Hi,
I know Layoff is generally a rant place and sometimes, rightly so, but serious question, why all the negativity towards MW?
Some of the good he’s done is he didn’t overbid for Andarko, I think he gave up his bonus along with some of his C suite folks several years ago. Are there things I’m missing (besides ENGINE) that’s causing all this angst towards him?
Thanks!
Op: Your question and examples makes me wonder, have you ever worked for CVX? or are you just a troll stirring up $hit?
@1alw: "Nothing to do with today's employee base"[?]. Each generation likes to think they were somehow harder working and more deserving that the one before, but that is really never the case. The Greatest Generation (spanning WW2) really did pull their weight, but in large part because they had no other choice coming out of the great depression. Boomers (my generation) today look down their noses at the Gen X and Millennials as being irresponsible and lazy, forgetting that in youth their motto was s-x, dr-gs, and rock & roll. The current "breakdown" in Chevron is not generational as you suggest, but rather started with layoffs featuring big packages focused on moving out more senior technical folks to save money short term. This greatly accelerated the great crew change (already growing boomer retirements), without any accelerated focus on knowledge transfer and the building up of new technology SMEs (technology, used here, very broadly defined, as that which actually makes an oil and gas company function, rather than aspirational research on digital technologies like AI that remain marginal to our current business practice at best). Without a focus on preserving and building current workforce competency, it is small wonder that the workforce is left wondering if they should be looking for their future elsewhere rather than focusing a building their career here (that is not lazy, it is common sense). The fluff out and build up of middle managers and mindless paperwork that is Agile and related management styles, and the lack of clear articulated vision for our future from Sr. management further leaves us all feeling adrift without a rudder. Is it fair to place the blame for these developments at the feet of MW: Yes, I think it is, as he is the one getting the huge compensation packages to foster leadership direction. The buck stops at the top in good times and bad!
So about the alleged breakdown of a "proud, successful, committed, educated,, best in industry culture with a blend of experience and youth to create a disillusioned, uncommitted, non appreciated and mind numbing culture"
Do you think that has absolutely Nothing to do with today's employee base and the overall culture and work ethic of the labor supply today and recently? Everything is all MW's fault? I am by no means a MW fan but if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
The stock buybacks. There was a time that those were illegal (rightfully so) because they artificially run up the stock price and is a way for for the c-suite to stuff cash in their pockets rather investing in the long-term growth of the company.
He never understood the upstream culture and the need to foster the chain of experience within communities of practice from newbes to SME across the entire enterprise. The naive focus on copying a management style of software technology companies was never a good fit for our industry. Isolating individual practitioners within project ("sprint") teams is not a model to mature the broad range of employee competencies needed to get the job done correctly. Move fast and then recycle as needed is simply a stupid model for drilling million dollar holes from billion dollar platforms, where recycles come at astronomical cost. MW is disliked for breaking the long developed Chevron Way culture and ignoring the need to maintain the chain of competency growth and transfer that made us leaders in this industry. Our loss of management focus on doing the job right long term lowers morale as everyone knows we are heading off course and will eventually threaten our bottom line.
We have had many many many MANY and larger layoffs at Chevron way before MW was at the helm than with him. Short memories or just new kids on the block?
He's the King of Layoffs. His legacy are layoffs, cuts and taking a over 100 year old strong company that was proud and then breaking the employees morale and motivation. He needs to learn from Boeing and other companies cost cutting to the max will crush a company in the end.
May be because he broke down a proud, successful, committed, educated,, best in industry culture with a blend of experience and youth to create a disillusioned, uncommitted, non appreciated and mind numbing culture, still lead by still super talented people but who are constrained to a small box of creative space with inadequate and mentoring and development. Successful oil companies replace reserves rather than sell for dividends.
Hi Mike.
I'm in the ambulance on the way to hospital as I broke 3 ribs laughing about cutting to the bone. Over heard an ABU SCM 'leader' saying they're done and will leave in a year. Their job could be wiped with zero operational impact, the person is simply hanging around for the cash as many of us are so good luck. The problem is chevron culture has encouraged the promotion of sycophants by self interested managers so the inefficiencies have been hard wired into the DNA. Then every few years it becomes obvious to all and sundry, I mean the endless meetings and chats, we know you're not busy, so they have prune. Unfortunately they seem to miss those that cause the waste. Imagine Elon at chevron?
"He's cut to the bone?" What the heck are you smoking. The place is empty on Mondays and Fridays and the vast majority of folks work less than 40 hour weeks and struggle to look busy.
Short-sighted leadership. No organic growth of reserves. No legacy to leave the next generation. Would you want your kids to work at Chevron?
When did MW start posting here?
Andarko stock price at the time was 50’s I think, when Chevron passed on Andarko, the following year the stock plummeted to the teens, so for the short term it was a good call. Also passing on Andarko allowed Chevron to acquire Nobel which manages two of the latest LNG reservoirs in the world.l, so you can’t say it’s a clear cut bad call on MW, however I will agree with OP that MW hasn’t addressed the issue with management and promotions and that’s the issue when you keep hiring and promoting internally. Chevron has a nutty way of promoting, I’m in a position to hire and it’s really like odd, bunch of people go into a room and they say who they like don’t like and it’s pretty much that… hence you have people like GM ITFP RS getting to where he is with his disastrous history of job performance cough because IT and business is so disconnected cough his managing of SCDF and making everything in the refinery worse.m or retired JG and his buffoon comment off were victims and let’s not even get started on EB and she can barely read a teleprompter for some basic financial information. They need to hire the next CEO external and hope he has a more quantifiable method to identify and promote talent.
Op, you seem to think passing on Anadarko was a strength of MW? Only a fool would have passed at such a good company, assets and opportunity. He did not have the vision for the long term nor the growth mindset. Instead he went for a small pie [Nobel]. Consider Anadarko vs hefty price they are paying for Hess [with at least 2 years delay, and lost opportunity].
MW does not concern me. He is old news. We know that he will just shrink the company, that's all he knows how to do. I am worried about those who will come next: EB and JG. Chevron will not survive leadership of those two dummies...
Hes destroyed the culture of the company. He's cut to the bone and wants to cut even more. He's never taken a pay cut after all his layoffs. He needs to go.