I am writing to you as a newly minted rebel. My main purpose in life is to take your best, your brightest, most creative, hard-working and passionate employees and sneak them out the hallways of your large corporation so that they are free of the yoke of lethargy, oppression and resentment.
It hasn’t always been this way. I tried for many years as a consultant to YOU to explain the importance of treating your employees with dignity and respect. I encouraged you to speak clearly and to the point, to avoid endless hours of PowerPoint, buzzwords and meaningless jargon like “our employees are our most valuable asset.” I was sincere in my efforts as I coached your managers and explained the importance of providing objective, developmental feedback to employees that was based on observable behavior, not personal generalizations. I encouraged you to be open with your business strategy so that your employees could contribute ideas to grow your company.
After ten years, I give up. I was banging my head against the wall trying to find ethical, creative ways to train your employees on the merits of your forced ranking compensation plan. No amount of creativity could overcome the fact that it is a stupid idea and does nothing but create an environment of competition, politics and resentment. Whoever sold you on that idea was wrong.
So now I want to help your employees leave and start their own business. Regain control of their life. Feel blood pumping in their veins and excitement in their chest as they wake up each day. I honestly wish that it were possible for them to feel that inside your company. But things have gotten so convoluted that I honestly don’t think it is possible unless you take some drastic steps:
- Don’t spend millions of dollars to try and change your culture. Corporate culture is a natural thing that cannot be manufactured. No amount of posters, incentive programs, PowerPoint presentations or slogans on websites will affect the hearts and minds of your employees. If you want to see things change immediately, stop acting like an asshole. If you see one of your senior managers acting like an asshole, ask him to stop. If he doesn’t stop, fire him. You will be amazed at how fast the culture shifts.
- Stop running your company like the mafia. By now, we are all aware that no job in any industry is secure. They can be re-scoped, eliminated or outsourced at any time. And that is the way it should be – no organization can be static in today’s environment. But despite this common knowledge, many of your managers act betrayed when their employees tell them they want to leave the company. This is an absolute double standard and should be stopped immediately. If you help your employees grow and develop in their career even if they plan to leave the company, you will create an extremely loyal workforce. You never know where that employee who leaves will go next. They could become an incredibly valuable strategic partner. Their golfing buddy could turn out to be your next huge customer.
- Spend a moment walking around the halls of your company and look at your employees. I mean really look at them. Don’t just pat them on the back and pump their hand while looking over their head at the exit door. Look directly in their eyes. Imagine what their life is like. Who is waiting at home for them? What are the real consequences to their health, marriages and children when they have to work yet another 13 hour day? What kind of dreams do they have? What makes them really happy? What do their eyes tell you? Do they trust you? Resent you? Think you are full of it? I met precious few C-level executives in 10 years consulting that truly “saw” and cared about their employees. Those that did reaped gigantic mounds of good will and respect.
- Teach people how to get rich like you. I don’t think there is anything inherently evil with money. It would be kind of fun to have my own jet and be able to pick up and fly to New York to watch the opening of a Broadway play or zip to Mexico for a long weekend. But the kind of disparity that exists right now between your employees who do the work and you and your senior team who reap the benefits is not only absurd, it is obscene. I know you work very hard and carry a lot of responsibility for your company. Instead of hoarding your wealth, teach your employees how to make money. Show them how you negotiate large deals. Explain investment vehicles. Explain how your business works and why it is so exciting for you to run. Make them into better businesspeople so that they can grow their opportunities and net worth. And for God’s sake share the profits. It is insulting to tell your managers to look a hard-working employee in the eye and say they only get a 3% raise when you take home more in a quarterly bonus than they make in 10 years.
- Don’t ask for your employees’ input if you are not going to listen to it. I have facilitated offsite meetings that lasted for days where well-intentioned managers brainstormed and argued and edited and wrote flip charts until their hands turned blue. They sweated over creating something that was relevant and for a brief period of time actually were proud of what they accomplished. Until a month later when I heard that you scrapped the whole thing in favor of a plan cooked up by an outside consulting firm. This does not only completely waste smart people’s time, it guarantees that you will have hostility and resentment the next time you ask for creative input.
- Don’t train people until you know what problem you are solving. I would be rich if I took up all the offers I got to “design and teach a 5-day course on people skills for all of our managers worldwide.” Most often, I would get the call from a VP of Human Resources that received the request from their pissed off CEO. And what were the pressing business problems that caused the request? Often it was the threat of a lawsuit based on one manager’s egregious behavior. Take the time to analyze what is causing the problems in your business such as high turnover, plunging sales or a huge increase in employee complaints. Usually it is something that will not be resolved by training everyone. Most often it involves firing a person or two who are causing havoc in a department. If you really want your managers to learn how to manage people, put them in tough situations with great mentors near by. Keep an eye on them. Provide feedback and coaching exactly at the moment that they need it (like before they have to fire someone for the first time and are scared to death). There is a time and a place for training, but it should not be your first course of action.
