#leadership

I was recently speaking with a friend who asked me about JD who she worked under at Bain. After listening to my rant, she expressed surprise that he was focused on DEI at Nike. She said that certainly wasn't the case at Bain as evidenced by the fact that once she became pregnant she quickly learned the company had no maternity policy. I thought JD was always singularly focused on serving his troops? When I mentioned that JD was now the AD at her alma mater Stanford, she just winced.

Every decision made, he’s the poison behind it. Guess you can keep a job while you’re getting revenge on Neustar

It's been almost two weeks and our group has heard nothing beside the Ellison town hall. We're not even sure who we all technically report to now. Wondering if it's the same in other parts of the company.

Fire GM will ya!

McKinsey’s strategy cycle is straightforward: design, mobilize, execute. It’s not rocket science. You decide what you are, you back it with resources, and you deliver with discipline.

Verizon had every chance to do this. The consultants were in the building. The frameworks were there. The slide decks were polished. But instead of running the cycle, the company cherry-picked the buzzwords and skipped the hard parts.

Design – What Are You, Really?

This is where the cracks showed first. Verizon never answered the basic question: are we a premium network, a media company, or a 5G pioneer? Instead of choosing, leadership tried to be all three. That’s how billions vanished into AOL and Yahoo while 5G was oversold as the silver bullet. A serious design step would have admitted the obvious — the real fight was with T-Mobile — and built around Verizon’s one true edge: the network.

Mobilize – Strategy Stuck in the Slides

Mobilization is about turning strategy into motion. Verizon never did. Money went into distractions instead of spectrum and customer value. Employees weren’t empowered. Decisions stayed locked in Basking Ridge PowerPoints. On paper, the strategy looked world-class. On the ground, nothing moved.

Execute – Where the Market Called the Bluff

Execution is the test, and Verizon failed it.
• The assumption that people would pay extra just for “5G” was never proven.
• T-Mobile stole the momentum and the growth narrative.
• Layoffs and outsourcing drained morale and capability.
Meanwhile, the “next big thing” — AI, fiber, customer experience — never got launched.

The Market’s Verdict

The stock says it all. Verizon hovers at $44 and might push $48, but that’s not growth — it’s dividend math. Wall Street treats it like a bond proxy because that’s what it has become. The growth stories — Oath, 5G, “the network of the future” — no longer convince anyone.

The Punchline

Verizon had the McKinsey playbook in hand. Hans and Sampath had the consultants, the frameworks, the binders. What they didn’t have was the discipline to use them.

And that’s why Verizon isn’t seen as a growth company anymore. It’s a dividend utility dressed up in strategy slides.

Associates no longer trust leadership because of their random layoffs. Hopefully those who are still there will remember the dynamics when the next associate satisfaction survey comes out. The typical cycle happens in that the Site Leader will bring in a modest lunch to give the impression of associate appreciation before they drag everyone thru the dirt for the following 11 months. For those who stay long enough to feel like you're being loyal, consider all of the holiday seasons you miss out on before they lay you off

Schwawesome Leaders, Where is the efficiency gained by AI? Whose head should roll?

These surveys are beyond RIDICULOUS…there is no REAL changes from them just more busy work!!! We as managers and Directors are not typically the issue but we have to fix it and create a goal..wtf?! The insanity in senior leadership is running wild. Employees want better raises/AIP, more PTO, TO WORK FROM HOME, to not need to use 6 platforms looking for pieces of information and for sh-t to just work in general. He-l I settled for not having too reach out to 20 people looking for simple answers. As line level manage and Directors we can tell our Staff VP’s til we are blue in face about raises and AIP needs but it doesn’t matter! That is if you have a Staff VP that will give you time to discuss anything!!!

This can't be normal, right? This is my first real corporate job, so I don't have much experience to go off. However, I've only been in this role for five, roughly 6 months. There have been multiple layoffs since I joined the company, is it always like this? I have had three different managers in the span of pretty much six months... what is going on?

