CEO of my company invited me to lunch and asked me about the company (good & bad), other employees (who is good, who is bad, who should be kept, who should be gone), & even who hate her. I couldn't change the topics at all. What would be the appropriate responses to these questions?
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111. Did the CEO invite just you or did the CEO invite others, too? 2. How high are you on the totem pole? If you are No.2 in the company, I on't see how you could dodge the CEO's questions. 3. Are low enough in the organizational chart as a manager that you can plead ignorance of the whole picture and that you'd rather not answer questions at this high level without a grasp of the aggregate picture?– Vietnhi PhuvanJan 13, 2017 at 10:00
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i am a normal employee. but i have good relationship with everyone. i also have good relationship with the ceo herself. thats why she invited me for lunch. but this is the 1st time I am asked such dilemma questions– shiroJan 13, 2017 at 10:21
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2How many employees are in the company ? The answers may slightly differ depending on how large it is.– ThalantasJan 13, 2017 at 10:26
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3 Answers
There are three stances that you can take in that situation. All of them are legit, have pros, and cons. It boils down to the following questions : who are you the most loyal to, and who do you want to have the best relationship with - your boss, or your coworkers ?
1] You won't answer these questions.
You can legitimately feel uncomfortable criticizing other employees, especially if you have a good relationship with them. Very directly, you can tell your CEO something along the lines of "Madam, I am sorry, but I do not think it is appropriate for me to judge on my fellow co-workers."
Pros : This solves your problem, as you will not have to answer the question. Also, if your coworkers learn about this lunch, they will probably think highly of you, as a trustworthy and loyal person.
Cons : Depending on your boss' character and personality, she might take it poorly. Since she seems very insistant on getting the answers, she could take a refusal as a personal offense.
2] Answer her questions.
As the CEO of the company, she wants to know who is productive, and who is not. If you are not the one giving her the information, who will ? Answer the questions on who is good/bad as objectively as you can. You might want to dodge questions like "Who hates me ?", since they are highly personal and not business related.
Pros : You get a better relationship with your CEO, and you could have an impact on the team you are working with. You could get someone who is, indeed, a problem, fired.
Cons : Co-workers might see you as a whistleblower, especially if she uses the information as arguments in an interview with said coworkers.
3] Everyone is great.
This is a middle ground between 1 and 2. You will answer the questions, you will just not give any negative answers. Speak highly of everyone, say you love your team, and you do not want any change in it, as you are working as a unit and are producing more collectively than the sum of individuals would.
Pros : your team will think highly of you if they learn about it. You are not betraying anyone, and you do not risk being used as a justification to fire someone.
Cons : This might make your boss furious, if she feels you're purposely dodging the questions. Additionally, if she gets advice from someone who chooses option 2], you lose the opportunity to impact the staffing in a positive way for you.
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25Good answer. One addition: When refusing to answer, instead of saying "I do not think it is appropriate for me to judge", you could say that you are unable to judge because, not being a supervisor/manager, you do not have the full picture of coworker's performance. This has the advantage of being true :-). Of course, if you are a manager, this will not work, but then you probably should answer, as judging people is part of your responsibilities.– sleskeJan 13, 2017 at 9:45
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3What if it's a test? A test to see what type of person you are. Internal office politics can get quite convoluted and she might be looking for people who can be on her side and keep their mouth shut, instead of giving all the information to anyone that is senior. Jan 13, 2017 at 10:36
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3"If you are not the one giving her the information, who will ?" The managers and team leaders for employees under them. So I really don't agree with your 2) option. It's not your place to criticize, improve performance, correct behavior etc of all of your peers. That's what team leaders and managers are for.– bolovJan 13, 2017 at 12:17
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"You could get someone who is, indeed, a problem, fired." another ideea I disagree with (listed as a pro). Unless you have stock in the company, it is definitely not your job to evaluate and fire your colleagues. Not even remotely.– bolovJan 13, 2017 at 12:24
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if there is an employee who is causing you trouble (e.g. you are constantly delayed because you have to wait for him, you are left in a position to do the work he was supposed to do etc.) that's another matter. You should bring this to the attention of your/his superiors. But passing judgement of all your colleagues is not an OK thing. At least not in my opinion.– bolovJan 13, 2017 at 12:27
I'm going to assume you are a manager here(or quite high up):
CEO of my company invited me to lunch and asked me about the company (good & bad)
This is fine. Don't go slating everything, but if you can bring up a pain point and justify it, then it could lead to change.
other employees (who is good, who is bad, who should be kept, who should be gone)
Uh-Oh. This is where it gets problematic.
I presume he meant people you directly work with. I think answering this puts you in a problematic position, but not answering these also leads to the same.
Do you have any performance reviews to fall back on here? For example if "Bob" is on a Performance Improvement Plan and is doing well, say that. If "Fred" scored very well in the performance review then mention that.
If "Julie" has done good work in a good project, cite that, but unless there is someone you want to get rid of, then you need to tread carefully here. It has all the hallmarks of a way for team morale to dive massively if "Alan" knows that you told the CEO to get rid of him.
Here, I would try to fall back on performance reviews, as these have been discussed with the employees so you can "justify" your comments. Being caught on the spot like that though may make this difficult.
& even who hate her.
The simple answer to this is you don't know. Even if you do think someone hates the CEO, you can't answer this.
answered Jan 13, 2017 at 10:23
Say to the CEO "I can answer your question only from my limited vantage point as a non-management employee who works well with everyone and therefore has no complaints about anyone. And I hope that no one has any complaints about me or the way I work with them." And if it comes to that: "Don't ask me who is bad on the basis of my second hand knowledge. I wouldn't want to be strung up on the basis of someone's second hand knowledge about me either. Thanks for the lunch".
answered Jan 13, 2017 at 13:24
