🤔 Dear Lewis, the CEO’s turned my peers into spies. How do I survive the scrutiny?
A VP of Marketing discovers the CEO has enlisted her peers to report on her. She must navigate politics, secrecy, and trust to protect her career and leadership.
Here we are again, my friends, back for another installment of Dear Lewis. Today’s story is about Jenny (not her real name), a VP of Marketing who recently found herself caught in a web of whispers at the executive level.
Jenny’s problem isn’t a marketing funnel gone haywire or a product launch that flopped. It’s something far more insidious: she’s heard that the CEO has asked other executives to report on her. In other words, snitching.
This isn’t your typical workplace drama. It’s the kind of situation that makes you question everything: Who can you trust? What’s really being said behind closed doors? And most importantly, how do you navigate a minefield without blowing yourself up?
Jenny came to me, not for reassurance, but for answers. “Lewis,” she said, “what do I do when I’m the target of a CEO-endorsed spy network?”
I leaned back, took a sip of my coffee, and thought about how to untangle this knot. Because here’s the thing: this isn’t just about snitching. It’s about power, perception, and how to play a game that feels rigged against you.
Let’s dive in.
The Whisper Network
The first thing I told Jenny was this: The snitching isn’t about you. It’s about control.
When leaders ask for “feedback” about one person from others, it’s rarely about gathering data. It’s about creating an environment of surveillance. A CEO who encourages snitching is sending a message: I’m watching, and you should be too.
Jenny nodded. “That’s exactly how it feels. Like there’s a target on my back.”
But here’s the twist: the target isn’t the problem. It’s the silence around it. When you feel like you’re being watched, the natural instinct is to shrink, to play it safe, to avoid making waves. And that’s exactly what the CEO wants. A quiet, compliant VP who doesn’t challenge their authority.
The problem? Jenny isn’t built that way. And neither are great leaders.
The Real Game
I asked Jenny a question: “What’s the CEO’s endgame here? Why do you think they’re asking others to report on you?”
She thought for a moment. “Maybe they think I’m a threat? Or maybe they’re testing me?”
Both were probably true. But the real answer was simpler: The CEO wants control over the narrative. By encouraging others to report on Jenny, they’re shaping how she’s perceived without ever having to confront her directly.
“Here’s the thing,” I told her. “You can’t control what they’re saying about you. But you can control what they see.”
The Framework: BUILD
To help Jenny navigate this, we developed a framework I call BUILD—a five-step strategy to not just survive, but thrive, when you’re the target of executive snitching. Let me break it down for you.
B: Broadcast Your Wins
When the narrative is being written behind closed doors, you need to make sure your version is louder. Jenny’s first move was to start broadcasting her successes—not in a braggy way, but in a way that tied her wins to the company’s goals.
Instead of saying, “We increased lead conversions by 25%,” she reframed it as, “Our team’s 25% boost in lead conversions is helping us hit the CEO’s revenue targets for Q3.”
This subtle shift made it harder for the CEO—or anyone else—to frame her as anything other than an asset.
U: Uncover the Snitches
This isn’t about playing detective. It’s about observing patterns. I told Jenny to pay attention to who seemed overly interested in her work, who asked probing questions in meetings, and who suddenly started copying the CEO on emails.
One day, Jenny noticed a colleague—let’s call him Steve—asking detailed questions about her team’s budget. A week later, those same concerns came up in her one-on-one with the CEO.
“Steve isn’t your enemy,” I told her. “He’s just playing the game. And now, you know how to play it better.”
I: Insulate Your Team
Snitching doesn’t just affect you—it trickles down to your team. Jenny’s next move was to create a bubble of trust around her direct reports. She started holding weekly “team alignment” meetings where they could discuss challenges openly without fear of judgment.
“Your team is your armor,” I told her. “If they trust you, they’ll defend you.”
L: Leverage the CEO’s Game
Here’s where things get interesting. Instead of fighting the snitching, Jenny decided to use it to her advantage. She started planting strategic updates in meetings, knowing they’d make their way back to the CEO.
For example, she casually mentioned in a leadership meeting that her team was exploring a bold new campaign idea tied to the CEO’s favorite brand. Sure enough, the CEO brought it up in their next one-on-one—this time with enthusiasm instead of suspicion.
“By feeding the snitches,” I told her, “you’re controlling the story they’re telling.”
D: Double Down on Relationships
Finally, Jenny focused on building relationships with other executives. She scheduled one-on-ones with peers, not to talk about work, but to understand their goals and challenges.
“Why?” she asked me. “Aren’t they part of the problem?”
“Because,” I said, “when people like you, they’re less likely to throw you under the bus. And more importantly, they might even defend you when it counts.”
The Twist
Here’s the part that surprised even Jenny: the snitching stopped.
Not because the CEO changed their mind, but because the narrative around Jenny shifted. She went from being a potential threat to being seen as a collaborative, results-driven leader who made everyone else look good.
The CEO didn’t need to ask for reports anymore—because Jenny had already written the story for them.
The Lesson
When you’re the target of snitching, it’s tempting to go on the defensive. But the real power move is to flip the script. By controlling the narrative, building trust, and leveraging the game to your advantage, you can turn even the most toxic dynamics into opportunities for growth.
Jenny didn’t just survive the snitching. She thrived. And so can you.
Keep striving for greatness,
Lewis C. Lin
CEO, ManageBetter
Simple, right? Well, not always
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