Send a message. Do not attend. We have made clear what has to change and they have no intention of doing it. Do not give them any more of your valuable time to gaslight you into thinking everything is great. The only healthy way to handle an abusive partner is to go no-contact. Expressing your misery only makes them feel powerful.

Obviously MarkB is gone and James is interim.
BUT, not too long ago Madhu was ousted and Chad Westlake started and left in what seems like a quarter (maybe 6 months).
Is there a CFO?
Who is running the company?

Could have sworn that Bain would have kept him. Brutal. Wonder what his exit package is? Who is next?

Shweta Bhatia 7 month tenure as CTO.... what did she do?

Does anyone have any insight? Management has sent numerous emails encouraging the team to attend. Management has never cared in the past about Town Halls!

…and stay for more leader insights at EG Conference 2025.

Like, who in the F is clicking on that?

Seriously.

what culture changes have you noticed over the last 5 years?

A LinkedIn post that opens “this week was a good one”. Like, how about you GFY, Kelly?

Stop the personal gain and gutting the rest of the people that keep you where you are SC*M! Take your bucket list agenda somewhere else!

I find it shocking that after months of uncertainty and fear, leadership can't be bothered to (1) guarantee a phone call to discuss your fate or (2) loop in lower level managers to have that conversation.

https://starkmanapproved.com/atts-john-stankey-enters-ceo-hall-of-shame/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

T-Mobile has always been known as the company that shook the industry, the brand that turned customers into fans and broke the mold of what wireless could be. But when a company begins to fall, it doesn’t happen all at once—it’s in the small cracks that grow when vision loses its edge, when culture begins to drift, and when leadership forgets the heart of what made people believe in the first place.

T-Mobile’s strength was never just about towers, phones, or plans—it was about people. It was about empowering employees to think differently, to fight for customers, and to believe they were part of something bold. If that spirit fades, so does the brand’s ability to rise above the rest.

Falling is not failure, but it is a warning. It’s a reminder that momentum is not permanent, and that every great movement can lose its way if it forgets its core. The fall is not about lost sales or missed targets—it’s about losing the trust and passion that once made T-Mobile unstoppable.

The question isn’t whether T-Mobile can fall. The real question is whether it will remember why it rose in the first place. ITS BECAUSE OF ITS EMPLOYEES

I retired almost 5 years ago after 25 yrs of service in several IT departments. I retired because of how incredibly toxic the work environment had become. I come here and look at several posts, and yes, it's still a toxic toilet of despair. I bugged out at the end of 2020, right when we kicked RS out in July '20, and then here came the Stank. He is why I left. Boy am I glad I cut and ran when I did, I love being retired. I really feel for you guys out there trying to keep your heads above all of Stankeys sewage sloshing about.

You can spot an L3/L4 leader from 100 yards away. They stick out like a Weird Al ringtone at a funeral. No stress on their face, they’re weightless despite the gravity of their decisions. Be better. It doesn’t take much.

Is anyone else feeling like a certain new leadership hire in our marketing org is steering without a clear destination? There’s been a noticeable lack of transparency, empathy, and strategic vision. Morale all time low and the only remaining talent left is disconnected from the top-level decisions that affect our futures. No one will submit a complaint with the fear of retaliation and organization RIF being held over our heads. Anyone with me?

Team culture is not good whatsoever and leadership is not involved at all, they say they are but they are not, and at the same time opportunities are hard to come by which is hurting everybody. This has been going on for a long time and nothing is changing which people keep pointing out but it just keeps getting worse. Leadership says they care but they don’t and the whole place is going nowhere because of it.

Looks like S Giuliano is no longer gainfully employed by the emperor. Mr G was always fair and after working alongside him side for years - I can say truly, he was one of the best managers and leaders. Sad day.

