I see the author catching some crap, but I think it's undue. Well, potentially. The clearer you are with your manager, the smoother the machine runs. The only problem is that, in the hands of the wrong boss, trying to do the right things gets you fired. This really only works for the worker if the manager is equally honest and pro-active. And the only way to find out is to put your job on the line and gain that trust the hard way.