Thread regarding Chevron Corp. layoffs

Hahahahaha, you think bosses give a flip about 360 Feedback or the annual Employee Survey? Wake up.

@9ylz, Just wait until an opportune time comes to provide your boss with meaningful feedback that you know her boss looks at. When you are presented the chance to provide a 360 Feedback or the annual Employee Survey, pay her back with the same coin. Maybe doing that will finally drive it home that positive feedback, the right encouragement and constructive critique is a two way street.

I was invited to be on a speaker panel for national audience. Sponsor would pay my airfare and lodging. Bad Boss said "no way", though never explaining their decision.
A week goes by and a senior exec asked me to be on an industry panel discussion out of town, which I did. Bad Boss' comment was "at least, I didn't authorize it".
I am guessing that Bad Boss had been told by their boss not to allow business travel (even if paid by another company). Lesson learned: just tell your employee why you made decision— they might continue to have confidence in your decision-making

Chevron promotes managers, not leaders.

Agree, some bosses can’t even give you pinpointed feedback. You get “2” and you need to figure out yourself how you can improve. My boss did not even go out of her way to ask feedback from my customers, peers, and direct reports. Welcome to a feedback rich culture!

GH, DP, RS, SB, AT, NH MR wanted friendships instead of workers.

Here is a familiar "Bad Boss" trick: espouses belief in 360 degree feedback but "fails" to include any direct reports who might have the nerve to say anything negative. I was always surprised that upper management didn't put a stop to this weak attempt at true feedback.

So many examples I could cite. But, the one that sticks in my mind is this one,... MY 'bad boss' (let's just call him, "Sam") personified the term "weasel". The women in our group were the first to acknowledge his slimey-ness. My Chevron career spanned a number of organizations, BU's, etc., so by the time I arrived in Sam's shop, I had seen/done, quite a lot. Turned out that a new Admin. Building was to be built, on existing plant grounds. One of my earlier assignments involved the utilization of tax deferred exchanges to enhance the economics of various capital projects, and I suggested to Sam that we consider the possible benefits of TDE's in regard to the new Admin. Bldg. project. In his usual manner, he stared at me with a cold (the girls called it, his "fish eyed") stare, and wandered off without a word. Months passed. Construction progressed. Then, probably 6 months AFTER I had made the suggestion, Sam called me into his office, presented me with a check for $107 and some cents (am NOT making this up). As I had heard NOTHING, subsequent to my TDE suggestion, it never crossed my mind that there might be some correlation with the check, and my suggestion. Then, with one of his familiar "odd looks", he said, "for your idea to use TDE funds". It took a few seconds for me to process everything,... we were talking about a large project, costing upwards of MILLIONS of dollars, and I'm looking at a check for $107, and a few cents? In one of my more ill-conceived moves, I held out the check and said, "really?" The cold, fish-eyed stare. I continued,... "I didn't expect any 'recognition', Sam,... but, honestly,... I think the company ought to just keep THIS check". I was furious, as I returned to my desk, but eventually just chalked the episode up to what happens, when you work for an id–t. MONTHS LATER. A cohort, in Accounting, tipped me off that "someone in your group recieved a $5,000 award" (I now forget the actual "title" of such an award,... it may have been "Chairman's Award", but, memory fails). Stunned, I asked if my friend had any idea as to who the recipient might be? He merely gave me "the look", and I knew. "Sam" had taken MY recommendation and run with it, but felt obligated to give ME $107 and some cents. May he rot in Hell.

Leadership teams of the former DWEP group from 2013 to the current GOM leaders both current and past. Must be careful in my wording at least I was able to move to Downstream a few years ago. Happy camper now.

Here is a good one from a few years ago. I get a phone call from my mom on Saturday telling me that dad had collapsed at home and is in the hospital in serious condition. I call bad boss on his cell phone and explained the situation on a voicemail and that I would not be at work on Monday. I get a flight out on Saturday evening and finally arrive at hospital around midnight. The whole family had been there all day and left about 1 am. I stay with my dad who is now on life support. Around 4-5 am I check on him and hold his hand. Hi is no longer warm and has obviously passed away. On Sunday afternoon bad boss finally calls me back and I tell him what happened. The first thing he says to me, quote: 'When will you be back? We have tight schedule to finish the project you are on'. Just incredible.

I was a great boss. Folks reporting to me always said that. Apparently my bosses didn’t agree. If you’re fair, have empathy and nurture and mentor your direct reports without jingoism then you don’t fit with with the “look at me folks “ who are generally lousy bosses but just promote themselves. Yeah, I got laid off but I know my advice was genuine and not self promoting. They took the advice and are doing well. Fortunately I was near retirement anyway so no big deal. I still have enormous pride in helping others develop themselves rather than me stepping on them to promote myself. Maybe I should have been a social worker! Good long career at Cvx Texaco, no regrets but don’t like the culture of showmanship rather than solid results. Cheers.

Don’t you know that for some 10 years already, the company ‘appoints bosses’ into their positions, instead of the person actually earning the position by having led their workgroup over the years?

I have had good bosses and bad ones at Chevron. The best ones are those that could actually inspire those around them to be creative, happy, and productive. Unfortunately, most of the bosses at Chevron are uninspiring. I am not a fan of slick and fake corporate talk. I don't like meetings for the sake of having meetings, and I don't like meetings about topics that are in fact silly. I guess my days are numbered!

So Bad Boss ("Richard") receives my retirement notice after lengthy career at CVX. Instead of a note of appreciation, Richard responds w/ a "you've talked about retirement before" and does not even offer congratulations.

Next, Richard doesn't even write the email retirement notice to the rest of BU until senior level exec asks him when he is sending it out. Richard then rushes into my office and asks me to prepare my own retirement notice to be distributed.

Lesson Learned: important to note appreciation for long-time efforts on behalf of CVX PS Don't be a "Richard"

SME recommended a certain way to do something because if it was done the way Bad Boss wanted then it would go to sh!t. It was done the way Bad Boss wanted. It went to sh!t.

Lesson: Stay in your lane, bro.

Here is one—

We had a visitor from overseas come to SR for a short term assignment. A number of our staff missed meeting our visitor when we took her around in the AM.

I organized a group of six staffers to meet our visitor at Starbucks on campus that afternoon. In my travels, the local office always extended similar courtesies to me. Well, Bad Boss lost their collective sh#t when they "discovered" so many folks were "off the floor"— the "rant" included a tirade that "We don't take coffee breaks here !". Remember these are staffers working 10+ hour days w/ experience. Lesson: a little perspective is a good thing. Trust employees ?