this much i learned: psycho CEOs.
My first marketing role out of University was for a start-up that had just received a round of investment. The brand was entering a market that already had some major players, but their manufacturing process was game-changing and gave them a clear point of difference.
I was one of the first marketing hires and had a good relationship with the CEO, but, it wasn’t unknown to me that the guy was absolutely insane.
In the first year, the level of insanity was high but bearable. Women at the company would be forced to wear sumo-wrestling suits and fight in the office for other people’s pleasure, and there was a Christianity chart on the wall with names of whom the CEO thought he could convert and whom he couldn't. As I said, the levels were high but when you are 21 and managing a multi-million-pound marketing budget, you are not going to complain.
Fast forward a few months or so, and we’d become the fastest-growing brand in our sector. Our 7-person tiny office was no longer realistic, so we made the move to the building next door, with 3 floors of space and an outdoor terrace. I’d say this move was when his ego grew and things started getting into psychopath territory.
It was requested that we have a floor with table tennis tables, beanbags, and other entertainment – but use any of these things and prepare to be issued a warning. We were forced to send motivational messages to the team via WhatsApp every morning, and if you did not, you would be chucked out of the group. We had to stay after work to watch the Steve Jobs movie.
One day, a team meeting was called, and the CEO held up a new contact. He stated that this contract was for our sales coordinator with a promotion and a pay rise, but because she forgot to water the flowers, he ripped it up in front of everyone and she ran out crying. She must have been 18.
Again, you might be wondering why I stayed, but at this point, I was designing a £2M outdoor advertising and experiential campaign and I knew I needed to soak up as much knowledge and experience as possible.
It’s something I look back on a lot and wish I would have made a different choice. I wish I would have stood up for myself and my colleagues, I wish I didn’t pay a blind eye to the way he was treating staff because I was given free rein in the marketing department.
You might be wondering what exactly I learned from this experience? Well here it is:
There will always be other opportunities in non-toxic cultures
Do not compromise on your values to work on something exciting. There will always be more exciting things on the horizon that you could miss working on instead
Just because you as a manager or director are passionate about something, it doesn’t mean everyone on your team needs to be
Don’t be fooled by start-ups with table tennis tables. Games are NOT employee benefits
At job interviews or initial client meetings, make sure you investigate whether they are the right cultural fit for you and watch closely for any red flags
When your CEO asks you to fight a colleague in a sumo suit, always, always say no…unless you want to!
Ever worked in a similar work environment of surreal expectations? Connect with Ashlee on LinkedIn and let’s rant about it together.
