Make Your Own Fucking Table

11/04/20142 Min Read — In Career

This is mostly for testers and QA professionals but the same is true for any office or knowledge worker. If you don't like the status quo, don't be a victim. Ask yourself "So? What are you going to do about it?" and then go fucking do something.

The people with a seat at the table aren’t looking out for you. They think they already are or don’t need to. Maybe they don’t think about you at all. This is partly your fault. You haven’t communicated well enough for them to know your perspective and value it. They don’t have the nuance and experience to advocate for you and your domain properly.

You hear it all the time. Support staff, “if we could just get this information beforehand so that we could be prepared for the incoming requests”, Documentation team “we could turn around a better product if we had been given product access sometime before two days before release”, etc.

Maybe you asked for a seat at the table. Someone nodded their head or asked Why. You told them it was to advocate for Quality. They said that a developer would be there so don’t worry about it. They think they have you covered.

If you don’t have a seat at the table demand one. If what happens at the table is making life harder for you, let everyone know.

If you can’t get to the table, make your own table. If you build it they will come.

You are empowered. You don’t know it yet and you haven’t used your power but you had it all along, Dorothy.

Did you know you are empowered? Did you know you have power? Did you know that you don't need permission to do your job?

If no one understands your role and job, and maybe you didn't communicate it well enough, that's a lot to work on and something you will need to do continually, don't let it get in your way. Self-advocate but also just do the job you have to do.

Would anyone notice if you reinvented your role? They don’t understand what you do anyway. Use that to your advantage. It's called agency and you are a professional, you are simply doing your actual job instead of what someone else's conception of your job is. You have to show them how it's done.

You can write it up and do whatever you need to, again, you don't need a magic feather to fly, your job is to fly. You just need to want the right things. You know what they are. You want skill, collaboration, test ability, and excellence, you want pairing, coaching, leading, constant improvement.

You can call a meeting, you can set up a calendar, you can start new reports, you can find new tools, you can create a culture of innovation, learning, and collaboration, you can pick up the phone, you can ask for a budget, you can write a proposal, you can mentor someone, you can let someone mentor you, you can ask for things.

If those who have a seat at the table aren't representing you and you need a seat at the table...

If you can't get a seat at the table and no one at the table represents you...

make your own fucking table