Culture:
Despite the size of the projects and events you get to work on, you cannot grow here. How they operate is elementary. A bunch of people fumbling around in email inboxes, Slack messages, and bullying tactics in order to get things done. No systems. No communication structures, future-proofing, documentation of procedures, road mapping, or any type of work streams. Just an inebriated chaotic state of “productivity.” Not having a “corporate culture” is positive when it is not in lieu of organization and efficient operation. Most things are done in haste rather than diligence. There is no room to evaluate a strategy for effectiveness or to make high-quality decisions. The fast pace isn't because of the speed of the industry, it's because there aren't any systems and it's probably someone's third day in the role with their high turnover rate. No one works for the future. Hence, the lack of strategy. They’re all trying to survive the catastrophe of today. It’s like watching a toddler pour juice into a glass. There’s a better way to get this done with less waste.
Leadership:
I admire the CEO. They’re hungry, ruled by a desire to win. It’s raw, untamed, ambitious, but unprofessional and harmful. The CEO operates on fear. At first, it's jarring, even stunning, to witness a display of anger bouncing off the expensive art, the laptop slamming, and yelling at the top of their lungs. But it’s dehumanizing. It’s an immature, dated display of emulating masculinity and the furthest thing from being a leader. An imitation of strength. When it is obviously fear, from someone with an unconventional background desperate to prove the corner office is also for them. It's debilitating for company growth and creates a culture that lacks integrity and anxiety-ridden employee morale of walking on eggshells. Leaving output at average.
There are a lot of finger-pointing meetings where you hot-potato blame among team members. The CEO needs to ask whether shame has ever been helpful other than instilling fear.
The ability to move, have an impact, and be of value was weighed down by the menacing micromanagement from my direct boss. Constant calling while at my desk, a barrage of Slack messages beginning at 7 AM, emails—a display of distrust and anxiety-inducing communication that has never made anyone better at their job. Despite the constant communication, they failed to communicate things that were actually of benefit. Being added to meetings with no context, last-minute additions to email chains, and then tasked with little to no time to actually make an informed decision. This wasn't a case of knowing how to operate in ambiguity, just their poor communication. There is no on-ramp process for a new hire. It is instead a deep drop into a sea of poor communication, zero processes, and an insidious workload that inevitably drowns you. Leaving no room to actually manage your own reports. The pace needed to keep up is a recipe for mistakes, mediocre work, and unfocused execution. It isn’t too long before 540 West feels like entering an energy vampire den. A creatively bankrupt environment with miserable coworkers, brain-drain meetings, and a gauntlet of bad behavior.
Future:
What this place inevitably does is rob the magic of working for some of the biggest entertainers and events in the world. There is no magic. It robs you of any sense of pride in working here when your everyday quality of life is demeaned. Once you detach yourself from the name and take it for exactly what it is, the gold couch photo op begins to lose its luster. The dysfunction lifts the mirage of any prestige. The success of this business is a story of deep social cachet built by a founder 20+ years ago. It is a once-in-a-lifetime story of one person whose talent and gifts made an incredible amount of space for them and who they trust—unfortunately an operationally mediocre business structure too.
RN is for you if proximity to celebrity gives you some sort of power-up or if how hard one struggles is a badge of honor you like to wear. They hire young, not to have insight into current culture, but for the green, wise naivety of a healthy work environment and self-worth.
People get used to anything. This is the last place you want to get used to.