I ran into this at work today. Proposed a very simple approach for something to an architect and an engineering lead. Engineering lead said this was a practical solution that solves a problem that’s been plaguing them for two years. The architect nearly immediately said, “well, the real source is a mainframe that was stood up in the very early 80s. Let’s ignore the fact that changing it takes an act of Congress or that we have multiple modern downstream systems between it and us that are a much better home for this new function.”
It really seemed to amount to, “I didn’t come up with this, therefore I don’t support it.”
Ah, corporate politics.
10/10 explanation. I would add two things.
First, there is a massive amount of variation in “normal” people. I’m personally of the belief that we spend too much time classifying people and that can set unreasonable expectations. Just because someone was/wasn’t diagnosed as <x> does not mean they will neatly fit in that box.
Second, there are cultural norms and elements that interplay here. I am a New Englander living in the Midwest. I consider my communication style to be direct and frank, which means that I try to objectively say things as they are. I grew up being interacted with this way. This style of communication is somewhat contrary to the norms of the Midwest, which can result in people interpreting me as being confrontational and lacking empathy.