- Ditch the PowerPoint when you have town hall meetings. No one is excited to see another boring graph or 20-part building slide that describes all the components of your new strategy. If they are interested, they can read the slides at their desk. Your employees want to hear your opinions on things that they think about all the time. Your PR team may have a heart attack, but invite tough questions about the things that you know are really on their mind. Are you going to take over another company? Outsource the Help Desk to the Philippines? Why did you get a huge bonus this quarter when the rest of the employees are on a salary freeze? Did the VP of Sales really get caught with his pants down at the the sales meeting in Vegas? Just because people ask the questions doesn’t mean you have to answer them all. Know what you can and can’t talk about and be direct about that (no, you can’t talk about the VP of Sales or you may get sued). You will do wonders for your credibility and I guarantee no one will be sleeping in the back of the room.
- Focus on the work people do, not how or when they do it. Some positions require people to be at their desk at an appointed hour to answer customer calls or to participate in live meetings. But others can do their work from home, early in the morning, late in the evening or dialing in from the local Starbucks. The turnover magnet you have for losing great employees is not the competitor down the street, it is the idea of freedom and flexibility for the self-employed. Your employees have different biorhythms and working styles and activities going on in their lives. If you provide flexible work options and don’t make people sit unnecessarily at their desk, you will keep some great employees who would otherwise leave. A manager who is afraid to offer telecommuting to her employees because she thinks they will slack off is just showing her own weakness. Great managers build accountability into flexible work plans and manage performance aggressively.
- Watch the burnout. Many companies measure an employee’s drive and dedication by the amount of hours they work each day. I have witnessed people playing video games at their desk until their manager leaves “just so they won’t think that I am slacker.” Huh? It is not a badge of honor to work 18 hours a day, it is a sure path to a heart attack or divorce. There are times when employees have to work around the clock to get critical projects done and that is part of doing business. But if they are working long hours just because “everyone does,” you are creating a culture of waste, inefficiency and ill health.
- Forbid people to work while they are on vacation. Of all the pet peeves that I have accumulated over the years, this is perhaps the biggest. Your employees work like pack mules all year long. They send messages via Blackberry during dinner, take work calls during their kid’s basketball games and forgo rolling in the sheets with their spouse to finish a PowerPoint presentation on Saturday morning. When they go on vacation, let them relax. The only way to get the health and stress-relieving benefits of a vacation is to completely unplug from work. As long as they are checking email each morning from the hotel lobby or fielding “urgent” calls in the evening, they might as well be in the office. The worst thing is seeing their kid’s eyes as they observe once more that Dad or Mom values work more than family, even on vacation. Shame on you for making this acceptable behavior.
I won’t entice anyone out your door that does not want to come willingly. Many people will choose to stay in the comfort of your oppressive predictability. But if you lose some smart, creative, entrepreneurial and positive minds, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Fantastic article, Pam! I feel your passion and belief in what you do. I can really see the media giving this some attention! Keep going, girl. Kick some CEO butt!
I agree. I did this ages ago and never looked back. I can work where and when I want to and I answer to no one except the Tax man.
Ahh !! the suns coming out – time to put on my shorts and shades and go for walk – who wants to join me ?
Reading that felt so good, I think I need a cigarette
Too bad I can’t send this to the new director who just took our telecommuting away (she wants to keep an eye on us).
The disconnect between the folks doing the work & the people at the top of the organization in terms of what is really going on, as individuals and as an organization, is a chasm that seems to keep growing.
Thanks for writing about this in a direct, honest, and tactful way.
I like this quote I came across the other day – in some ways it is true (even though I believe we are more than our work). Trading your life just for dollars and a few weeks of vacation is a lousy trade.
“I believe you are your work. Don’t trade the stuff of your life, time, for
nothing more than dollars. That’s a rotten bargain.” – Rita Mae Brown
Why Small Is Better Than Big
Somewhere between 9 employees and 50, the job becomes a burden. The best company I ever worked for was around 20 or 30 people. (It varied over the years.) After it ended, I said I wanted a break, a normal job for a stable employer. Be careful what you…
If I was a CEO, I would have hired you just by the strength of this article.
Wew gal….way to go!
For too long, I have witnessed the arrogance and stupidity you have so aptly captured, and seen the fallout in the form of coaching clients plotting their escape,
Would love to know the “fall-out” of this posting – what kind of reaction you get!!
