#leadership

Do we have a communications team? Do they help the senior leaders with their messaging? Sure seems like the answer is no. Employee messaging is terrible - inconsistent, inauthentic, and lacks humanity. What’s happening here?

Division meeting today just ended. T.P says more ISPs coming. No number given, just the same ole same ole "transformation" jargon. Also, 700 HBAs impacted by the new RTO policy. They did this knowing a lot of those folks will rage quit or simply not be able to do RTO, leading to termination. Why is EDJ leadership actively at war with the very people who make the company home office work? It sure as Sh1t aint the GPs pulling this wagon.

Structure w/out trust just feels like punishment.
The people you are chasing will still hide, just now from a desk.
The rest of us lose flexibility that actually helped us deliver.
Thats why this feels like optics- not strategy.

expect several months worth of small, targeted little potshots and pruning to avoid more bad PR and WARN, etc. hopefully some bigger changes will come at the top level.

What Dan Schulman is proposing isn’t new. You can find old videos of Tami Irwin bragging about how customer centric we’ve become and old videos of Shankar Arumugavelu bragging about how much gen AI has improved things.

We’ve had reorgs that didn’t make much sense every year and a slew of executives who overpromised , underdelivered, and then moved on. Hans, Ronnan Dunne, Manon Brouillette, Shankar, Linda Avery, Diego Scotti, etc…

It’s been years since I’ve worked for other companies. There were problems but I don’t remember it being this bad. I’m worried this might be the new standard in corporate America.

Oh looks like he actually just went to be the CSO at Walgreens. Guess he realized high complexity supply chains weren't his calling and he'd rather be back in the consumer commodity world.

Chevron will continue to decline as long as the current crop of executive leaders are at the helm. They are simply out of ideas. The stock price has been moving sideways for years despite buybacks, cost cutting, acquisitions and divestitures, and layoffs. Our reserves impress nobody. Our projects still run over budget and over schedule. Exxon is eating our lunch.

The executives are desperate and all they can think to do is desperately flail at changing the window dressings and offshoring more work to cut costs, quality be damned and forget about increasing reserves or investing in exploration. They talk about AI hoping to ride some of that wave in the market but it’s just lip service at this point.

They forgot we’re an oil and gas company and now all of us peons have to pay the price for their lack of competent leadership and dereliction of duty. It’s going to get worse before it gets better - and it’s never going back to what it was. If you’ve got more than 5 years left in your career and have a decent alternative employment opportunity I’d highly recommend taking it.

Is LBT and his team planning to do that ?

I have not seen a single picture of our new CEO wearing anything with a Verizon logo. Have you?

I thought things would change with new ownership. I was wrong.

I can't understand the logic the leadership is using to choose who stays and who goes. They've let some really skilled people go recently for no clear reason. Some newer folks as well, who joined maybe a year or so ago. Their decisions just seem completely random.

What a joke of a management committee, board of directors and the government for letting a US company bring IOL (100 year old company) to the s**.

What happened to corporate separateness? Now TG and DW have plans to exploit Canadian molecules, hose the minority interest investors (upwards of $500M of value based on rough estimates) and set up a wholly owned shell Trading shop in Canada in 2026.

Again, is the IOL board of directors asleep? Critical jobs are being migrated south to Houston at a higher cost and at the same time decimating fundamental knowledge that’s required for any stand alone O&G company which is a huge risk. How about the provincial and federal governments? Canadian taxable income is about to be stripped for the US to benefit. At this rate, all weak leadership contributing to this mess should be managed out of India in the “Global Hub”based on the lack of long term value they bring to the company and how far they are from the real Canadian business.

@ the government and BoD - wake up and block this immoral trade shop from starting up and exploiting Canadian molecules at the expense of the independent shareholders. Audit the s*** out of any proposals being presented including risk to long term value to the company. The move of Calgary head office to Strathcona Refinery and lack of diligence assessing the econs and long term risk to the company due to losing its top talent was already a disgrace.

