Story 221
To Story 220 re. Northern Trust, this does not surprise me. A few years ago, I flew to Chicago for a two-day interview process for a role with a significant remit (two or three down from CEO). Throughout the first day, I observed several concerning dynamics—most notably, awkward banter between business partners that suggested cut-throat competition rather than collaboration.
But the final straw came during my last interview with someone who would have been my direct report. She made it very clear that she would challenge my leadership and indicated that her standing within the organization would allow her to get away with it. She was cackling and looking at her phone – it was incredibly unprofessional.
By then I had already concluded that the company was not the right fit. However, I was interested in understanding how my prospective manager would address the situation. When I raised the interaction, he dismissed it casually, describing her behavior as typical and not of concern.
At the end of the day, I informed my HR handler that I would be withdrawing from the process and spent Day 2 sightseeing around town. What’s wild is that HR said I wasn’t the first person who walked away from the process, so they obviously knew something was wrong with the culture and didn’t seem to care.