From a piece that introduced me to a great sorting technique-- askers v. guessers.
"Neither's "wrong", but when an Asker meets a Guesser, unpleasantness results. An Asker won't think it's rude to request two weeks in your spare room, but a Guess culture person will hear it as presumptuous and resent the agony involved in saying no. Your boss, asking for a project to be finished early, may be an overdemanding boor - or just an Asker, who's assuming you might decline. If you're a Guesser, you'll hear it as an expectation."
I disagree. The asker is the one more often in the wrong. (Perhaps I'm saying this because I'm a guesser?) A boss should know that essentially the boss/subordinate relationship creates the expectation and it's his job to avoid abusing it. That's one of his roles. On the friendship front though I find this spectrum far more useful.
(vai @kottke)
"Neither's "wrong", but when an Asker meets a Guesser, unpleasantness results. An Asker won't think it's rude to request two weeks in your spare room, but a Guess culture person will hear it as presumptuous and resent the agony involved in saying no. Your boss, asking for a project to be finished early, may be an overdemanding boor - or just an Asker, who's assuming you might decline. If you're a Guesser, you'll hear it as an expectation."
I disagree. The asker is the one more often in the wrong. (Perhaps I'm saying this because I'm a guesser?) A boss should know that essentially the boss/subordinate relationship creates the expectation and it's his job to avoid abusing it. That's one of his roles. On the friendship front though I find this spectrum far more useful.
(vai @kottke)
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