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"I'm sure Larry and Jeff had good intentions when they started their companies but now that it's in the hands of middle management it's no different than any ot

"I'm sure Larry and Jeff had good intentions when they started their companies but now that it's in the hands of middle management it's no different than any other big corp." In russian, we have a common saying "царь-батюшка хороший - это бояре у него плохие". Loosely translated in english as "The King is kind, it's his the nobles that are bad." It is meant to be used as sarcasm. Perhaps it is obvious, but in case it isn't: the meaning is that the person in charge of things is ultimately responsible and sets the tone for the rest of the organization, either by action or inaction.

ChuckMcM 11y ago
I completely agree, there is a similar saying which says something like "A vain king is a deaf king." Which observes that people who look only for good news or flattery will not hear bad news or problems. That is why these sorts of things are a good test of management maturity. If problems like this get reflected up to the person in charge (and ultimately responsible), and nothing happens, then it is on them. If they go up and the metrics change so they can't happen in the future, then its a company learning from its mistakes. If you witness the full cycle (a problem emerges, the folks who are responsible are notified, they take some action, the problem persists, and there is no new update) then you can confidently choose to leave knowing that the people at the top want it to be that way, if on the other hand you see problems get fixed as they arise, then you can confidently choose to stay, knowing that bad situations are not intentional and will be fixed.
shas3 11y ago
Wow! In Kannada, a South Indian language, we have the saying, "devaru vara kotru poojari vara kodlilla." Translation: "even though the god granted your wishes, the priest didn't pass it on." It alludes to the stereotypical 'middle-manager' incompetence/imperfections of the priest. Always interesting to find universal themes in geographically disparate cultures!

ChuckMcM 11y ago

I completely agree, there is a similar saying which says something like "A vain king is a deaf king." Which observes that people who look only for good news or flattery will not hear bad news or problems. That is why these sorts of things are a good test of management maturity. If problems like this get reflected up to the person in charge (and ultimately responsible), and nothing happens, then it is on them. If they go up and the metrics change so they can't happen in the future, then its a company learning from its mistakes. If you witness the full cycle (a problem emerges, the folks who are responsible are notified, they take some action, the problem persists, and there is no new update) then you can confidently choose to leave knowing that the people at the top want it to be that way, if on the other hand you see problems get fixed as they arise, then you can confidently choose to stay, knowing that bad situations are not intentional and will be fixed.

shas3 11y ago

Wow! In Kannada, a South Indian language, we have the saying, "devaru vara kotru poojari vara kodlilla." Translation: "even though the god granted your wishes, the priest didn't pass it on." It alludes to the stereotypical 'middle-manager' incompetence/imperfections of the priest. Always interesting to find universal themes in geographically disparate cultures!