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CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

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Re: CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

#221

Post by alooPotato »

hintymad wrote: post #211
alooPotato wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You let "hold teams accountable" do a lot of lifting. I think whats happening is that non-technical leaders can't assess why projects aren't being delivered. No engineer is going to say "sorry I wasn't really working that hard, thats why we missed". Instead there will be some rationale as to why the project couldn't ship on time - not enough resources, incomplete spec, tech debt, whatever. Non-technical leaders want…

> I think whats happening is that non-technical leaders can't assess why projects aren't being delivered Which says a lot about the leadership. :-)

What exactly?

Re: CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

#222

Post by bryanrasmussen »

borplk wrote: post #161
brandon272 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sometimes that translates to aloofness for staff, but what more often happens is that when the CEO _does_ come in they expect other people to be there. Anecdotally, I have seen companies that have "oscillations" in their WFH policy and this, in my experience, has often been the driver of it. Instead of putting trust in the process or the data, you will simply have a situation where the CEO or (especially) where a g…

Yes and some people don't appreciate that some jobs really do require quiet focus for extended periods of time. Asking someone to be a programmer in a loud chaotic open office environment is not dissimilar to asking them to program while juggling two balls and sitting on a unicycle. Its just excess difficulty that doesn't need to be added on top of the jobs.

I actually like that environment, unless I'm having problems debugging something. If something is not working after an hour or so I am on edge and need peace and quiet, but otherwise I can program fine for most tasks with noise around me.

Re: CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

#223

Post by bitwize »

Expecting CEOs to live by the same rules and expectations as the line workers is like expecting generals to live by the same rules and expectations as privates. It's just stupid. It will lose you the war in the military; what do you think it will do to a business?

Re: CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

#224

Post by bryanrasmussen »

ryandrake wrote: post #136
theendisney4 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Give them good plot lines like: i dont think ive seen you here before? Do you normally work remote?

It's probably just enough to dress them in business casual, and have them walk around the office looking very serious and busy, talking on their cellphones about business-y stuff. All that matters is the "buzz" and "hum" and "pop" of SeriousBusiness getting done.

shouting the following into a phone: "YES, FRAN. I KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS, BUT I'M LOOKING AT THE WENUS, AND I'M NOT HAPPY." will be good, but what happens if the management says "I like that guy! What's his name?"

later on "Hey Chandler, Did you get that WENUS problem sorted out? Chandler, I'd like you to come to the main office and give a presentation, we need your kind of can-do attitude"

Re: CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

#228

Post by blitzar »

Aloha wrote: post #72
rtpg wrote: post #40

A recurring theme in so many startups I've seen inside is how the CEO in particular is extremely aloof with regards to presence. Sometimes that translates to aloofness for staff, but what more often happens is that when the CEO _does_ come in they expect other people to be there. So long as the alignment is good they don't care, but when it's not aligned, they just assume nobody is ever around and get real pissy abou…

We just send out an email when the boss is in town and ask folks to come in, and enough people do to make the office seem full - and that works, we will even fly people in sometimes.

I am available on short notice. Available in formal, business casual, dont care and hipster attire. Skills include annoyingly fast typing and a full pallet of emotions; Anger, Sadness, Fear, Surprise, Disgust, Contempt, Happiness and Working all included in the standard rate*.

* I charge extra for so-called "high-fives" on a per-five basis due to the added physical danger.

Re: CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

#229

Post by blitzar »

listenallyall wrote: post #181
saagarjha wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the people on this site are not measured like that either; they're salaried employees. Nobody here is falsely claiming they work insane hours when they're spending all their time on recreation though.

What you don't seem to comprehend is that to a CEO, golf (or dinners with clients, etc) is business, not recreation.

What you don't seem to comprehend is that to a CEO; when their employees play golf or go to dinners with clients, etc it is recreation, not business.

Re: CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

#230

Post by pintxo »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #92
Aloha wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We just send out an email when the boss is in town and ask folks to come in, and enough people do to make the office seem full - and that works, we will even fly people in sometimes.

It’s a shame you can’t hire extras for the day to make the office lively. Edit: Maybe you can? Check with someone who does local casting?

Just rent your office out as a co-working space. That way you can even run a profit off it.

And keep an eye out how long it takes the board to realize that the assistant to the CEO is no longer a pure cost, but actually returning a profit for the company. /s

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