LL6, LL5...E band, the Ford (lucky sp--m) club.
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Few people will come forward to challenge those who are quick to misdirect with wild allegations and gaslighting. In Fords “Pleasantville,” people worry about retaliation and becoming the next target of those whose claims and visions they find preposterous.
Yes, there is a faint hope that the great silent majority will at some point put an end to tyrannies of the FnF crowd. But should we live on Hopium?
Respect 🤣
There is a lot of truth in the comments above. There was a big disparity between those hired prior to 2004 and those after. Those with pensions had no incentive to leave, and those without had no incentive to stay. Last year something happened with the pension values that made a bunch of people leave.
Unfortunately that was a brain drain for the company and also a leadership drain. People were promoted who were not ready. Plus along with diversity goals many were just bad choices. My group in Model e continues to hand out LL5 and LL4 promotions like candy, even after the layoffs.
The end result is that many sharp technical people and leaders left years ago. The resulting org is top heavy and ineffective. My peers and I describe it as a slow motion train wreck
SRD algorithm developed by BCG identified which LL's / GSR's areas to get headcount reduction or relocation. Per a SRD who ended up leaving Ford to work for Dana, he mentioned at a recent BBQ that LL2 and LL3 decided who they wanted to keep and who should go. He acknowledged that he had rough technical arguments with the at that time LL2 and LL3, he was right because later his later at a 10R Trans recall, his findings were instrumental to address the issue in no time, of course the LL2 & LL3 took credit for something they both rejected at the time and ended up pushing that LL6 out of Ford. LL2 & LL3 are the ones calling the shoots, if you are a FCG that attended any of these community colleges UofM, MSU, Mich Tech, Kettering, Mich Tech, then you are partially safe as long as your mentor is still employed. Everybody else (non FCG) regardless of what reputable College you attended with more than 20 yrs seniority, you are fair game to be SIRP'ed. Not even shining in the dark will save Non FCG's, at this level of the game everyone is good at the his / her position. Staying employed is a beauty contest as long as everyone is working on a Model e project.
Doesn't it feel like we went back to high school?
What @zqe+1o4VncOv says 100%.
After the first big BCG SRD in 2019 there was a shock wave and a gapping hole. First the talent and expertise was purged; Immediately inept people were promoted to LL6 positions; they in turn promoted inept friends to technical specialist roles or designated friends as HTHD and proclaimed they were the SMEs; the rest of the team sought leadership and guidance from the SMEs, receiving none they escalated to the LL6 who had none to provide, LL5 had nothing, LL4 had nothing, the LL3 authorized bringing in consultants (purchased services) to provide guidance.
The purchased services sold the LL6 a bill of goods and ended up with long term high paid team permanently installed under the LL6 and managed to sell Ford a load of software that no one uses. Oh and the LL6 was brought in contractors to do work as his SMEs claimed none of the team were capable of doing any work (translation the SME was Incompetent and didn’t want the Ford employees to figure that out)
The best team members were then cut in 2022 because of the fear of inept leadership. Notably anyone who fixed or reported problems were cut.
Then this week the contractors who spoke up about alternative solutions to problems were cut. Odds are next week a new batch of contractors will be brought in.
How can a company survive when no one respects or trusts their leadership team? The answer is it can’t. Our LL3 is in final negotiations with Kyndryl to outsource the majority of his team (except for his chosen FnF to manage the Kyndryl service). Honestly at this point Kyndryl would likely do a better job than the Ford team as the LL3 has already destroyed the team from a knowledge and skills point of view. At times one thinks the destruction was intentional. But then you realize that is giving the LL3 and above too much credit, they just are bumbling along and haven’t a clue.
What can you do? Either leave or just keep doing the nonsensical, no value tasks the LL6 assigns and pocket the do ray me until Ford implodes.
Respect is something earned. Not gained by birth or simply a promotion.
Well if watching our govnmnt at work is any indication how this will end, it wont. It will just get so messed up that ONLY the creatures of the swamp (driven by the scent of money) will adapt and prosper. Those without the talent to be exceedingly good politicians will go extinct. The only way to survive is find a better swamp.
It was always bad, but got worse once BCG stepped in with their algorithm. As the swamp was drained of the competent leaders who actually earned their position, it exposed more and more terrible leaders. As the forced retirements and elimination of top performers at the LL6 / GSR levels increased, it has become unbearable. There are days I look around and don't even know who is left to collaborate with and solve problems. I have watched LL3s be presented with an issue and a help request, only to tell the GSR to go ask another LL3 to do his job. Confusing, yes. Helpful, no. Most of the leaders in place today have not earned their stripes and are way in over their heads. This may have been sustainable, if it was only a leader here or there, but when it is the majority, it is sure to lead to an implosion.
How can you respect them when their position was not earned through merit but earned through politicking? When they are to lead a technical organization but lack technical knowledge? When they sit in Webex meetings and say nothing, watching the lower levels bicker? They do not deserve our respect, let alone deserve to be employed at their level let alone a working level in their organization.