Great company - Membership Manager RocketSpace Employee Review

From Duncan Logan, CEO: It has taken me a little time as the leader of RocketSpace to think how best to respond to the many negative comments over the past few months. I have had plenty of advice but feel it is best to write it as I see it. Glassdoor is a relatively new reality for me at RocketSpace; it has taken me a little time to understand why people would write in public such damning reports of a company they were or are part of. Some people have written that people have been fired for sharing their views and perhaps this is why people are turning to an anonymous platform. I am really saddened if that is the case or even the perception to be the case. Sharing our views and having rigorous debate is critical for the success of our company; it helps form the direction of the company and needs to exist. I welcome feedback and obviously need to rebuild trust within RocketSpace so that this is supported. Until then I thank everyone for taking the time to give feedback either publically here or privately. While painful sometimes, it is immensely valuable. I want to address a few common themes. Reduction in Workforce (RIF): The decision to implement a RIF was not taken lightly. I felt I had exhausted other options and had made it clear to the leadership team that we had to set a path and follow it. It was a super tough decision especially when it affected so many hard working, enthusiastic, and dedicated colleagues, but if I am not prepared to make tough decisions for the business then I feel I should not be the CEO. I felt it had to be done for the future of the business. While it’s impossible for a RIF to be painless on a team, with the benefit of hindsight, I fully accept that how we handled it was wrong. It should have been rigorous but turned out to be ruthless. We thought more about the process than the people and I will never make that mistake again. Leadership Team: Running a company is easy until it get’s hard. RocketSpace took off like a rocket, grew quickly, and I did not fill the gaps in the leadership team quickly enough. This put pressure on some members of the team to cover for the gaps while running their own departments. This is probably my biggest learning for 2017. If you are doing 10 jobs at once, you probably aren’t doing any of them well. I have put my team and myself under extreme pressure to perform and we have made some bad decisions along the way. It won’t course-correct overnight but I believe I am fully aware of the challenges we are all facing and, with the help of some advisors, think that we are now moving in the right direction. My Shortcomings: I used to think I was pretty good at leadership but this past year has been brutal. Going global, travelling a lot, strategy adjustments, team changes, and a constant pressure to grow. I know I have been slow in hiring, poor at delegation, and spending far too much time on company issues rather than with our customers, or our teams delivering to our customers. We have not put enough effort into our culture, spent enough time listening to our staff or done enough to ensure trust from top-to-bottom of the organization. As mentioned, I have also brought on a coach and advisors to help me through this challenging time. My work at RocketSpace will never be done, I will always strive to improve my performance and that of everyone around me. I love RocketSpace. I have an enormous respect for everyone who works here, and those who have worked here in the past. I hope in a little time more people will come to enjoy it again. Finally, There are a lot of great things going on at RocketSpace and I know there are a lot of dedicated, hard-working colleagues who are hurt and disheartened by the negative comments on Glassdoor. I want to reiterate: We have come a long way, we have been lucky to have worked with some amazing people who have shown the highest integrity and commitment to their work, we have an amazing opportunity in front of us, and this rough patch will make us more conscious and self aware both personally and as a business. Getting through the tough times is what makes a company and we will get through this. Boldly Go!