13. #LearnFromTheCEO
13
#LEARNFROMTHECEO
BASIL
T he company auditorium was packed. Rows of employees filled the seats, standing along the walls, murmuring amongst themselves. Jessie stood off to the side, scanning the crowd as I stepped up to the small stage.
I took a slow breath, gripping the edges of the podium to steady myself.
When I told the leadership team I wanted to talk openly to the employees, some were skeptical, but Felix and Jessie were all in. They understood this was important. I had built this company, granted with the help of a lot of people, but as the CEO, the buck stopped with me, which meant I had to make amends and make work a positive experience for those who came into Stratos every day and gave it their all.
“Good afternoon,” I greeted, and the crowd slowly became silent. “Thank you all for being here, and for those of you who are streaming this from your remote offices.”
I looked around the room, assessing who was there, especially from Drew’s team.
“I have a major leadership change announcement to make. But before I get there, I have some things to say to all of you.” I paused. “I owe you an apology.”
The murmuring went up for a moment and then quieted. A few heads tilted.
“I’ve spent the last few days looking at this company from the outside in. And I don’t like what I see.” I paused, letting the weight of that settle. “Somewhere along the way, I created a culture where people feel like the only way to move forward is to be in the CEO’s…in my inner circle. That is not a meritocracy. That is not good leadership. And it sure as hell isn’t the company I want to work for.”
Several people nodded.
I glanced at Jessie, then back at the crowd. “The truth is, I let this happen. I got comfortable. I made excuses for people who didn’t deserve them. And for that, I’m sorry. I know there’s a perception that promotions are handed out to those in my social circle—but that’s simply not true. Every senior leadership promotion is a collective decision made by the leadership team, and we only move forward when we all agree on the right candidate.”
The silence stretched. I continued, my voice stronger.
“Now, some of you are thinking, bullshit , he’s just saying these things. I want to assure you I am not. At Stratos, it’s not about who you know or who you have drinks with after work. It’s about all of you who show up every day, put in the effort, and make our workplace great. I want to be clear—promotions, opportunities, and leadership positions have always been based solely on performance and contribution. But since there is a sensitivity to how and why someone got a promotion, from now on, we will be more transparent and bring to you why the leadership chose to do what they did.”
This had been a sticky point with the leadership team and Greer from a legal perspective. But, I prevailed after I showed them we could do this without violating confidentiality or creating legal hurdles in the future.
There was a beat of silence, then a ripple of applause.
I kept going.
“We’re also doubling down on our company values. Professionalism, respect, and integrity aren’t just words we put on a website—they mean something. And if you can’t align with that, this might not be the place for you.”
This time, the applause was louder. I let it build for a moment before I finished.
“I know words aren’t enough. I need to prove this to you. And I will because I believe in this company—and I believe in all of you.” The applause swelled into full-blown claps and cheers. “For the next two quarters, I, along with the leadership team, will be doing a listening tour to understand your challenges even better. We will also do focus groups and deep dives so we can build a culture we can all be proud of.”
I looked around the room. “As you all know, our former COO, Aimee Wood, left behind some big shoes to fill. We’ve already begun an external search to find the right Chief Operating Officer for Stratos. Until then, I’ll be stepping in to fill the role.”
That caused louder murmurs. Everyone had assumed that Drew would get the job.
“I am excited to announce that we also have a new head of engineering, an internal promotion. Dr. Alan Caplan has been a senior director at Stratos for four years. He has a PhD in aerospace engineering from Purdue and had worked in roles of increasing responsibility at various companies, including Boeing and Microsoft. He will be our new Vice President of Engineering. Congratulations, Alan. I look forward to working with you.”
Alan stood up as we discussed, and people clapped. When he sat back down and the applause quieted, I dropped the news that people were expecting because of my previous announcement.
“It’s bittersweet for me to let you all know that Drew Ritchson is leaving Stratos to explore other opportunities. We thank her for her work here and wish her the very best.” I felt in control of the room, felt that I had gotten through. “I want to add that I have an open-door policy, this means, if you have concerns, you are welcome to talk to me. And I sincerely mean this.” I looked at Jessie who nodded. “Now, Felix has a few housekeeping announcements to make.”
When I stepped back, the applause swelled into full-blown claps and cheers. While Felix spoke, Jessie joined me off to the side.
“Well?” I rubbed the back of my neck. “How bad did that suck?”
She smirked. “Didn’t suck at all.”
Then her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, then lifted an eyebrow. “You should know someone recorded your speech. It’s already making the rounds on social media.”
“What?”
She turned the screen toward me.
Trending: #LearnFromThisCEO #BeLikeBasil
My face stared back at me from a video clip, mid-speech.
I blinked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I just stopped speaking. How can it already have so many views?”
Jessie grinned. “Welcome to going viral.”