Even SM is realizing how little innovation we have. HA is no longer the chosen one. Other ELT members like NC are throwing her under the bus, and all the sales leaders are disillusioned with nothing new “on the truck” to sell. #GameOn
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I will give HA credit though-- she tried to do some things that are badly needed. Like a STEERING COMMITTEE. The people who know the technologies should be in the driver's seat as far as roadmapping new technologies and technical philosophy. But the ELT complained that she slowed things down too much (god forbid if we actually have time to properly plan projects). That was what made them start to sour on her.
One of the main problems at TD is that the people who make the demands, know nothing about the technology. Most of the senior leadership are MBAs, and former PMs. Very few engineers. None of the people who hold the technical knowledge at TD are a part of the decision making process anymore-- they are just subject to it.
The ELT make unreasonable demands, then it gets passed downhill from one level of management to the next, with each nodding his head in agreement "yeah, that sounds great" and passing the buck. Until it lands in the engineer's lap, leaving the "doers" at TD having to make all the sacrifices to bring 2+2 = 5.
“NC one of the best human beings he knows?” is a stunning indication of poor judgement. Have you heard how he talks down to people? His superior attitude is sickening and he tries to take credit for things he had no role in. Who is SM comparing him to???
Not sure which I want more, non technical leaders, or technical leaders with their own agenda. We have had too many of both here over the last 20 years
You nailed it. Both the CEO and “chief strategist” outsourcing their jobs. An apathetic and uninformed BOD. Someone running engineering who has never been an engineer. And a part time dinosaur CTO who is AWOL half the time. Working in a system where they will all make a ton of money while adding no value.
Remember when NC came on board, SM introduced him as one of the best human beings he knows. Note SM didn't say the most competent strategy expert he knows. HA is the same way. At Teradata, you don't have to be competent as long as your t-shirts have the right slogans.
BTW - what can NC himself showcase, other than pictures of his bf and homework done by his former company, now hired for strategic consulting?
In a normal world, this kind of insight would have come straight from the CEO without mediators, ok, that we need a chief strategist to add to the roughly 10 buzzwords our CEO ever uses, out of which half are about politics - is one extra level of delegation, but to have the delegation itself outsourced... It's a bit rich.
A wise man once said: “do not seek revenge, the rotten fruit will fall by themselves.”