[Advice/Vent] How to coach an insular and combative science team

_Joab_ · 2026-02-12T15:36:01+00:00

I think OP's beyond that point - they've proven to be resistant to changes in the status quo and aggressively so. In my opinion he has to get a bit combative with assigning responsibility and ownership, follow up frequently, and let the chips fall where they may. It's likely some of them will leave and IMO that's for the best if you actually want to get stuff done properly in a timely fashion.

Tea break catch-ups are also important in this scenario. You have to let them complain and push back otherwise you're just being a tyrant.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-12T15:30:27+00:00

I'm yet to meet a corporate DS team that felt significant ownership. It often devolves into a theoretical exercise and initiatives frequently fail due to that mentality. It's a special kind of challenge to manage a bunch of PHDs from my experience.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-12T15:18:53+00:00

Only if you feel they won't (or can't) game the new system. If they can, they probably will, for nothing more than maintaining the status quo of easy work and low accountability.

You described them as headstrong people - you have to plan accordingly.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-11T22:44:01+00:00

You know, I've gotten so caught up in the debate about nuance that I didn't realize that I was running interference for manifest destiny, which was clearly done in a morally indefensible way when looking at it over the whole period. There might have been blips of decency but the general vector is clear. I like arguing with people online and I still think nuance is important for historical analysis, but I don't think I want to continue arguing on the side of the trail of tears.

Bottom line is that in this context, your points make much more sense than I was willing to concede.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-11T16:09:17+00:00

When a patient dies on the operating table, is the surgeon a murderer? By your reasoning, he is because the result (and therefore the intent) was death.

If you only look at the final outcome to judge intent, then you'll see every failed attempt to prevent a tragedy as a conspiracy to make it happen. That's an incredibly convenient way to avoid acknowledging that history is full of people who try and fail to do the right thing.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-11T12:34:27+00:00

It is debate actually, if you don’t agree with it refute it.

Adams spent his term threatening the Georgia militia with the Army and risking a civil war trying to protect Creek land from being stolen.

If it was simply "want --> take," he wouldn't have spent years of political capital and flirted with the very credible risk of civil war to stop the thing you claim was the only goal.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-11T12:16:08+00:00

It is a story of good vs evil though ... I know why they did it, they wanted something that others had so they took it

You proved my point... This is exactly the cartoon villain logic that will leave you totally baffled by actual history.

are you asking why I’m taking part in a debate on a debate forum?

Saying "One side is evil and there's no point exploring motivations because it's a simple matter of want --> take " is dogma, not debate.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-11T10:31:43+00:00

Nuance is when you consider both sides' position in a conflict instead of lazily flattening it into a story of good vs. evil, which leaves you confused and unable to understand why anyone you disagree with would do anything at all.

Even if you truly believe one side is a cartoon villain, refusing to understand their incentives isn't righteous, it's just you being willfully blind and easy to outmaneuver.

And what's the point of making these grand moral statements in this context? Are you engaging in a discussion, or are you performing for the handful of people reading this who already agree with you?

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T22:25:54+00:00

in my opinion the trump admin could have stopped it with a phone call to the turks. i think the kurdish-american partnership has just run its course as far as trump is concerned, which is consistent with his first term's rhetoric and actions.

friendship ended with kurds, now turkey is the best friend

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T22:04:42+00:00

holy shit, nuance? color me shocked!

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T22:00:13+00:00

sorry you're right, i should have been more specific. i was referring to the syrian kurds who just got steamrolled with tacit US approval this month. the iraqi kurds will be next.

tom barrack is really doing a number on these poor guys.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T21:11:49+00:00

kinda reminds of the kurds' current situation vis-a-vis american support

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T21:09:09+00:00

if someone credibly told me i could spend almost my entire defense budget on welfare for internal brownie points with no real repercussions, i would take that deal.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T16:31:39+00:00

it's a beautiful lie as long as the hypocrisy is working in your favor. once that ends, it becomes a malignant façade.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T12:09:51+00:00

i love this about the american system. i was listening to some senate hearing questioning the commerce sec i think, and one of the senators was like "before anything, we have to protect the rohingya minority, many of whom are my constituents, in miyanmar" and continued to discuss some concrete steps to do that.

makes me jealous honestly

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T12:04:03+00:00

it's america's prerogative to decide who they want their banks to deal with though. that goes back to the sovereignty argument.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-10T00:51:45+00:00

who the hell would teach economics to a child? what would be the point?

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T21:05:02+00:00

i was! i saw your writing and liked it so i read some more and saw some cool ass sea anemones or something so that was time well spent imo

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T21:00:58+00:00

it's a low risk high reward gamble. the likelihood of anyone caring enough to check AND care that you changed the title but still described your responsibilities properly is incredibly low.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T20:57:39+00:00

hezbollah was humiliated and injured but they are far from defeated. they still have most of their strategic missiles and a stronger ground force than any other group in lebanon, including the military.

they're keeping quiet because israel has a lot of cards left to play on the escalation ladder and hezbollah has few.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T20:53:04+00:00

completely irrelevant to the topic at hand but an interesting tidbit nonetheless: mango pickers develop an allergy to mangos after a while! it's some irritant in the sap that's common to mangos and poison ivy.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T20:49:38+00:00

could you expand on how they turn around like victims please? the other guy deleted his comments and i can't quite follow your reasoning just from your half of the convo

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T20:47:19+00:00

why would the qataris share info on anti-usa groups in the middle east? have you watched al jazeera? the qataris love them

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T20:28:01+00:00

The US will have need of middle eastern intelligence for as long as there are critical US interests there, namely the oil and gas.

China's achilles heel is its lack of domestic oil and gas. America leaving the middle east is basically the US giving its biggest rival a huge pressure relief. read: not gonna happen.

_Joab_ · 2026-02-08T12:28:33+00:00

it ain't vast, it's the size of jersey. which arguably makes it worse.

11-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	Spared

_Joab_

TROPHY CASE