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The slide deck looks like a persiflage to me. Something I would expect to see in a movie [1]. Are employees in the US really such ducklings that they swallow s

• Pyxl101 9y ago
  Honestly, the slide deck to me looks like a positive and important correction from a company that's been too lax and directionless in its management (this is an inference - I don't know anything about Meetup specifically). It's not contemptuous, it's honest and direct. Most companies would not be so honest with everyone about seeking a change in direction like this. > Past: We debate too much without defined decision makers and don't act on decisions > Starting now: Clear decision makers end the debate, communicate the decision, and act quickly > Past: We wait too long to take action when someone isn't meeting expectations > Starting now: We take actions fast and say goodbye when someone isn't meeting expectations Someone who has been a manager for years should know how poisonous it is if people can't make a decision because they are overly focused on consensus and there is no clear decision-maker; and they should know how poisonous it is if people keeping debating the same decision after it's been made, and don't get on board with implementing it. Lack of accountability is similarly poisonous, and lack of initiative is problematic. Letting poor performers stick around too long is poisonous (it demoralizes everyone else). These and other principles in the deck are part of the basics of good management. I don't see much to object to in here. The slide deck makes it seem like this is an organization with a (management) culture that's gotten fairly far off-track from focusing on building a successful, thriving, growing business. Senior leadership is trying to course-correct. This slide deck is a nice way of communicating "we have a serious culture problem and need to fix it". Managers who are achieving success and have not fallen victim to these anti-patterns probably don't need to change anything because they already understand the lessons embodied in these slides. Hopefully those managers are rejoicing because their ineffectual peers are being steered in the right direction now.
  • mft_ 9y ago
    Yep - was going to post something similar, but you've already put it very nicely. Many of the 'past' statements remind me of the situation in my current (non-IT) company. The problems they bring, and the sire need for change, resonate strongly with me.
  • ghaff 9y ago
    There are degrees of everything of course. I'm not sure the "It's just business" approach of a typical high-performing football team is necessarily the best model for a lot of companies. The default approach to someone going through a rough patch for family reasons or whatever maybe shouldn't be to boot them out the door. But, yeah, to the degree that their culture was driven by the "Past" descriptions, especially taken to extremes, I don't see anything particularly problematic about that deck.
    • happyguy43 9y ago
      Nowhere is it implied that people going through rough patches will be judged for poor performance and “booted out the door.” The point is that people should be setting expectations ahead of time and will be held accountable for the expectations they set. There is ample room in a high-performing workplace for the rare rough patch, just needs to be done in a way that optimally allows the team to minimize the disruption. The main condition is that rare rough patches should be rare. Obviously people who constantly go through rough patches can not be expected to perform highly and are not appropriate employees in a high performing work environment.
• tnolet 9y ago
  I guess the problem stems from whether you see a company as a 'family' or a 'place of work'. I'm personally pretty sceptical about the 'family'-type. In my experience this goes overboard and ends up being an ineffective day-care center for adults. On the other hand, clarity and business results done in a human but effective way tend to get people motivated and intellectually do their best work. Disclaimer: this is from a western European perspective, where sentiments and labour laws are a bit different of course.
  • Pyxl101 9y ago
    An apt comparison! Netflix, as a point of reference, talks about "team versus family" in their culture page: > A dream team is one in which all of your colleagues are extraordinary at what they do and are highly effective collaborators. The value and satisfaction of being on a dream team is tremendous. Our version of the great workplace is (...) a dream team in pursuit of ambitious common goals > If you think of a professional football team, it is up to the coach to ensure that every player on the field is amazing at their position, and plays very effectively with the others. We model ourselves on being a team, not a family. A family is about unconditional love, despite your siblings’ unusual behavior. A dream team is about pushing yourself to be the best teammate you can be, caring intensely about your teammates, and knowing that you may not be on the team forever. Based on Meetup's slide deck, it sounds like they are trying to establish a high-performance culture with clarity of mission, when they haven't had that previously. From: https://jobs.netflix.com/culture https://jobs.netflix.com/culture
    • kelukelugames 9y ago
      lol, story time! I joined a new team where the members never eat lunch with each other. I don't like to eat with co workers every single day but I do want to chat with them casually once in a while. So I organized a team lunch. I'm not sure if anyone enjoyed it. =/
      • jessaustin 9y ago
        Haha. If I don't know who the annoying office yay-work dude is, maybe it's me? Still, that guy never gets let go, no matter how little work-type work he does...
• mpweiher 9y ago
  > Are employees in the US really such ducklings that they swallow such insult and paternalism? AFAICT: yes. But they don't really have a choice. "At will" employment, combined with employer-based health insurance, huge debt loads (student loans, mortgages) and no social security puts employees in a pretty weak position. And that apparently weakens management skills considerably, we had an import from the US whose exclusive management skill apart from blaming the team for his obvious and blatant screwups appeared to be ultimatums of the form "if you don't like it, you can leave". H1Bs are in an even worse situation, because in theory they have to leave the country at the very moment their employment is terminated (in practice there is a small grace period). I threw up a little at the "binding arbitration clause" mentioned in the article forced onto employees with their contracts. In Germany, for example, arbitration clauses are simply illegal in employment law. More generally, when involving consumers, they must be separate, signed agreements, so cannot be imposed as fine-print or as parts of a different agreement.
  • csa 9y ago
    While I think most of your points are valid, I want to clear up some issues with the H1B. From: http://www.immi-usa.com/h1b-grace-period-sgm-law-group/ http://www.immi-usa.com/h1b-grace-period-sgm-law-group/ > However, as of January 17, 2017, foreign professionals under the H-1B visa will have a 60-day grace period if their employment is terminated. Note that the time given to leave after the end of the regular employment term is still 10 days, and that is a point of confusion for some people. IMO, 10 days, while tight, is not unreasonable if you know it’s coming far in advance. Let me make it very clear that I am not trying to make a value judgment about the H1B visa program — rather, I just want to get some facts straight for others who are reading.
    • mpweiher 9y ago
      Thanks for the update about the change of the rules. When I was in the US on an H1B, the pro-forma rule was still "you have to be outside the country immediately".
    • eeZah7Ux 9y ago
      In most of Europe and other developed countries a 2-3 month period for termination + leaving would be considered normal. 10 days would be considered unreasonable and very harsh by most people I know.
• happyguy43 9y ago
  If you would take a slide that isn’t specifically directed at you and is intended to improve an organization so personally and defensively then it’s unlikely you would make a good manager in the first place. Being offended by impersonal and well-intended feedback and using crass language are likely not the average qualities of managers in sustainable organizations.
• maxxxxx 9y ago
  Slide decks like aren't intrinsically bad but from my experience most people who produce them don't actually live by them. A lot of the managers I respect the most don't constantly give motivational speeches but they lead by example. People notice that quickly and act accordingly. I view people who hand out slide decks like this as weak. Instead of doing the difficult work they just talk about it and leave it to others implementing it.