Interesting article explaining that Greg Gut, our former M&A chief pitched the idea of acquiring BP to Wael and Sinead. Wael shot it down of course but Andrew McKenzie was interested. Greg left after being shot down. Article makes some interesting points about where we’re lacking. I’m not in the upstream side so happy to yield to anyone with real insight about our reserves. Sharing because I thought the BP rumors were simply that. Turns out was a real possibility.

https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/edbd2278-e222-4570-85bd-da8de3548a1a

AIG claims is a complete sweatshop. The senior VP and the VP under him are as toxic. Steer clear. They say they have a commitment to a field claims team and Friday they just announced they're taking all the cars away from the field claims team. How do you say you have a commitment to a field claims team and then take away the cars and not give a car allowance to the field claims team. As soon as the STI bonuses paid at the end of February the entire field claims team is gone.

The future of American leadership in AI starts with talent. Proud to support the U.S. Tech Force to bring top technologists into government and tackle mission-critical challenges. You can learn more at TechForce.gov

OC/LA. Today wasn’t random. Signals confirmed. VEC overlap active. Reviews + verification in motion. D+22 check-back. 74% is the line. More reductions coming. Do your modules. Stay active on PC (VPN) — ~7 hrs/week minimum. Data doesn’t lie. Tighten everything now.

Vteamers - we are winning! The same leadership team that’s been around for decades and was key to our current market position is energized and excited to bring you another reorg! We look forward to continued chaos and lack of accountability (key hallmarks of nonstop reorgs) to lead us into the future. So fill out those pulse surveys and get in your volunteer hours because it’s the only thing we actually track. We love you, vteam!

https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/verizons-latest-shakeup-new-wireless-fiber-execs

He has tried, give him his due. But in the end he’s failed. As he put it - my best plan is to Buy shell shares back at the absolute top of the market’ the end.
Absolutely zero vision # not worth the money (millions)

Confirmed from someone in finance and HR. AI, moving many jobs to India, and new leadership found many teams doing similar work.

With her lack of clear leadership and strategy as well as her focus on outsourcing any and all jobs she can to those who "defer to others" when making decisions it was only a matter of time. I for one congratulate Athena for failing upwards once again!

Everything Doug Field touches dies.

Kelly boomerang here—back at HQ after a five-year family break. Honestly, I can’t get over how different this place feels now. Back then, we actually stood for something. The CEO cared, leadership had energy, humor, my boss was awesome, we were growing, i knew what we were selling, the cafeteria was hopping, the marketing guy had a cool eurotrash accent, a sales head with tattoos and a porsche, and people were proud to work here.

Now? It feels flat. No ideas, no spark. No ambition. Dull people acting like zombies. I ain’t inspired by Chris, Tammy, or anyone else right now.

I think there was a previous post but where are our EC and SLT? We have a couple of weeks to year end but no rallying cry, even though it will not halt the demise. No interest in any big deals. No interest in any small deals. No interest in any client interaction to help close deals. No idea about what is going on. Our CEO, Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and our Head of Sales strategy are AWOL and too busy creating slides that say nothing and continue the BS. Our COO is too busy making up numbers. Maybe everyone should simply stop for the year as well?

we can be creating a company in the consulting industry, about strategy, process, whatever, to bring our intelligence to the market

we know Vz weaknesses and we know the market, we need one leader to start it

anyone ?

we could also crush the wholesale market ....

1. Stop volunteering extra work. Just provide what’s asked—no more, no less.
2. Stop trying to do the right thing, even if leadership preach “honesty, integrity and accountability.” Use phrases like: “Happy to support the chosen direction”.
3. Don’t speak up DIRECTLY against leaders’ choices. Instead summaries discussions like “Per our discussion, option A was chosen despite X, Y, Z risks. Please let me know if there’s any misunderstandings on my part.”
4. ALWAYS be civil. Don’t try to prove someone wrong or expect leadership to acknowledge your voice.
5. The five “Don’ts”:
   • Don’t become the lone moral hero
   • Don’t assume logic will win
   • Don’t over-explain bad news
   • Don’t expect stated company values to protect you
   • Don’t put your name on things that is not your own work or idea. If your boss changes your content - remove your name.

Target tech and product is cooked.

If fidelky thinks he’s going to get anything out his tech team, he’s stoned out of his mind. (I spelled his name wrong - it’s not worth the time spelling it right)

This is the most reactionary/pedestrian group of senior leaders ever assembled. And if you add to that the layer of DEI VPs over the last 8 years, you will get leaders who monitor sprint metrics while the place burns down around them.

