#leadership

Just gonna drop this here for your morning reading...

https://underthetable2026.blogspot.com/?m=1

If we replaced the operating committee with AI agents trained on the latest groupthink, what would change.

nada.

These people have no clue.

I’m excited about my new role but I need help updating my LinkedIn profile. You better send me good suggestions if you don’t want to end up being eaten by sharks with lasers. Here’s what I have so far:

Visionary leader with a proven record of getting agreement and buy-in from all stakeholders. Skilled at tough negotiations. Recognized the world over for his outside the box and creative solutions to difficult problems.

Verizon / Frontier - RIF them all in Wisconsin

We are a customer. No one an employee.

Leadership is asleep. Frontier in our area has always been a nightmare to work with. Now with it being Verizon, it is worse.
It is as though they are driving it into the ground, so that long-time Verizon leadership can be recognized for turning things around.
For decades, at least three times a year, phone lines and DSL break. Takes Frontier days to respond.
In the latest episode of "i need things fixed", Frontier constantly blamed the customer for every little thing. Field tech went to the wrong address.
Put a note on the door saying that they missed us. 4:55pm.. 5 min before their shift ended. Wanted to blame the customer again. Excuse after excuse for why
they are unable to resolve the issue.

For years we have asked Frontier to visit the property to see what we were up against. No.
We have asked for assistance with running new lines to a new building. No.
We have asked for the old copper in the ground to be grounded or replaced. No.

Charter has responded. The entire area will have true fiber fed high-speed internet by Fall 2026.
It did take a few phone calls to get to the Engineering department, but there has been awesome communication between us and them on our needs.
Actively communicating with us on which buildings need what.
We are actively working with them to build out a lake community of 300 homes where Frontier refuses and says DSL is just fine.

Get rid of the weakest links and replace leadership up here with customer focused engineers who know what it takes to get things done.

Customers are investors too!

Senior sponsors are often only a few years ahead of retirement or so I wonder what happens to their hipos if they leave or are forced out ?

This is from 1999 when we saw share prices drop by 24 percent just wondered if they dusted this off from an old set of meeting minutes..it feel awful familiar.

"In April, Thoman unveiled a plan to remake Xerox’s image as a technology company instead of a copier maker. The shift, which involves realigning the sales force, is designed to let Xerox sell customized packages of consulting services, software and machines that the company says will generate half its revenue in the next decade."

Not wanting to raise the alarm bells but take a look at Verizon layoffs if you want an idea at how unpopular the new CHRO has been and get ready for inane posts on LinkedIn featuring vacuous slogans

Mist leadership taking over and Aruba folks are leaving. What are y’ll thoughts?

Takis is probably one of the best known fintech talent. Grew JPM from 7 people to 15K people & 20 billion revenue run-rate. Probably the best we could hope for. Not sure why Mike Lyons got the CEO role in the first place — he clearly has no clue about the payment industry. He’s a banker…

It goes without saying that LC has lost the whole function. Only 10% of the 150 or so people responded to his survey. Hardly anybody shows up to his in person townhalls so they’re just all virtual.

I just browsed around that list and also noticed that CS is now a GM for his EPMO work. It’s truly amazing the level of talent that has completely fell off the cliff. There are so many new GM and directors now, while the worker bees are shipped off to ENGINE and MSSC. There’s nobody to manage here.

If I compare the days of ITSD (JG RIP, RS, the lady LC) - the knowledge of actual IT versus who we have in KG for ITOF is night and day. We have decided to overpay incompetent IT people while pushing out people who actually knew technology.

And don’t get me started on platform GMs. SB as a subsurface GM was certainly not on anybody’s bingo card.

Just burn it all down.

Ken L has been removed from Value. Another useless arrogant pompous clown who should have been removed years ago.

Since Medtronic loves saving money I have an idea. Fire the useless Sr VPs and VPs and find replacements in Colombia. I am sure that will work our great. It would save millions upon millions of dollars.

Tara should go first.

We’ve made measurable strides in fiber deployment and 5G, alongside solid free cash flow and prudent capital allocation, the reality is stark: after five years of this leadership, our stock has fallen 20% over the past year materially underperforming the broader market that has delivered meaningful gains. This persistent gap between our strategic plans and actual shareholder value creation is no longer acceptable. The transformation narrative has run its course without delivering results. For the sake of restoring accountability and protecting long-term owner interests, it is time for John Stankey to step down or be replaced. We require leadership with the urgency and execution focus to turn our strong underlying assets into tangible stock price performance.

After an invasion of people from MS during last 5 years, it is now ZSCLR time. Story continues ... after getting a position of power, they bring their favorites. Latest is no less - an SVP. Go figure.

Is Malta getting a new GM???

Once MFN was forced out it’s been downhill. Personally I think we will get purchased by someone at the end of the year after the “Big Bill” goes in effect.

