Where to begin? The problems with Own don't rear their ugly heads until you're well within the system. And as much as I would like to say that this place is uniquely problematic, it's not even that special. As with most corporate offices, the issues are never with the talented creators, it's with the management. And in all my 13+ years in the corporate world, Own takes the cake for having the worst, most self-interested, uncreative, unfit-to-lead managers in the tri-state area. Being good at your job is not what gets you ahead at Own, it's being part of the right clique. None of that was more prevalent than in my boss, whose only goal was to make herself look good at any cost. Time and time again, I saw her shoot down great ideas from the team she was supposed to be leading to either implement her own (bad) ideas or just 'yes' the CEO or CMO to death for fear of losing her job. She had no creative backbone and worse, her leadership tactics were straight out of a 101 course. I tried, on several occasions, to let her know the meetings she ran were too long and time consuming or that our entire team was operating in silos and were not collaborating with each other. She tried changing up the meetings for maybe two weeks after I brought it to her attention, then went right back to her unproductive and wasteful approach. Her lack of care and integrity soon became very clear after this. She regularly covered for employees who did not show up to the office (despite the 3 day in-office policy), showing favor to a select few and allowed for some employees to bend the rules to keep them happy. There was even an incident where employees were asked to work on a weekend and were told to come in early on a Saturday (without pay) only to see this manager and her clique meander in at 2PM with a fresh mani/pedi and a latte in-hand. She then belittled one employee in front of upper management when he didn't give an emphatic "yes" to work on Sunday (again, unpaid).
None of this, of course, is to say that I am the greatest employee in the world. But when I am led by a person who I feel I'd have an easier time connecting with if I was pounding shots all night instead of producing quality work and looking for ways to improve communication and workflow, there's only so much I can do. Perhaps she, and this company, should Own their Own faults instead of creating a culture where pandering is the way to win.