Glad that I landed a new job outside Target -staying at target is worse than getting laid off. It’s a complete clown show funded by a bunch of ignorant stock holders and board. good luck all - use Christmas to reassess your career.

"Constant restructuring and layoffs, forced return to office without enough desks for everyone, management decisions, lack of transparency, HR is completely disorganized, horrible health insurance, complete disregard for DEI."

"After committing financial su----e by acquiring a non-profit for a whopping $800 million dollars, the company managed to destroy it's culture by favoring edX employees over original staff. That's when the company began it's descent into chaos. More bad decisions by the so-called leadership, constant restructuring with mass layoffs. To top it all off, blatant lies by the CEO about their ridiculous bonuses, right before declaring bankruptcy. The company was privatized, only to go through more restructuring. It's only a matter of time until 2U is sold to the highest bidder."

Gremlins that instead of fostering an environment of positive growth in such a way that you WANT to be here and others from the outside WANT to be part of Citi……

You have gremlin MDs that rely on desperate people that NEED to be here. These are people who are easy to bully, manipulate and whip into servitude and long hours and sacrifice of personal time.

You can’t do that to those that are not desperate. I’ve seen quite a few already financially sound people on solid ground take a look around and “Yeah, no, this is not happening, there’s nothing here of any substance” and leave.

This in itself speaks volumes. The constant pumping out of notice after notice of “tough decisions” , “tough growth”, “hard messages”, “difficult changes” etc… is enough to deter anyone from hiring on to Citi. How do you draw in AND retain truly top talent from the outside given this environment. Sure, Citi can draw in the top talent but retaining them is another thing.

Dell’s recent brand unification—and the apparent reversal back to older brands next year—stands as a textbook example of how not to manage brand strategy.

Brand changes are expensive by design. They consume money, time, internal focus, and customer attention. When done right, that investment buys clarity, momentum, and long-term equity. When done poorly, it delivers the opposite: confusion, fatigue, and erosion of trust. Unfortunately, Dell’s approach seems to fall squarely into the latter category.

Unifying brands only to roll them back shortly after signals a lack of conviction and strategic coherence. Customers are left wondering what Dell actually stands for. Partners struggle to align messaging. Employees are forced to relearn narratives that may soon be discarded again. None of this creates value—it destroys it.

The most troubling part isn’t the wasted marketing spend or the operational churn. It’s what this reveals about leadership. Strong leadership makes hard decisions, commits to them, and sees them through with discipline. Weak leadership oscillates, reacts, and reverses course without fully absorbing the consequences.

Brand strategy isn’t a logo exercise. It’s a long-term promise to the market. Changing that promise repeatedly tells customers one thing very clearly: we’re not sure who we are.

In an era where trust, clarity, and consistency matter more than ever, this kind of back-and-forth is not just inefficient—it’s damaging. And the cost will be paid not in rebranding budgets, but in lost credibility

Does anyone know where Sandy went? Fired or resigned?
(may have been covered here but) Brian Sweeny is gone as of last month.
Any more expected executive departures from the old guard?
Paul, James, Shannon .... I'm looking at you.

Whatever happened to her getting investigated for the stock price?

Guess she has better counsel than Martha Stewart

How are you going to celebrate your windfall from our benevolent leader's? Dancing with joy? A parade perhaps? Share with us your plans on how you will celebrate surviving until today to get that match.

It’s easy to hide behind numbers. KPIs that look good on paper but don't actually reflect the reality of what's going on in the trenches. Too often, leadership leans on these metrics as a shield, allowing them to feel comfortable while the real work gets done by those on the ground.
But here’s the thing: When you consistently fail to show up with functioning processes, when you let your team flounder with outdated knowledge, you can’t keep blaming the ones at the bottom who are scrambling to make it work. The KPIs are a band-aid. They’re a crutch, not a solution.
The disconnect is real. The people at the top are too far removed from the daily grind to understand the struggle. And those at the bottom, the ones keeping things together with duct tape and sheer willpower, are expected to just keep pushing through.
It’s time for a reality check. If the metrics are misaligned and the systems are broken, it’s not the "little men" who need to be cleaned out. It’s the leadership. Leadership that isn’t in touch with reality, that doesn’t recognize when they’re out of their depth, and that refuses to take responsibility for the company’s actual performance.
When the people doing the heavy lifting are ignored or undervalued, you’re just setting everyone up to fail. KPIs should guide you to success, not allow you to point fingers while the real work gets buried under more red tape.
Leadership: Your KPIs are broken. Fix the process or risk losing the people who are still trying to make it work.
#Leadership #KPIs #WorkplaceCulture #Accountability

Am I reading it right, Athina is a CEO now !!

