4 ms·

Uh great... yeah just walk right into the CEO's office and tell them what's wrong... 0% chance of that coming back to affect your career....

bavell 6y ago
With a good CEO, your career might actually get a bump if you give them honest and helpful feedback.
- __abc 6y ago
  In my experience those CEO's are extremely rare ... don't know how common my experience has been.
  - mtnGoat 6y ago
    I feel like its a myth... no one i know works in a place where anyone can walk into the CEOs office, be brutally honest and not have some time of blowback in one way or another(or really any level). All those who tried have not faired well.
    - achillesheels 6y ago
      I was booted out of my first employer within 90 days of stepping into the company's "open-door CEO" office to bring up the subject of scheduling time with my boss (directly reporting to the CEO) to discuss a job promotion. My boss was the first one who brought it up and I took the initiative. Even typing this right now I feel dumb. But I had no idea how sensitive people are with retaining their status in an artificial hierarchy. I do now!
      - ignoramous 6y ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_in_the_workplace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_in_the_workplace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism_in_the_workplace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism_in_the_workpl...
- save_ferris 6y ago
  good CEOs create situations that allow people to provide feedback in a safe and supportive way, through things like town halls, anonymous feedback messaging, etc. so employees aren't forced into high-stakes interactions like marching into their office.
  - greedo 6y ago
    A Townhall meeting is in no way a safe and supportive place to provide feedback. Only anodyne questions are asked as people generally know better than to tell the Emperor he has no clothes...
    - wolco 6y ago
      If you get a survey about your boss always answer positively. Chances are they are using you as a way to get that person out and using you as cover. No matter what your feelings for the boss realize that they usually want to cut the department or reduce the voice of your department. Life will not be better after.
- greedo 6y ago
  If the company is larger than 500 people, the CEO doesn't have the bandwidth for this type of feedback. He'll either figure out that his reports (CTO or lower) are not doing their jobs, or that you're a troublemaker. Odds are he has hired the CTO and had significant influence on hiring those below the CTO. So he's invested in that CTO. You, you're some rando coming up talking about stuff that makes you look incompetent.
  - Psyladine 6y ago
    >You, you're some rando coming up talking about stuff that makes you look incompetent. Or worse, threatening to make his choices look incompetent.
  - bavell 6y ago
    True, you shouldn't expect the CEO of a large company to listen to the FNG or scrub who bypasses the chain of command. But a good CEO will recognize and reward those who bring them valuable input through the proper channels.
lnsru 6y ago
Did exactly this! Just it wasn’t CEO, only a Vice President. I mentioned bugs and lack of testing in a polite way, also offered how test system could be designed to automate testing. There was a committee created to do inspection of my code and to analyze, why I do so many bugs. I’ll never tell anybody, how to operate better after this “incident”. The months were hell and I am pretty sure, I’ll be fired during next downsizing round.
- S_A_P 6y ago
  First, good on you for trying to make a difference. Second, without painting with too broad of a brush here I would say that depending on the size of your organization this is the exact wrong layer to complain to. The VPs can be in the spot where they want to be perceived as running the show so the C levels can take care of the vision. If there was a CTO at your company that may have been the better move. Either way, Im sorry to hear that things went south after complaining and it sounds like it just got bruised egos involved.
  - oblio 6y ago
    It's almost never the right move. The CTO doesn't know you, but he does know the people who report to him.
    - outworlder 6y ago
      > It's almost never the right move. The CTO doesn't know you, but he does know the people who report to him. And they will come down on those people HARD! "Why is your employee complaining to me? Why aren't you doing your job?" And down the line it comes crashing down. And meteor lands on your face.
      - wolco 6y ago
        Come down hard on his people? Probably come down hard on your manager.
- ignoramous 6y ago
BinaryBullet 6y ago
The best version I remember hearing about is a janitor pitching the idea of Flaming Hot Cheetos: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20227175 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20227175 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/23/the-flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-how-a-frito-lay-janitor-created-one-of-americas-most-popular-snacks/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/2...

bavell 6y ago

With a good CEO, your career might actually get a bump if you give them honest and helpful feedback.