The Chief Executive Officer of Health Net of California, Brian Ternan leaving - will be declared later today.

Srini lying through his teeth rn. And doing it with a straight face.

Anyone else feel like we’re no longer transforming the business, we’re transforming the transformation?

New LOB leaders. New-old CTO. CDO gone. Buyouts. New operating model. Morale in hospice.

At this point, the org chart has changed more often than the stock price.

But don’t worry. Reorg #7 is definitely the one.

Predict what’s about to occur now that a low price environment and halfhearted improvement initiatives are about to collide.
Will the market reward or punish current leadership?

Some managers and dirs just do follow ups, just they pressure on developers to deliver data to meet deadlines. They didn't even know proper architecture, business, no proper direction to dev's and some even don't know basic git commands. I don't know how are they even surviving in this org.

I can’t believe these people are the leadership.

OpenText stock is so low, it looks like it borrowed a time machine and went back to July 2015, probably the last time someone in leadership accidentally made a sensible decision.

After decades of people working relentlessly, building systems, carrying delivery, solving problems, and keeping the machine alive, it is truly inspiring to watch a parade of strategic geniuses take over and prove that destruction can also be executed with confidence, PowerPoint decks, and executive bonuses.

The company will survive, of course , companies like this always do. The people who built it get discarded, the decision-makers get rewarded, and families like mine get to wonder how loyalty, experience, and decades of hard work are supposed to turn into food on the plate.

But no worries . I am sure the next 'transformation initiative' will fix everything. Maybe another reorg, another acquisition, another round of cuts, another leadership memo full of brave words and zero accountability. Because apparently, when stupid decisions fail, the solution is to execute them even more relentlessly.

Dear “leads”,
What the actual fu-k are you doing up there? If your goal is to make Mattel the least respected, most toxic, revolving door of all time - continue celebrating yourselves, you’ve done it.
Signed,
Someone struggling to care as little as you do.

Feedback on TheLayoff.com reflects consistent concerns about Robin Vince and the Executive Committee’s leadership approach, particularly around communication and transparency. Employees report that leadership discussions feel scripted and avoid addressing the practical impact of layoffs, cost‑cutting, and ongoing real estate closures and consolidations. Many feel there is little meaningful dialogue about how these decisions affect workloads, stability, and long‑term career prospects.

Restrictive return‑to‑office policies are another major point of frustration, especially when paired with reduced office space and limited flexibility. Associates also describe promotions and merit increases as stagnant, with internal mobility perceived as difficult or inaccessible.

Commenters frequently question the company’s use of tax credits tied to hiring state‑university graduates and upgrading U.S. facilities, suggesting these incentives do not appear to translate into broader investment in existing employees. Concerns also surface around the growing reliance on AI tools like Eliza, which some view as a substitute for genuine engagement.

Finally, many posts highlight unease about continued offshoring, increased use of H1B hiring, and patterns that employees interpret as age‑related bias.

Overall, commenters describe a widening disconnect between leadership messaging and the day‑to‑day realities employees face. Commenters have lost trust in senior leadership and are concerned that BNY is not a desirable employer.

This voluntary layoff program is probably just the first phase of a broader restructuring. Look at the tech companies, Amazon just did this prior to their massive layoff this year. Companies start with voluntary exits to reduce headcount quietly, lower severance costs, (they save SOOO much $$$) and see which roles can naturally be eliminated before moving to any targeted involuntary cuts. Too sum it up if you choose to leave its MUCH cheaper and looks better for them.

This is also why your metrics seem to be unatainable. They move the goalposts and the employees they want to get rid of they hold them to the letter of the metrics and put them on performance plans to get them out or they just quit out of frustration.

Leadership at this company uses rolling layoffs as just part of their general business practices. VSP does a lot of things, avoid WARN Act triggers, and reduce the negative optics of “another layoff,” all while encouraging high tenured, expensive employees to self select out.

This looks like they still need to get rid of expensive administrative resources but want to do it in a controlled, lower risk way the keeps the public and legal exposure to a minimum. All at the same time giving them the talking point "we'll they left on their own".

