CEO or Dictator?

At first glance, she’s a visionary CEO. Glass office. Sharp blazer. Talks endlessly about “culture,” “empowerment,” and “open dialogue.”

Then you work for her.

Suddenly, you realise the “open dialogue” part means she talks, and everyone else nods like dashboard ornaments in a moving car.

Every meeting follows the same structure:

1. She asks for opinions.

2. Someone bravely gives one.

3. She explains why it’s wrong.

4. Three weeks later she presents the same idea as her own breakthrough innovation.

The staff don’t really have job titles anymore. They exist in two categories:

• People who agree instantly.

• People currently updating their LinkedIn.

She refers to employees as “family,” which is corporate code for:

“I expect emotional loyalty while ignoring your basic needs.”

Coffee breaks are treated like organised crime. Annual leave requests are reviewed with the seriousness of a Supreme Court hearing. And heaven help the junior employee who accidentally says, “I actually think—”

No.

You don’t think.

The CEO thinks.

Your role is to witness.

The office atmosphere resembles a historical reenactment of absolute monarchy, except with worse lighting and a mandatory wellness seminar every Thursday.

Naturally, she describes herself as “direct.” Staff use slightly different words, but HR has asked them to stop writing those words in the anonymous feedback forms.

And yet, somehow, every company problem is caused by “poor communication from the team.”

Amazing how communication always fails in one direction