This story reminds me of something else I have been pointing out for a very long time. It is not so uncommon to see layoffs after McKinsey drops by the building for a while (could also be bein or other consultancies in the same field), and more often than not, ceos like to say " they made me do it!!". So… To be clear, you do not have agency and you are not control whatsoever about these layoffs? Really? Sounds difficult to believe.
And that is also true, however, as a CEO you are paid for mostly 3 things:
company steering
company vision
accountability
If a CEO fails the accountability part… Why is he even being paid? I had a discussion over the years about managers that don’t take responsibility if someone on their team messed up and throw under the bus whoever did the thing wrong. If I was in a position of power, I am sure I would fire the manager on the spot. It is literally part of your function to take responsibility in a collective level
Sometimes they just hire an outside consultant as a scapegoat. You can’t tell me the CEOs don’t know they need to fire people to lower operational costs. Consultants help to decide who to fire and how to package it for employees, the board, shareholders and the public. That way the CEO can cover his ass.
You are not wrong, but if you read between the lines it says the message exactly as I mentioned, claiming “they did it”, like the CEO has nothing to do with it
This story reminds me of something else I have been pointing out for a very long time. It is not so uncommon to see layoffs after McKinsey drops by the building for a while (could also be bein or other consultancies in the same field), and more often than not, ceos like to say " they made me do it!!". So… To be clear, you do not have agency and you are not control whatsoever about these layoffs? Really? Sounds difficult to believe.
human beings don’t like direct/personal accountability, and will pay lots of money to avoid it.
easiest way to do this is to blame a third party for ‘forcing’ you to do things.
people do it all the time in their personal lives too. the sales person ‘forced’ them to buy something, etc.
And that is also true, however, as a CEO you are paid for mostly 3 things:
If a CEO fails the accountability part… Why is he even being paid? I had a discussion over the years about managers that don’t take responsibility if someone on their team messed up and throw under the bus whoever did the thing wrong. If I was in a position of power, I am sure I would fire the manager on the spot. It is literally part of your function to take responsibility in a collective level
accountability is to the shareholders. not the employees.
Sometimes they just hire an outside consultant as a scapegoat. You can’t tell me the CEOs don’t know they need to fire people to lower operational costs. Consultants help to decide who to fire and how to package it for employees, the board, shareholders and the public. That way the CEO can cover his ass.
You are not wrong, but if you read between the lines it says the message exactly as I mentioned, claiming “they did it”, like the CEO has nothing to do with it
While I agree that the consulting firms usually come up with the layoff plans, I’ve never heard of any CEO ever saying they MADE him do it.