From HR here
And shocked with my recent experience.
Had an opening which is not a Visa sponsorship position.
Hiring manager was so mad and ended up convincing his LL4 and my boss and changed to Visa sponsorship. His LL4 and My leadership is also Indian.
Later he confessed to me saying his cousins badly need a Job who is on OPT Visa and has only 30 days, else she have to go back to India..
He even modified the resume to match the Job description..unfortunately HR hands are tight with this as no substantial evidence (except 2 different resumes)

What are qualifications to become Director

This is being presented as an individual choice, even though that choice may ultimately be denied if you decide to apply. The eligibility criteria are intentionally broad, which helps protect the company from age or demographic discrimination claims.
On some teams, 40 to 50% of employees received VSP eligibility notices. If everyone applied, it's obvious not everyone would be approved. Critical roles have already been identified, and those employees will almost certainly be denied.
If it feels like your PL is in the dark, it's because they are. Top Leadership are limiting what PLs know to avoid conflicting messages or anything that could be interpreted as a promise of job security. The problem is they haven't equipped PLs with meaningful talking points or guidance. That's a major failure.
PLs are stuck in the middle, taking pressure from both top leadership and their teams while still being expected to maintain productivity. They've been stripped of the transparency they need to lead their teams honestly and ethically.
Meanwhile, the psychological toll on employees is being largely ignored. Treating an entire workforce like rows on a spreadsheet during a restructuring of this magnitude feels cold, impersonal, and dehumanizing.

Hans Vestberg is no longer on Verizon's payroll, correct?

Vestberg, continuing to deal with the remnants, thank you for the hot mess?

How many of Vestberg's top tier executives remain??

Gone are EVPs, to include Shank and Sampath... Which other executives are no longer affiliated at Verizon and who continue to remain??

We have a TON of VP layers, some of which have no true direct reports. Why not start cutting there and leave the ICs (who actually DO the work!) alone? This company is severely top heavy. That’s where they should look to cut first.

I’m considering a move to Truist. By the looks of it, Truist has high managed account fees, unattractive compensation grids, leadership turnover, etc. What are the benefits for being a financial advisor at this organization?

Somehow, political maneuvering was allowed to empower ATS to fully control all technology pilots in S&T. They, and CTV sitting on the same floor, don't know their a-s from a hole in the ground, trusting vendors at their word and using CoPilot to analyze the basic things that the COE knows like the back of their hand. Acquisition mistakes during piloting are happening that are hugely embarrassing because they never took a basic instrumentation 101 and their repeated asks of CoPilot for everything fail to ask for reviews of pilot acquisition details carefully. You cannot run a company by aborting your top intellect for CoPilot and hording the work all for yourself. Abort ATS and CTV and empowering COE in a meaningful way will save Chevron S&T, or a massive redesign is needed.

Our leaders are spelling bee champions at juggling jargons like AEG, TPG, SMT, GMC, NVG, PMG, AES, OPC, and TSG. They are either Einstein or have spent a lot of time in mastering them.

Turning over like crazy!!! Normal or worrying??

The department lead role feels poorly defined. Team leaders are still carrying most of the delivery pressure, people management, prioritization conversations, and stakeholder updates. Instead of shielding teams or helping resolve conflicts, the role sometimes feels like an added reporting layer between directors and the people actually doing the work.

From: https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/verizon-launches-simplicity-pricing-new-loyalty-program

As for talk that morale is low among Verizon employees right now, Entner quoted former Verizon CEO Denny Strigl, saying “happy people don’t make numbers. Numbers make happy people.”

Back in the Strigl days, “this was a carrier that was kicking a-s and taking names. It was winning,” he said. Over the past several years under former CEO Hans Vestberg, “they got kicked around, and morale in a company that is losing accounts and market share is not a happy place.”

Soon into his tenure, Schulman announced a massive lay-off of more than 13,000 workers and he’s been candid about how AI is going to replace workers.

Naturally, morale is low, Entner said.

“When Verizon turns around, gains subscribers, gains accounts and wins, morale will soar,” he said.

Circling back to Clark, she said the latest price and loyalty plans are just the beginning. Since Schulman took over as CEO in October, they’ve been centered on putting the customer first.

From: https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/verizon-launches-simplicity-pricing-new-loyalty-program

As for talk that morale is low among Verizon employees right now, Entner quoted former Verizon CEO Denny Strigl, saying “happy people don’t make numbers. Numbers make happy people.”

Back in the Strigl days, “this was a carrier that was kicking a-s and taking names. It was winning,” he said. Over the past several years under former CEO Hans Vestberg, “they got kicked around, and morale in a company that is losing accounts and market share is not a happy place.”

Soon into his tenure, Schulman announced a massive lay-off of more than 13,000 workers and he’s been candid about how AI is going to replace workers.

Naturally, morale is low, Entner said.

“When Verizon turns around, gains subscribers, gains accounts and wins, morale will soar,” he said.

Circling back to Clark, she said the latest price and loyalty plans are just the beginning. Since Schulman took over as CEO in October, they’ve been centered on putting the customer first.

I have been to Two World Olympics, Three Goat Roping's and one Hippo Gigging and never seen anything like this.. Was told Channel was strong and NO LAYOFF's this year on Jan 1 (Not there 5 months). Then this.... SH had a call with the group and said this place has "Failed". Then he makes the decesion on what peolpe go. I knew this group was "Doomed" after this. Last in First Out.... ATT is a great company but some leaders? Where is Chow need her back...