Pros
There are a lot of people who really want to succeed, and who work hard to succeed. They bring their drive, talent, creativity and desire to the office every day. These people are a joy, and they will be missed when I am gone and back home. What won't be missed is the toxic environment, the micromanagement, and the pressure to do whatever it takes to hit my bookings number.
Cons
ACTIVE Network has changed so very much in the two years since it was purchased by Vista Equity, and then moved headquarters to Dallas. It used to be a great place to work. That is why so many people moved to Dallas. Sadly, this is not longer true. The reason for all of this starts at the top, beginning with the CEO, but also implemented by other C-level executives, as well as General Managers and Vice-Presidents. Put simply, the core leadership of this company does not value people or talent. What is valued is sacrifice, bright shiny objects, and quarterly “results.” Beginning with sacrifice: The primary method of performance judgment seems to be how many hours you put in. The CEO is proud of the fact that ACTIVE is not a place for those who seek life/work balance. Those who put in 60 – 80 hours a week are rewarded. Those who don’t do not last. I’ve never had a substantial performance review while at ACTIVE, but I have seen C-levels, GMs and VPs walking the floor at 8:00 am and 6:00 pm to see who was at their desks. The most ostentatious shiny objects are automobiles. In San Diego, the day a very large RIF was going to be announced, the current CEO chose to move his very expensive car up to the top level of the garage, apparently fearful that a disgruntled ex-employee would harm it if they were to walk by. In Dallas, there are three adjacent parking spots reserved for the CEO’s car. I suppose this keeps the car from being dinged. Many in the CXO level share this affinity for things, and those cronies of the CEO (several of whom he brought over from his previous place of employment) typically gets the latest in technology hardware, whether it is pertinent to their position or not. While these and other spiffs are not a major cost to the company, it is indicative of the mind set and privileged expectation of those at the top of the ACTIVE pyramid. But this infatuation with bright shiny objects also extends to business practices. Rather than putting into place a corporate philosophy that stresses first-in-class products and customer service, ACTIVE has a long history of “growth” through acquisition. To be fair, this practice pre-dates the current leadership. Late in 2014 and early in 2015 there was much hoopla given to ACTIVE becoming a data-centered company. But the two major acquisitions in 2015 had nearly nothing to do with data – they were merely add-on extensions of products that could be sold along with race registration to event directors. There were no major personnel additions made in 2015 that would enhance ACTIVE’s ability to use data to grow its business. The stress on quarterly results has become the overwhelming focus of leadership, rather than creating a cohesive strategy for growth through product enhancement, customer retention and organic growth. Bookings and revenue are now daily metrics. Make the bookings and revenue numbers, or else. Regretfully, the ones who pay the price for failing to reach what are unachievable goals aren’t the leadership, but the front line sales team as well as mid- to upper-level sales management. The moving of deck chairs on the good ship ACTIVE during 2015 alone has seen the involuntary demotion (and in some cases departure) of at least four VPs/Sales Directors. Despite these changes, business at ACTIVE continues to deteriorate. Talent is leaving weekly, and I hope to be one of those out the door soon. I’m sure I won’t be missed.
