sell fewer items for the same return and spend more creative time rather than being a warehouse/distribution manager.

[@jenshark4]

My mantra when dealing with a contrarian is “let them fail on their own”. If they wanna argue instead of listen. Let them try their way. Because arguing is exhausting, especially when you know that they’re wrong and you’re right and they don’t wanna listen. Usually there’s no harm done if they do it wrong. Then you can circle back to doing it the correct way! 😊

[@Neli42]

"How much of their problem do you need to solve?" Excellent self- check for both managers and parents.

[@jmacd8817]

My wife ran a hand dyed yarn business for a few years. She bought quality wool blend yarn that wasn't cheap. She spent hours doing the dyeing. Even with all that, she STILL had folks comparing her prices to Wal-Mart.

[@THEDubbleHelixx]

There will always be at least two markets: people looking for the cheapest option (often because it's all they can afford), and those looking for quality and are willing to pay for it (within reason). An important part of business is figuring out which is your intended audience, because you can rarely satisfy both.

[@looloo4029]

People who are focused on price and price alone, will always run to places like Walmart for cheap sh*t rather than considering quality and durability.

[@dallassukerkin6878]

Aye, that is indeed the thing, as others have said here - things that sell in quantity at Wal-Mart may not have a good quality analogue that will sell well enough to make a business out of. It's annoying but sadly true that, until the recent cost-of-living crisis, people have become accustomed to 'cheap' and don't want to pay for 'good'. I'm from Stoke-on-Trent, which used to be the ceramics capital of the world - a single plate from one of the quality makers could cost you £100 but it would last for literally centuries without signs of wear. When the bean counters 'off-shored' the industry we could suddenly buy entire sets for a fiver ... but they were cheap because they were *cheap* and will break and wear out very quickly. But with that very low cost alternative people would no longer pay the high tariff for good quality and so that was that :(

[@Princess_Celestia_]

People compare our liquor store prices to walmart as well. Our prices are based on what we paid for each item of inventory multiplied by 1.55 for tax and profit. For example, if we paid 10$ for a bottle ale from our distributer, you would 15.50$ for that same bottle. After the 10$ we paid and the 4.50$ sales tax, we only make 1$ on that sale. If we lowered prices to walmart levels, we'd be making -4.50$ on that sale, we'd be in the red and would be forced to sell out. I really hate walmart.

[@Goodboy77717]

@@looloo4029 I knew a dude who was focused on price and price alone but it was the reverse. He would find the most expensive version of whatever it was he was buying without checking reviews or anything for quality or durability issues.

[@Spacerowa-f4t]

When I first heard Adam say that he and Jaime never socialized outside of the show I was a little disappointed to find out they weren't friends in real life. However, neither were the members of Led Zeppelin, The Police or the Beatles. In fact, members of the Police had a very contemptuous working relationship and got along better once they broke up as a band. Also they were both older when they started the show and many people over thirty tend to concentrate more on their spouses and families and are less concerned with having a social life.

[@kenbrown2808]

I've had a large number of co-workers I never socialized with outside of work. people forget that during the filming of mythbusters, that was Adam and Jamie's work.

[@ortzinator]

Penn and Teller also

[@parajerry]

@@ortzinator But they are friends and spend holidays together. I know them.

[@MichaelEdelman1954]

An economist friend told me something very applicable here: In the absence of other information, people use price as a proxy for quality.

[@MichaelEdelman1954]

Actually, Paul and John were very close until the last year or two of the band.

[@motherpigeon1582]

See thank you for this, people don't understand business exist to make money, not to give you hugs and fulfill worker's dreams.

[@matthewdemarey4762]

Ironically, micro managing is exhausting on the giving end as well. I genuinely never thought about it that way before though; that is "Do I NEED to solve this problem NOW? Or will the world solve it for me?" As someone who gets so caught up in the lives of those I care about because I care so much, that is so something I needed to hear. Thank you, Adam.