Sam Jacobs’ Post

One of the things I struggled to truly process as a CRO: When you work for the CEO, it’s their company.  My challenge as an employee was constantly thinking I was better than or smarter than the CEO but never doing anything about it (like starting my own business). As an employee, you work in service to the vision of the CEO. Period. Full stop. If you think your CEO is an idiot, or a buffoon, or simply incompetent, that's fair. But staying in that situation and rolling your eyes the whole time is a symptom of YOUR dysfunction not theirs.  If you think they’re terrible at their job, get to work helping them improve, with compassion and consideration. Or quit. But stomping your feet and complaining only creates a culture of toxicity that infects the organization and keeps it from achieving its fullest potential.

One Company. One CEO. One Vision. One Voice. There should always be a time and a place to express your concerns with your CEO and their decisions. But outside of that moment, your job as a member of leadership is to represent their voice inside your org.

One of the things I struggled to truly process as a CRO: When you work for the CEO, it’s their company. My challenge as an employee was constantly thinking I was better than or smarter than the CEO but never doing anything about it (like starting my own business). As an employee, you work in service to the vision of the CEO. Period. Full stop. If you think your CEO is an idiot, or a buffoon, or simply incompetent, that's fair. But staying in that situation and rolling your eyes the whole time is a symptom of YOUR dysfunction not theirs. If you think they’re terrible at their job, get to work helping them improve, with compassion and consideration. Or quit. But stomping your feet and complaining only creates a culture of toxicity that infects the organization and keeps it from achieving its fullest potential.

The #Bullshitter simply doesn’t give a F… recklessness with the intention to cause social harm and to achieve a motive, is the ultimate salient objective. The emergency of reckless #evangelist, propagating #bullshits with disregard for truth; using meaningless language & vague buzzwords, clickbait, claptrap and more-likes on social media to spread fake & unsubstantiated news has become an elite’s aspirational lifestyle, which has embolden other disciples to follow … #BullShit! ➡️ They are intended to misrepresent by being appealing or convincing, or by distracting, exhausting, or disengaging colleagues, so that agendas can be pursued with little or no resis- tance. 🎯 This lack of awareness of the true nature of workplace bullshit is one of the reasons why there is such an *abundance* of it (Fredal, 2011). In order to cope with it in the workplace, we suggest that leaders adopt the C.R.A.P. approach. 📣📣📣 This is a simple process model for comprehending why bullshit exists, recognizing it when it is pro- duced, knowing the options for acting against it, and then striving hard to prevent it from reoccur- ring. 🎯 It is a model that would appeal to Lemmy Kilmister (2002, p. 225), who was the vocalist and bass player of the rock group Moto ̈rhead, and who said: Apparently people don’t like the truth, … Confronting indifference!!! Demons, Dreamers & MAD Wo(Men) @Ian P. McCarthy et al https://lnkd.in/eYDMJH92

Is your organization supporting you as a whole human? Listen in to our conversation with Nan Watts, PCC of Watts Collaborative, to unravel the importance of companies not just seeing us as productive employees or leaders, but as whole humans who are in need of mental, physical, and emotional care.

“Any leader can begin to develop this powerful skill by learning to recognize the stories you live by — individually and collectively as a team or organization — examining their effects, and refining them to emphasize empowering elements. The rewards of doing so include an increased sense of humanity, coherence, and liberation.” What stories are you living by and how are they serving you? I really love the ideas in this article from HBR … #theleadersweneed

TOO LATE. When I started my first job, my boss drew a graph describing the strategy for building a small company. The graph showed that the company makes many decisions, some improving its standing, and others not. The two important things were: 1) making more good decisions than bad over time so that the overall trajectory is positive and 2) avoiding the huge mistakes that can tank the company. Examples of killer mistakes include a really bad hire, willful IP infringement, and catastrophic lab accidents. Over the years, I have shared this graph many times in both my professional and personal life to help others through difficult times. Recently, I realized that this graph also applies to the trajectory of each individual employee at a company. Many managers fear that catastrophic moment when an employee expresses unhappiness or gives notice of resignation. Just like with the overall company, when this huge negative moment happens, it's already too late. If the relationship is fractured, you can't fix that any more than you can undo a fire or severe physical injury. So how do we avoid these killer moments with employees? Well, I think it's the same as with the overall company. Leaders need to take positive, upward steps every day, even small ones. Employees need this same proactive attention - positive moments that maintain their overall trajectory, and it's our responsibility to make sure they happen. We need to frequently talk to our team members, understand how they're feeling, what gives them satisfaction NOW, and how we can keep making that happen over and over. If we do that, that scary day never comes--and our fear of that scary day goes away too. #leadership #communication #peoplefirst

Navigating workplace decisions we disagree with challenges our resilience and adaptability. But how to manage them and cope with them? This HBR article introduces a reflective tool, the "Cheetah Sheet," designed to process such disagreements gracefully. By contemplating eight insightful questions, individuals can align their actions with company decisions, fostering empathy and broader perspective. It's a strategic pause to reassess and realign, demonstrating, "It’s a time of loss for all of us, but we can build back together." A must-read for anyone striving to lead with understanding and grace during tough times.

🎉 Sibel Terhaar's post today on toxic managers got me thinking. What if you have a toxic manager and you can't leave your company right away? Fear not, for the Whimsical Wizard of Words has some tips to help you navigate this sticky situation! 🧙✨ → 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: If it happened, jot it down. Think of it as your personal diary of "Oh no, they didn't!" moments. → 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Emails are your friends. Verbal agreements are like catching smoke with a net. Good luck with that! → 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬: Build relationships with colleagues who share your concerns. There's strength in numbers, and it's not for math class. → 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥: Keep calm and carry on. Your professionalism is your shield and your sword. →𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: Whether it's HR or a mentor, find someone who can guide you. It's like having a GPS for the corporate maze. So, dear readers, have you ever had a toxic manager? How did you handle the situation? Share your wisdom below, and let's turn this swamp of negativity into a garden of growth! 🌻 And if you're in need of some IT solutions or want to chat about life's ups and downs, drop me an email at [email protected]. Let's connect and conquer! 🚀 #leadership #toxicmanager #professionaldevelopment #workplaceadvice #worklifebalance #careeradvice #tekbank

I don’t think the GOOD/BAD manager posts do anyone any good. People don’t like identifying themselves on the BAD side of that polarized spectrum — the post won’t help them change nor gain insight or awareness. It victimizes employees on complicated situations even further and it doesn’t provide any info on what to do instead. When has polarization helped solve big, complex problems? Let’s do different. Let’s do better. Well intentioned actions aren’t enough to generate the impact we desire.