It's hard to know where to start. Pluralsight started with a mission, a desire to change lives (both customers and employees). Fast forward several years and we've fallen apart at the seams.
Where did it start? Who is to blame? Those are tough questions. But you know that they say, crap rolls down hill. There's your hint. Leadership is simply that, crap. I mean executive Leadership. CRO, CMO and yes, even the great and powerful CEO.
Our executive team has turned their back on employees. They are so far removed from reality that they rely on "leadership workshops" like Ontocore to communicate to us common folk. It has taught executives that fancy phrases are more important than actual emotion or empathy. So, they say things like: "create a framework of creation, be our word, make agreements, create context with intention" and other phrases that are completely disingenuous, vague, and pandering.
Let's start with "be our word". I begin here because it is plastered on walls and on a massive 3D cube as you walk in the office and yet, it's a value our leadership team completely ignores. This seems simple, be your word. Be honest and forthright. But our CRO has been anything but that. Our sales team is halfway through the year and still does not know how they get paid even after they were made many promises. Our CRO and other leaders thought they could get away with not paying sales people their accelerators. They also moved accounts and would not give clear quotas. So sales staff does not understand how they get paid and even if they have a phenomenal quarter, it might not matter anyway. Be our word.
Next up, "Agreements". News flash Pluralsight Leaders, just saying, "let's make an agreement" does not constitute an agreement. You have to elicit feedback and work with the other party to come to an agreement. Just speak English to employees and treat us like adults.
The two things Pluralsight lacks is integrity and fair compensation. Don't be fooled by flowery reviews of Pluralsight on Glassdoor. See who has found the reviews helpful. Spoiler alert, most people don't say the flowery reviews are helpful.
I hope every day that Pluralsight will see it's incredible, mind blowing, explosive and wreck-less mistakes and change it's ways. The product and many of the people are amazing. Unfortunately, I truly believe they don't care anymore. Go public and bulldoze whoever you need to in order to do it.
To end, I'll just leave this quote in Forbes from our current CMO to show you how far removed and arrogant our executives are.
"Heather Zynczak, Pluralsight's CMO, says she loves the size of her house in Park City" -Forbes
At least Heather understands what's most important, her big house.
