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To be an executive is to be responsible for execution. Someone who allows major blunders to happen under their watch is not a successful executive, whether they

by nilkn 7y ago

To be an executive is to be responsible for execution. Someone who allows major blunders to happen under their watch is not a successful executive, whether they were personally responsible or not. You can't make excuses as an executive. You can't say "there wasn't enough quality control," because you have the power to create the quality control process necessary to prevent the blunder. You can't say "I wasn't aware there was this risk of keyboard defects," because you have the power to create reporting structures that will surface such risks to all key stakeholders, including you. You can't say "I didn't have time to focus on functional deficiencies or risks because I was focused on aesthetics," because you have the power to hire and delegate to the most talented employees in the world; you have the power to do whatever is necessary so that you do have the time to focus on what needs to be focused on. You can't say "I didn't worry about functional risks because I wanted to focus on design," because your job is to execute, not to do what you want to do.

tornadron 7y ago
...Steve Jobs folklore: Steve Jobs told employees a short story when they were promoted to vice president at Apple. Jobs would tell the VP that if the garbage in his office was not being emptied, Jobs would naturally demand an explanation from the janitor. "Well, the lock on the door was changed,' the janitor could reasonably respond. "And I couldn't get a key." The janitor's response is reasonable. It's an understandable excuse. The janitor can't do his job without a key. As a janitor, he's allowed to have excuses. "When you're the janitor, reasons matter," Jobs told his newly-minted VPs. "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering." "In other words,' (Jobs continued,) "when the employee becomes a vice president, he or she must vacate all excuses for failure. A vice president is responsible for any mistakes that happen, and it doesn't matter what you say."
- katzgrau 7y ago
  It's called being an employee. With a bigger paycheck comes a bigger amount of career risk. The employer makes the rules, the employees play the game. I'm not saying that because I believe that's the way it should be, but because that's how it seems to be.
- bg24 7y ago
  "When you're the janitor, reasons matter," Jobs told his newly-minted VPs. "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering." Thank you for sharing.

by nilkn 7y ago

tornadron 7y ago

...Steve Jobs folklore: Steve Jobs told employees a short story when they were promoted to vice president at Apple. Jobs would tell the VP that if the garbage in his office was not being emptied, Jobs would naturally demand an explanation from the janitor. "Well, the lock on the door was changed,' the janitor could reasonably respond. "And I couldn't get a key." The janitor's response is reasonable. It's an understandable excuse. The janitor can't do his job without a key. As a janitor, he's allowed to have excuses. "When you're the janitor, reasons matter," Jobs told his newly-minted VPs. "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering." "In other words,' (Jobs continued,) "when the employee becomes a vice president, he or she must vacate all excuses for failure. A vice president is responsible for any mistakes that happen, and it doesn't matter what you say."

katzgrau 7y ago
It's called being an employee. With a bigger paycheck comes a bigger amount of career risk. The employer makes the rules, the employees play the game. I'm not saying that because I believe that's the way it should be, but because that's how it seems to be.
bg24 7y ago
"When you're the janitor, reasons matter," Jobs told his newly-minted VPs. "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering." Thank you for sharing.