Most of your articles bring me to the verge of posting gushing, glorious, abandoned praise. This one pushed me right over the edge. Reading this article on the the same day as the arrival of the April ezine (yea!) that addresses the very topic I plan to spend my weekend researching – does it get any better than this? Of course it does, that’s the whole point. But speaking from my ergonomically-correct-not-too-many-personal-items-adorning-the-gray-fabric-walls-corporate cubicle, YOU MADE MY DAY.
Thank you, Pam!
Viva la Revolucion! If I’d been drinking milk while reading your point #1, I’d have shot it out my nose in laughter.
Go Pam Go!
Well put and well done.
I see the light! How much more effective would businesses be if the first words out of every consultant’s mouth was “Don’t be an asshole.”
Imagine if some of them actually listened!
Absolutely AMAZING Comments. Everything that you posted is exactly what’s wrong at Capital One’s culture. (which probably also explains the ridiculously high turnover rate that currently exists there)
In Case You Forgot Why You’re a Small Business
Pamela Slim gives us a nice rant on what’s wrong with Corporate America. Every day since I made the plunge something comes along and reinforces my decision to leave. I love owning two small businesses and working with other small business owners, for all
Greatest. Manifesto. Ever.
Great post, but the picture is ironic.
Attention Oppressed Workers Everywhere – This One is For You!
Now, here’s a lady with some serious gusto! I mean, take it or leave it. Get your own fork. Follow me or get out of my way. I don’t think I have read a better post to the dis-eased corporate
Letter to CXOs
Cut the Bull Shitake
(H/T to Guy Kawasaki)
Some refreshing comments from the business world on how not to do things. Escape from Cubicle Nation – doesnt get much better than that. Could be used in individual agency management, or reform writ large, if …
Thank you for this. Now if only the right people will listen.
I spent a year and a lot of money trying to start something entrepreneurial and creative. I’ve recently returned to the corporate cubicle nation, in large part because I couldn’t figure out fast enough how to get on my own two feet. I’ve tasted freedom and independence. I long to be free and independent again.
In the meantime, corporate life is safe and comfortable in some ways. Steady paycheck, various benefits, there are lots of chains that bind us to the corporate life.
I think the aspect of corporate life that aggravates me the most is the managerial assumption that employees and engineers will always do whatever necessary to make an irrational schedule. Engineering input is routinely ignored during the planning stage and then engineering is expected to “perform miracles” (managerial parlance for working inhuman hours under extreme stress) to meet a schedule that engineering said was impossible to begin with. And when engineering manages to pull it off, management pats themselves on the back for their outstanding planning and management. I’ve been in this climate more than once which is probably as much a comment on my own intelligence as it is on corporate America.
I’d love to try being out my own again. The freedom and independence of seeing your own ideas come to fruition is without question the best job in the world. Delivering awesome products and/or services that excite your clients/customers is extremely intoxicating.
Amen Pam. What a wonderful post.
The only way to sustainable shareholder value is to treat Employees first. Employees who will then look after your customers, who will then create shareholder value. Its the only, only sustainable way.
Great article! You hit the nail on the head. If only the appropriate people would listen and take your words to heart.
Open letter to CEOs, COOs, CIOs and CFOs across the corporate world
Open letter to CEOs, COOs, CIOs and CFOs across the corporate world – Former consultant to management, Pam Slim lays it all out in her open letter. My main purpose in life is to take your best, your brightest, most creative, hard-working and pas…
Open letter to CEOs
…In a nutshell she recommends that, “If you want to see things change immediately, stop acting like an asshole.” I know plenty of people who read my musing that should think about this statement and full article; including myself. Let’s get on with b…
Some common sense for management
The great thing about common sense is that it clearly isnt very common. Pamela Stewart over at Escape from Cubical Nation has a word of warning for management:
am writing to you as a newly minted rebel. My main purpose in life is to take…
I have been an entrepreneur now for 5 years and mostly work with big companies as clients. What you say is mostly true – but let’s tell budding entrepreneurs the risks too. Big likes to do business with big. They are wary of entrepreneurs. Showing them a picture of Che is not going to help. Frustrating as big might be, it is the best funding source for entrepreneurs.
I would have stayed an employee if any of the big companies I worked for even *considered* thinking like that.
This is a WONDERFUL and dead-on post. Thank-you.
Open Letter to CXOs
I found this post on Escape From Cubicle Nation via Guy Kawasakis blog. I have no plans (yet) to follow Pams lead and leave the corporate world for entrepeneurship, but her recommendations to the leaders she left behind are excellent. …
Attention all IT Managers – What’s the plan?
I have just finished reading a great article that Pamela Slim has written entitled “Open letter to CEOs,…
Pam,
What an amzaing article. I’m passing it off to my entire management team. Thanks.
This is brilliant, Pam. Bravo!
