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That’s the problem with engineers: when they can’t get…

“That’s the problem with engineers: when they can’t get something working, they always blame the previous group of engineers, and you never know which ones aren’t idiots until they get whatever it is working. “Well,” quote by Robert Kroese
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““That’s the problem with engineers: when they can’t get something working, they always blame the previous group of engineers, and you never know which ones aren’t idiots until they get whatever it is working. “Well,””

Robert Kroese

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Engineers often blame predecessors when projects fail, making it hard to identify true competence until success is achieved.

In simple terms: Blaming past teams hides real skill until things work.

Key Takeaway

Assess performance based on outcomes, not excuses.

Themes

accountability team dynamics competence

Mood

critical reflective

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

  • project management
  • team hiring
  • postmortem analysis

Key Concepts

blame culture performance evaluation

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can teams foster constructive feedback without blame?
  • What metrics reveal true competence?
A Different Perspective

Blame can demotivate and obscure learning opportunities.

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