__abc 6y ago
In my experience those CEO's are extremely rare ... don't know how common my experience has been.
- mtnGoat 6y ago
  I feel like its a myth... no one i know works in a place where anyone can walk into the CEOs office, be brutally honest and not have some time of blowback in one way or another(or really any level). All those who tried have not faired well.
  - achillesheels 6y ago
    I was booted out of my first employer within 90 days of stepping into the company's "open-door CEO" office to bring up the subject of scheduling time with my boss (directly reporting to the CEO) to discuss a job promotion. My boss was the first one who brought it up and I took the initiative. Even typing this right now I feel dumb. But I had no idea how sensitive people are with retaining their status in an artificial hierarchy. I do now!
    - ignoramous 6y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_in_the_workplace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_in_the_workplace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism_in_the_workplace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism_in_the_workpl...
save_ferris 6y ago
good CEOs create situations that allow people to provide feedback in a safe and supportive way, through things like town halls, anonymous feedback messaging, etc. so employees aren't forced into high-stakes interactions like marching into their office.
- greedo 6y ago
  A Townhall meeting is in no way a safe and supportive place to provide feedback. Only anodyne questions are asked as people generally know better than to tell the Emperor he has no clothes...
  - wolco 6y ago
    If you get a survey about your boss always answer positively. Chances are they are using you as a way to get that person out and using you as cover. No matter what your feelings for the boss realize that they usually want to cut the department or reduce the voice of your department. Life will not be better after.
greedo 6y ago
If the company is larger than 500 people, the CEO doesn't have the bandwidth for this type of feedback. He'll either figure out that his reports (CTO or lower) are not doing their jobs, or that you're a troublemaker. Odds are he has hired the CTO and had significant influence on hiring those below the CTO. So he's invested in that CTO. You, you're some rando coming up talking about stuff that makes you look incompetent.
- Psyladine 6y ago
  >You, you're some rando coming up talking about stuff that makes you look incompetent. Or worse, threatening to make his choices look incompetent.
- bavell 6y ago
  True, you shouldn't expect the CEO of a large company to listen to the FNG or scrub who bypasses the chain of command. But a good CEO will recognize and reward those who bring them valuable input through the proper channels.

lnsru 6y ago

Did exactly this! Just it wasn’t CEO, only a Vice President. I mentioned bugs and lack of testing in a polite way, also offered how test system could be designed to automate testing. There was a committee created to do inspection of my code and to analyze, why I do so many bugs. I’ll never tell anybody, how to operate better after this “incident”. The months were hell and I am pretty sure, I’ll be fired during next downsizing round.

S_A_P 6y ago
First, good on you for trying to make a difference. Second, without painting with too broad of a brush here I would say that depending on the size of your organization this is the exact wrong layer to complain to. The VPs can be in the spot where they want to be perceived as running the show so the C levels can take care of the vision. If there was a CTO at your company that may have been the better move. Either way, Im sorry to hear that things went south after complaining and it sounds like it just got bruised egos involved.
- oblio 6y ago
  It's almost never the right move. The CTO doesn't know you, but he does know the people who report to him.
  - outworlder 6y ago
    > It's almost never the right move. The CTO doesn't know you, but he does know the people who report to him. And they will come down on those people HARD! "Why is your employee complaining to me? Why aren't you doing your job?" And down the line it comes crashing down. And meteor lands on your face.
    - wolco 6y ago
      Come down hard on his people? Probably come down hard on your manager.
ignoramous 6y ago

BinaryBullet 6y ago

The best version I remember hearing about is a janitor pitching the idea of Flaming Hot Cheetos: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20227175 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20227175 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/23/the-flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-how-a-frito-lay-janitor-created-one-of-americas-most-popular-snacks/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/2...