I tried to get a meeting with him to discuss my business at Apollo and was told "the earliest he has available is three weeks out". Yet the guy post on LinkedIn everyday where he is attending some bs HR boondoggle, receiving some paid for award as the best HR guy. Why don't we do a survey inside about HR. I think HR is one of the most unresponsive, arrogant group of employees who actually think they run the business. In fact, Matthew told one of my colleagues he could our CEOs job. What a joke!

I am being laid off as a direct result of the company’s return-to-office policy. I do not live near an office and relocating without financial support is not feasible. Despite being a top performer, there has been no acknowledgment, appreciation, or even basic empathy from leadership regarding the impact this decision has on me or several of my teammates. And to add icing to this cake, we will not be given severance and we will not be given our annual bonus.This “business decision“ impacts livelihoods- kids, tuitions, rent/ mortgage, etc! So who’s getting richer off of this? RV is.

For anyone considering joining the company, it’s important to understand that people are treated as numbers, valued only for what they contribute to the stock until they no longer fit the model.

Why do we need Market Leaders? They ought to be referred to as Recruiter Specialists. They no longer have any significant role in managing a Market. Getting rid of Ops and CA’s is not helping the bottom line.

Signs that you are being gaslit. Every item below happened to me. Finally left a few years ago because I got sick of the abuse, the bait-and-switch, burn-out, and out right theft of my work. Don’t let this happen to you.

1. Expectations that keep changing
   ↳ Goals get reset halfway
   ↳ Promotions dangled, then vanish
   ↳ Yesterday’s "great job" becomes today's "not enough"

2. Work that feels meaningless
   ↳ Endless decks no one reads
   ↳ Projects with no impact
   ↳ Work hard, feel… empty

3. Leaders who disappear when it matters
   ↳ Present for wins, silent during chaos
   ↳ Emotional distance dressed as "professionalism"
   ↳ Absent in moments that count

4. No space for real conversations
   ↳ Feedback feels like formality
   ↳ Honest talks are risky
   ↳ Everyone smiles. No one speaks truth.

5. Invisible efforts, visible mistakes
   ↳ Wins are "team effort"
   ↳ Mistakes? That’s on you
   ↳ Your hard work becomes someone else's highlight.

6. Leaders who fear strong voices
   ↳ Challenge is mistaken for conflict
   ↳ Assertiveness punished as “tone”
   ↳ Quiet compliance gets rewarded

7. Promises made in hiring... quietly broken later
   ↳ Career growth, autonomy, flexibility
   ↳ Turns out: deadlines, control, and burnout
   ↳ No one explains the switch

8. Recognition becomes transactional
   ↳ One-size-fits-none awards
   ↳ “Thank you” only in slides
   ↳ Praise wrapped in KPIs

9. Wellness preached, burnout rewarded
   ↳ Meditation app, but no boundaries
   ↳ Rest is guilted
   ↳ Stillness is seen as slacking

10. No one asks: ‘What do you need?’
    ↳ Assumptions > curiosity
    ↳ Fix the task, not the tension
    ↳ Support feels like a script

Great people don’t leave because they’re weak.
They leave because they’re wise.
They leave when staying means self-betrayal.

I am 62 with nearly 32 years at Verizon. I was the only person who knew and understood what I did. I planned on another 3 to 5 years of working, but Verizon put me into early retirement. I am not angry with my direct management as they seemed to have been just as surprised I was part of the RIF. I completely believe that HR was given a directive from Dan to first target those 55 and older, then move to others. I only know a few people that are of retirement age who were able to stay. Everyone else in my age group got the boot without direct managements input. I am fortunate enough to have planned for an early retirement so I won’t be looking for a new job, but I feel for my colleagues that must continue working. Hans made horrible decisions and now Dan wants to come in and “fix” the problems.. Dan was/is on the Board of Directors and would have approved what Hans did .. personally I think the entire Board should be fired. Verizon was good to me for many years until Hans became CEO and things started going downhill. Best of luck to all of you and hope you have fulfilled futures