Open Letter to Top Brass
For those of you who are familiar with the blatant disregard most companies have for their most important asset (PEOPLE!) youve got to check out this post on Pamela Swims blog.
…
An Open Letter to CXOs
Pamela Slim as an excellent post today that should be read by anyone that has the responsibility of managing others. It is funny, poignant and enlightening all wrapped up in a little package that certainly wins the first ever KnuckleSandwich of the d…
Job Opportunities and Corporate Behavior
Im a little light on my blogging these days. My company recently launched their latest flagship product, so Im working overtime setting researchprojects in place for the next generation product line. Innovation takes work, remember? Dont expect too man…
给CXO的一封公开信——by Pam Slim
我什么O都不是，按理来说不应该丧失本分，干这种僭越之事。不过，曾经被CXO们管过，将来十之八九还要被某些CXO们管，知己知彼，总没坏处。
blog写得很有意思，特别是开头几段，回�
Der offene Brief an alle COs
Pamela Slim hat einen offenen Brief mit dem Titel Open letter to CEOs, COOs, CIOs and CFOs across the corporate world geschrieben. Die meisten der angesprochenen Themen hat wohl jeder (im Verlauf seines Berufslebens) auf die eine oder andere Weise am e…
What you are describing is actually an “ism”…
Dilbertism.
Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, would probably agree with you on every single point. For people that liked this post I would recommend Scott’s book “The Dilbert Principle” that basically covers a similar topic in a very very cynical and funny way.
J#
Great post, Pam. I have one foot out of the cubicle door. Entrepreneurship is tough work, and the lure of the corporate comfort zone is just too strong to resist. I am trying to have the best of both nations.
Outstanding post, Pam. The comments alone show what a chord you have struck, and how widespread those corporate attitudes are – even over here in Northern Ireland!
If only I had the bravery to email this to my boss…along with my resignation!
Yea, Jonas, I thought it was Adams at first.
1. Eliminate the assholes. Nothing can drain the life-force out of your employees as much as a few sadistic assholes who seem to exist for the sole purpose of making life hard for others.
The Carnival of the Vanities (#190)
Welcome to the party, hosted this week at The Skwib. As his regular advice column has been pre-empted for the Carnival, we thought wed ask General Kang to do the honors and introduce the categories and posts.
Kangs Picks for the Tutu Br…
“I am writing to you as a newly minted rebel.” If you’re such a rebel, why does your blog look like every other Typepad blog in the blogosphere? If you want credibility as a “rebel”, 1st make your blog look a little different.
http://johntreadway.typepad.com/john_treadway/2006/05/i_just_read_a_g.html
I just read a great post [Open Letter to CXOs...]on a blog called Escape from Cubicle Nation that I learned about from Guy Kawasaki’s blog. This rings very true to me when thinking back about my time at in larger
Re: anon
And she should probably put up some motivational posters while she’s at it. Uh-huh … maybe not.
Style is never a substitute for substance.
I’ve been ranting about this kind of stuff for years, and I’m CONVINCED that “good” companies DO NOT EXIST. I have gotten cynical to the point where I absolutely HATE what we call “working”.
On the contrary, bad behavior, lying, and “screwing the employees” (figuratively) is REWARDED.
Thanks for letting me rant.
Nice post, but wrong photo.
Che is not a rebel but a terrorist, and a totalitarian.
“Do not give in to evil, but proceed ever more boldly against it”
_________________________
Manu:
I figured someone was going to take me to task with the photo!
I was going for artistic and emotional feel, and Che’s picture seems to be the iconic representation of “rebel.” I have probably been influenced as well by living in poor communities in South America where his reputation is of hero, not terrorist.
Not meaning to advocate violence or terrorism. Just trying to convey a picture that supports the emotions of my post.
Thanks for your perspective!
-Pam
Amen to all points.
I left several businesses where I worked layout and graphics and photos. Every single one was a soul-killing experience. And the main cause was an aloof management that turn hostile fast and never thought friendly.
Pam, you inspired me. There are related stupid things that small business owners do. I had to write about them once I read your fine post. Please check it out at: http://www.seedsofgrowth.com/stupid-things-stupid-businesses-do
Superb, I’ve been waiting for someone to lead me out of corporate America, somebody totally give me a job when they start their business. Not right now, I’m raising a baby. Just, like, write down my email and get back to me in like 4 years.
Um… maybe we should stop acting like assholes…
My friend (who remains blogless and nameless at this point) sent me this link today. It’s an open letter to all you C-level people who just don’t get it. Having recently escaped, many of these points really hit home for…
Che Slim
You absolutely must, must read this great example of TrueTalk from Pamela Slim’s blog. If you don’t recognize anything she says as relevant to your company, go back and read it again. Go. Go read it now. Go on. Go.