Thanks for your visit and your generous comments. I suspect that all three of your suggests are behind this VP’s problem, but in particular case, with an emphasis on the first two.

The time you invest in praising and guiding probably seems too proletarian for many of executives who feel their duty is done when they spout high-minded rhetoric about innovation and their most highly-valued asset. And so, when push comes to shove, it’s exposed as only that, and those same executives often cower behind policy to disguise their own lack of insight and courage.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response, and for your good work!

What is his problem? Lack of imagination? Need for control? Need for credit?

In your case, with leadership like that, it’s easy to see why the situation escalated to the point that you started to get frustrated. Nobody wanted to own the problem or the solution. They wanted to pass the responsibility to someone else.

When my son (or someone I am managing, but mostly my son) demonstrates initiative in good faith to a poor result, I first praise him for the initiative and then explain how it could have been handled better.

What a tough boss! I hope you’ve been able to hold up alright under that withering advice! Undoubtedly, you have been able to do much more good over a much wider audience.

It is interesting about what it suggests about the internal dynamics of the company you were in at the time, and about the attitude of both the other employees and their managers. I’m sure that’s offered insights that you have used to great benefit in your consulting work.

Thanks for your visit and comments - it’s great to have you back!

This is one of those occurrences that is just too frequent. At least the guy has a champion who is trying to help his cause, along with a willing supporter in you.

I smiled (sort of) as I read the article. A great part of my own reasons for striking out on my own years ago was just this sort of thing. I had just received the highest performance bonus ever awarded in our department. In the same conversation, my boss said that I wasn’t really a “good fit” for the company because I moved to quickly. Then he asked if I would leave and be willing to play the same role as a consultant for twice the money and less than half the time commitment.

I guess that was a happy ending for me. But it speaks volumes about what the acceptable standards were internally.