Fast forward to 2012. Money was attracting different talent. Growth was out of control. Slowly, the changes started -both good and bad. An annual layoff cycle was started to weed out political rivals. Bullies were hired in favor of leaders. Spending went out of control. The ones that tried to stop or slow down the insanity were caught in the next cycle and replaced by more bullies. Phrases like “get on board or get out” or “it’s not personal, it’s just business” replaced “how can we make it work” and “who else should we ask.” A tyranny was blossoming. I honestly felt I had been placed in a Dilbert comic strip from the 90's.
Our teams continued to accomplish the impossible. But this made our leaders angry. The leaders wanted us to fail. Every time we meat an impossible deadline (typically exceeding it) we were reprimanded for working too many hours and lost out on any reward. Managers were given conflicting tasks to put them at odds and create conflict. Managers were punished for sharing any information with each other. The leaders at Alliance Data are actively trying to destroy it and no one seems to care.
Eventually, I too was caught in the latest round. I dared to speak out against a runaway project with no upside. I even came up with a plan to save the company the same amount each year (for the life of the company) to help them offset the albatross. I was let go within weeks after 12 years of exemplary service, numerous awards, and a loyal following. I was even told at my exit that I had great skills but I just wasn’t wanted there anymore. The leaders needed a different style of management. I honestly was ok with all this. I had grown disheartened at the unchecked downward spiral of the company.
