Yeah, “chiefs suck.” I’ve got some thoughts on that, and a story or two from my own experiences that really cemented that feeling for me. It’s not always about a specific team, you know? Sometimes it’s about who’s calling the shots and how they do it. I’ve definitely “practiced” dealing with my share of ‘chiefs’ over the years, and boy, do I have a “record” of those encounters.
My Stint Trying to Get Something, Anything, Done
I remember this one place I worked. Full of folks who called themselves “chiefs” of this or that department. Sounded important, right? Well, I had this idea. A pretty decent one, I thought. Something that would genuinely make things smoother for everyone on the ground, cut down on wasted time. My “practice” started with me spending weeks, on my own time mostly, drafting up the proposal. I put together charts, numbers, showed the benefits. Really laid it all out, step by step.
So, I take it to the first “chief.” He nods, looks wise, says “interesting.” Then he passes it to another “chief.” That chief skims it, asks a few questions that make me think he didn’t really read it, and says he’ll “socialize it.” This went on for what felt like ages. My proposal, my little “practice” in trying to make a positive change, was doing the rounds, collecting dust on various “chiefly” desks. Each meeting was a new adventure in explaining the basics all over again.
The “Chiefly” Art of Saying No Without Saying No
The “record” I was building wasn’t of progress, but of frustration. It was a masterclass in corporate stonewalling. They never said “no” outright. Oh no, that would be too direct. Instead, it was always:
- “We need to form a committee to evaluate this.”
- “Let’s see the Q3 numbers before we commit.” (Even though my idea wasn’t really Q3 dependent).
- “Have you considered the impact on the synergy taskforce’s ongoing initiative?” (What even was that?)
It became clear that these “chiefs” were more interested in looking busy and avoiding any kind of decision that might, just might, come back to bite them if it wasn’t a 110% guaranteed, no-risk, gold-plated success already proven elsewhere. My “practice” in pushing for this thing taught me a lot about inertia. The sheer effort it took to even get a simple, common-sense idea looked at seriously was baffling.
Eventually, after months, the word came down from the top “chief” – who I’d never even met – that “now wasn’t the right time.” No real reason given. Just… not now. All that work, all that hope, just fizzled out. That’s when I really started to think, yeah, sometimes “chiefs” really do suck. They’re the bottlenecks, the gatekeepers of the status quo.
My “record” from that whole saga? A healthy skepticism for fancy titles and a real appreciation for people who actually do the work and make decisions based on logic, not just fear or laziness. I learned that day that just because someone has “chief” in their title doesn’t mean they know how to lead. Sometimes, they’re just really good at sitting on ideas until they die. Glad I moved on from environments like that, let me tell you. Made my own “practice” of finding places where that kind of thing isn’t the norm.