Leadership here is a mess. They talk like they know the work but they really don’t. Cliques run everything and block anyone who’s not in the circle. Some leaders lie straight to your face and HR backs them while they push people out. Employees are treated like tools, not people, and anyone who doesn’t fit in gets picked at until they give up. No wonder so many are quitting.

How? How many folks do you know who actually think she's doing a good job?

I can’t believe the whole ops leadership is from Roger’s communications and they are the worst leaders possible trying to be top dog creating duplication and headaches as if they know what the heck we all do. Better yet some have been here 5 months and already getting promotions to SR roles, yet the people that have been here for years working their butts off can’t get a raise. Idk how HR doesn’t see that

Cisco needs someone who can better manage layoff crisis other than Francine always trying to be a barbie doll all the time

One after another, all members of Pershing’s technology leadership team were either let go or resigned. Leadership positions have since been taken over by individuals from BNY Wealth and Albridge, many of whom lack a solid understanding of the business. Their actions are causing significant issues, and I hope they recognize the problems before the situation becomes too big to recover from.

Where is the CPO? Haven’t seen him on any of our customer calls and we’ve been getting those customers.

For those who survived Wave 1, is this seriously the boss we all reported to now? Wow just wow. Looks gonna be toxic.

"CEO MW is overhauling the oil giant’s ‘nice’ corporate culture, getting tougher not just on his employees but also on rivals and the politicians standing in his way".

WSJ article:
https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/chevron-leadership-mean-strategy-598f5c84

This entire process is fu---d up. How can any of the leaders sleep at night? This is people’s lives here. They are all ba----ds.

In about 2 hours from now.....

the employees in India that survived this RIF will likely be starting their workday. Those that did not will be wondering what just happened.......

Going across the various time zones as the sun rises, there will be other centers of F5 employees that will be encountering the same.

In the US, I know of Seattle, Spokane and San Jose that got hit. I believe there were a number of remote employees too among those that are now without employment. I'm guessing the RIF size to be > 250.

Having been through 3 RIFs and two closings of my own, the hardest hit are those going through medical procedures/issues and the children of those RIFd and those RIFd that are taking care of their parents. Will savings last long enough so that food can be provided on the table and shelter to provide warmth? Will I be able to afford COBRA to get me through the medical issues? Will I find new employment? How do I comfort my kids? How do I take care of my aging parents?

I don't have any answers. For me, it's unbelievable that I survived those times and situations.

I would hope the various Chief x-x Officers (of which now there are many), SVPs, VPs, and senior management seriously consider what they have just done. It's much more than keeping the stock price up, double digit profit, and maintaining your bonuses. You have just destroyed the lives of hundreds of loyal hard working honest people and it didn't need to be done. There were other ways.

At F5 there was a core group of about 7 of us working on bigip next/centralized manager that continuously raised concerns about the architecture/feature set along with the quality and performance of the products. We also raised concerns that F5's implementation of Agile/Scrum was a poor development choice. Our concerns were dismissed. Gradually, each one of us was eliminated over the course of a number of RIFs. We were silenced.

And now those products are no longer.

F5 is no longer a community member. F5 is no longer human first. F5 has lost it's soul.

If anyone missed they are reducing the 401k / cash balance plan by 2 percent. SLT values young employees over tenured ones saying over 10 year employees receive too much vacation. KC you are the mini me of DR.

As I recall the survey results from two years ago were kept from us. Now they want to discuss why the results are worse than the 2023 results we never got to see??

How do we know they are worse than?
We are just supposed to blindly believe a company that has no loyalty to us and lies to us everyday?

Tell us again how Director and above are supposed to be in Dallas or Atlanta?

Tell us how many “hubs” we have?

Stankey can’t even motivate his “yes men” to follow policy, what makes him think he has any real power?
Sounds like AT&T is ask us to show our loyalty to the company, by asking us to improve the culture they destroyed.

The way it’s going now the status quo will be the demise of the company before the next survey.

Any one have any clue when they are going to start announcing the new structure and who is reporting into whom?