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24 replies (most recent on top)
The few SEMs brave enough to speak out were ridiculed for years. Even the diehards eventually left. Now we have scared or powerless sheep.
Most SEM's live and die with their teams up's and down's and are very close to the action. I know mine does and is. Can't speak for all.
The sales engineering org and leadership has been terrible for a while, ever since kneeeeezo. His hires were, or are, the reasons this org continues its bad and mismanaged heritage. It seems certain people’s definition of leader is one more similar to dictator - micro-control, non-transparent, fear through (work) circles and takes too much credit for “basic” things like training - as if people should be so lucky.
There needs to be a change here, most SE’s and their managers does a lot more than people know - just most don’t get recognized for obvious reasons. Don’t fire the first line SEM’s, I think they’re more important than anyone above them - back of the room observers most are or blabber mouths that talk nonsense and doesn’t shut up.
Let’s put it out of misery. Thumbs up.
Just get rid of them damn customers
We don’t need SEM’s, get rid of them instead
SE leadership should’ve known a long time ago certain products (yes, plural) were, and still are, unsellable. But their weak strategic leadership and awkwardness just made people ignore them. They’re not good for Riverbed and they’ve had chances to fix this but it’s too late and should be let go. Time for a younger and hungrier group imo
Texas is for non-essential management, cheap engineering labor or a place to get BBQ. So PM, AE .. use that mass between your ears and figure it out already.
Just get rid of the bozo clown bus driver called solutions engineering leader and the rest of the bozo leaders in the bus - they’re all faking it to make it
To summarize, the Sales Engineering team is basically filled with people who hide, remain silent and are political. Isn't that like any other team that's filled with talentless people?
Yes there is someone from PS who is theoretically in charge now. Unlike the previous two guys, he's smart enough to just keep quiet.
you don’t need SE VP’s anymore
Who knows, SE leadership doesn’t do sh-- except throw training sessions that are useless. I say fire them and figure out if we need them
Who leads SE leadership these days after the previous head,SK, the 6'10" guy left and JH took over and he left too.. I don't recall anyone replacing him, did we?
Another post got censored!
This is exactly what happens to companies with old tech or declining. The good people leave and you are increasingly left with greater proportion of bad actors - accelerating the attrition. We should stop complaining and move. I want to see a farewell email everyday
Riverbed seems very top heavy still, given the overall size. That’s definitely a sign of crony management .. the cover your a-- type of people.
I remember a poll being sent to IC’s and I think it was to measure 1st line management. I honestly think it does have to go the others way around - IC/1st line manager poll to measure 2nd and 3rd level management. Why can’t it go the other way around?
I think the answer is 0 because they have no clue on how to do it, so they’ll steal it or just project manage it. Ojileadership will make/coerce/force/lie to some IC to do the work. The work would include, the planning, research, procurement, etc., all the while leadership taking credit and awe.
I’m not sure when it ever became ok to hire people like this, regardless of size but it seems to be the norm.
Why would we do that poll and screw ourselves ?
If leadership is watching, then there should be an anonymous poll that will weed out bad upper management. Why don’t you do this already? Get real feedback and not the B S filtered feedback that everyone gets trickled up. There are definitely leaders hiding behind control or creating buffers to give off the illusion of them doing work.
30 execs to screw in a lightbulb
Last I counted, probably 60
The answer used to be “one”, but nobody knows for sure anymore. We haven’t managed to screw in a single useful lightbulb in the last few years. In fact, we somehow unscrewed the good ones we had.