I found strange to see so much criticism of the post as usually, anything that Wes Kao writes really resonates with me as a senior IC. Usually there’s a great balance of nuance and depth to the advice that makes it easy to digest and pick small bits and pieces to try out on my own context
Nearly 30 years in the business here and I think most of what was said in the article is spot on if you are in an appropriate situation.
Many commenters seem to take absolutist positions on this and think no one should ever allow themselves to be under a bad manager but it happens and then you need to effectively deal with it and these are some good techniques to do so.
The techniques even apply to working with a good manager. You shouldn't just vomit every criticism or critique to your superior. You should engage in introspection and internal dialogue to see if your perspective is correct and if there is more you can do to address the issue before spamming your manager.
If someone is offended by the article they might need to take a step back and ask if their ego has grown beyond its useful size.
Yeah I mean to generalize even further, these are techniques that can apply to your direct reports, your friends, your spouse.
Giving feedback is definitely an art and a thin line between getting your point across in a clear way vs running up against ego or impatience.
If you care about your org's success it's critical to know your audience, their approach and value system, and how to tailor your message to account for what will resonate with them. It's really tough stuff.
I absolutely hate having to say stuff in between the lines or trying to interpret veiled intentions. There's def no need to be pointlessly rude when giving criticism, but to me, beating around the bush is exhausting and often frustratingly ineffective.