They don’t do anything and have no control. Be nice to these people because they’re literally swimming in the same unknown chaos as you.
22 replies (most recent on top)
@2xts+1tnEZMMH - thank you. I do feel for you having a leader you don’t respect. I was in the same boat with my VP and it was miserable. I don’t have any insights on how to manage the situation - clearly my way wasn’t optimal since I was let go for not toeing the line. At least I got severance which is more than many get that are terminated for also not su-king up enough. For that I am grateful. Wishing you the best of luck!
As for the degree comment, just want to touch on that a bit. I have my degree but know many leaders with the same or higher that are total sh!t people leaders. Being the smartest in the room doesn’t not necessarily equal being the best candidate for leadership. Nike really needs to invest in real leadership coaching and most of all accountability for leaders. Start with the carrot and reward good leaders - make them examples. Then introduce the stick and make bad leaders accountable. There are many forms of accountability from coaching to termination. I think this would help instill more respect for leadership, more trust from teams, and more teamwork/unity between teams and leaders. Just my 2 cents.
@2xts+1tnEZMMH The fact that you think a degree makes someone fit to be a leader tells me you shouldn’t be one either. I know plenty of people who are plenty knowledgeable but need LEADERSHIP and people management training. Not a useless degree from 10-15 years prior.
@2mve+1tnEZMMH you seems legit someone who has earned it. The SR Dir I mentioned produly says she has not ever attended any formal university!!!! Sure she has taken a 2 year online program to earn an associate degree but she is far, i mean farrrrrrr, from being a manager
@2duy+1tnEZMMH you are making assumptions based on your own bias. I am not humbled from being laid off and just now realizing I was a sh!tty leader - far from it. I worked my a-s off to be in leadership - I earned my role and my paycheck - while also earning the respect of my team and my peers. I am not a poor leader or a spineless one, and my team continues to lean on me for support months after I was laid off.
Assuming all leadership is cr-p is a reflection on you and your experience but that doesn’t make it true for every person and every leader at Nike. I’m sorry to hear about your situation and wish Nike didn’t hire so many bad leaders. The culture of pretend people mgmt (no real risk or reward for being a bad mgr - no monitoring of attrition, no 360 feedback from employees of leaders, no accountability for employee survey results….), fear based leadership from CEO on down, and protection of the bad apples at the top brings out the worst in everyone at every level. There was a time when I believed Nike valued their employees and being a good leader was an accomplishment worthy of praise and being bad got you coaching - that time was long ago and I don’t see the current trajectory making it any better.
@2jgx+1tnEZMMH Being laid off has just humbled you.... I wish the worst on the SR Dir at our department... She has turned my life and many others upside down! So much drama, so much backstabbing ...I was completely healthy before Nike. Three years into the job and I am on anti depressant, anxiety meds, have gained 20 lbs, and by all means live in fear thay what she brings next
Get this is sarcasm, but wanted to chime in as an SD. I was quick to voice my opinion even if it went against my VPs position (always done very tactfully & carefully) and I also paid the price and was laid off. So were the few other SDs in my larger org that also tried to be more than yes-men/women. It is toxic at Nike and it starts at the VP level. Many tolerate zero dissent due to HUGE egos, limited knowledge, and a lot of fear.
Of course there are poor leaders at every level and I too struggle to respect my peers or leaders who refuse to swim against the tide, but I also get it. We all value our jobs and want to keep them. Waiting out current leadership by fading into the shadows is one option and sometimes as I wonder how long it will take to find another role I can’t help but wonder if that would have been the better choice for me and my team (they are completely unprotected and forgotten).
A larger paycheck and bigger title do not make us infallible or all-powerful. That is reserved for VPs who Nike protect no matter what.
OP here. Wow this really blew up. Read through the comments and it looks like only @qlt+1tnEZMMH understood the sarcasm.
Op! Your audacity is disgusting! When it comes to fat paychecks, you do not like to be left out of course but when it comes to accepting responsibility for this mess, we leave Dr, Sr D and VPs out? Ugh! Typical narcissistic management at Nike... Typical high-school behavior at Nike Disgusting
The quality of today’s Ds, SDs and VPs are noticeably worse than 10 years ago
Too many VP, SD and D in global tech are yes men/women. Wasting millions of $ and delivering shiny PowerPoints.
Directors at Nike = Managers at other companies. Most are not qualified to manage people and many spend too much time in their insecurities, games, and politics. Sr Directors are a mixed bag. VPs, same.
Regardless, even after layoffs, we have waaaay too many folks in these roles.
Anyone have heard of MN at NSRL? ANY one with a warm body and a pulse could have lead innovation better than him! Kick this narcissistic guy out! NSRL has turned into a dumpster of his unqualified Bros and Besties!
At a minimum, the VP’s are worthless and not doing their job at all if they have no control. If it’s the case, we have the wrong VP’s.
@kqc I could written the exact same thing.. I was able to protect my team from so much, and paid the price for it.
Nike is made up of so many different micro cultures you cannot generalize everyone that holds the same title. I can only speak from my personal experience as a Director. I reported to a SD who reported to another SD. I was just a supervisor really with 7 direct reports. I had no budget oversight and neither did my SD. Way too many layers in that group and I was cut.
If they have no control then they don’t deserve this title. Have they ever worked for another big corporation?? Apparently not.
Hahaha they’re not part of this?? Then why they have this positions?? Just to get a huge paycheck and do nothing?? This is the reason why Nike su-ks. These high paying executives with no idea how do to their jobs only because they have been there for a long time and they have good connections. I guess that’s why the stock is the lowest it’s ever been in history. Their BS has finally caught up to them and that’s why good talent is gone. Nike su-ks and everyone knows it.
Why do they get paid so much if they don’t do anything and have no influence?
who the bleep is in charge then
I was a D who put it on the line for my team. Now I’m unemployed.
If you think Ds get ANY information or have any actual decision making rights, you are crazy.
It's hard to tell if you're being sarcastic, but VPs, Senior Directors, and Directors certainly have control. They can choose to be passive yes-men or yes-women, or they can stand up for the right decisions and fight for their teams and the overall brand, putting themselves on the line in the process. Unfortunately, most prefer the security of focusing on storytelling only the good parts and ingratiating themselves with their bosses by sharing what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. They take home a fat paycheck for this, but it's not what they're paid to do, and it doesn't actually advance the company.