Connections Over Capability

 So, someone at my old company was just promoted to VP of Operations. Sounds great, right? Well, it sounds great until you realize that this person has no operations experience. Not just no operations experience with that specific company, but no operations experience at all. 

Sadly, this is true to form for that organization. Since I left:

• They have promoted to COO someone who had tons of business development experience, but no training or operations experience. It's a training organization. I see it as a challenge when you promote someone to a COO position in a training organization who has never worked in training. 
• They have promoted to Director of Instructional Design someone who not only doesn't have any training in organization, but also has no instructional design experience.
• They have lost me, who has a PhD in Learning, plus 25 years in the industry, most of it specifically in training. 
• They have lost my Director of eLearning, who had 8 or more years in instructional design and was one of the best team leaders and builders I've ever known, not to mention an AMAZING project manager. 
• They have lost my Supervisor of eLearning, who was a passionate and conscientious, and ambitious leader who they insulted by castigating her with innuendos regarding nepotism being her only reason for getting hired. 
• They also lost that COO, brought in another COO who has his own challenges with nepotism, and have lost a senior project manager and several account managers. 

All of this has occurred in the last year. BUT, check out that image I posted. They may lose another. 

One of the people who worked for me, an amazing leader with a heart of a champion and a wonderful moral compass and an even more amazing work ethic, just got passed over (again) because they promoted this non-operations person to a VP position. 

My guy has been there for over 10 years now. He leads, if not the most important, then the most high-profile department in the organization. He may not have a degree, but he has a ton of experience, and he's working on his credentials. Since all that stuff in the bullet lists happened, he's told me he's only showing up for a paycheck. Now, he's asked me to help him with his resume. 

He's in the same position I was in two years ago. So many things kept happening, and I kept being passed over, that I actually thought the CEO was hoping I would "quiet quit." That is the same thing that this fella just said. The problem, based on what I now know, based on what I think, that's not at all what the CEO is trying to do.  

What a strange leadership trait. The CEO actually inspires his workers to quit. 

There will be more on this, but this is just me getting the first bit out.