Summary

• Communication paradox: Over-communication increases visibility but risks annoying colleagues.
• Accountability gap: Middle managers face accountability while juniors handle the execution.
• Narrative control: A lack of updates allows others to assume the worst, as seen when an intern failed to inform his manager.
• Hierarchy adjustments: Conforming to a follower role after being a leader is difficult but necessary to build trust.

Introduction

After my first tech internship, I wanted to build on what I had learned. I am now in a different environment. Since there are fewer opportunities to generate work, are there fewer opportunities to learn?

I wanted to test a theory: is over-communication actually a good thing?

Pros and Cons of Talking

What happens when you over-communicate? There are obvious pros and cons. On the positive side, work becomes visible. You stand out. You are no longer a black box, making it very clear what you are doing.

But what about the downsides? Does it look like sucking up? It can get verbose and tiring for others to absorb. It feels especially annoying when trust is already given to execute tasks. Colleagues might even dislike it.

If it is not good to always keep quiet, and not good to always voice out, when is a good time to speak up?

The Accountability Shift

To find the answer, I tried placing myself in their shoes. At the middle management level, managers are no longer responsible for execution. They are accountable for it. The juniors are the ones responsible now.

If a junior comes with a problem but no solution, it signals a poor fit. The manager might as well do the work themselves. However, hiding problems is just as bad. Problems eventually arise, and keeping quiet shows a lack of ownership and collaboration.

So what does this leave us with? The best approach is bringing the problem while proposing solutions and assessing the risks.

The Reality of Status Updates

We cannot only approach a manager with problems. When things are going well, a manager has no way of knowing if juniors are actually doing work. Waiting until an urgent task is due to finally deliver it is a recipe for disaster.

Status updates are still necessary. We do not need to update every single detail, just whatever is necessary. Keeping it to point form and bite-sized reduces the cognitive load.

I saw this firsthand. An intern went to collect equipment but did not give any updates. The manager was kept in the dark and jokingly asked where the intern was the whole time. Just like that, the intern had to defend himself and the dynamic changed. It created the impression that he was unaccounted for.

Across the four archetypes of managers (absentee, coach, buddy, controller), they all appreciate status updates. They might react differently, but the goal remains the same:

Reach a comfortable baseline of communication.

The Struggle of Following

It seems awfully obvious, but why do so many in Gen Z struggle with this?

Personally, I have never worked properly at a corporate job before. My previous internships were mostly experiential up to my first real-world experience in a tech company.

I have been a leader before, and it was nice being able to set the culture. Now, at my current professional stage, I find it hard to conform to the hierarchy and go back to being a follower. It can be challenging. It is especially hard when management styles clash with your own. But this was an awfully painful experience to learn, and I am glad to have learned it early.

Caveats of Communication

There is a difference between two-way and one-way communication. You might perfect your communication style to be clear and predictable. But what if dealing with new people means they just do not see eye to eye with you? At that point, it may simply signal a fundamental misalignment in working styles rather than a communication flaw.

Also, if a junior comes with a problem but no solution, is it always their fault? This could be an environmental problem. If an environment lacks adequate support and guidance, recurring friction can easily create the impression of a poor fit.

Can we try to communicate and set boundaries, especially with a controller boss? Yes.

If the boss is empathetic, they might even set those boundaries for you to prevent burnout. But boundary setting remains an important survival skill either way.

Conclusion

Ultimately, why is it important to set the narrative yourself? If you communicate before somebody notices an issue, you get to explain it while establishing transparency. It makes people's lives easier to the best of your ability.

Build trust, and take charge of the story before someone else writes it for you.