A bunch of you just joined my company. Thoughts

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anonymous

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Our HQ just got a bunch of ex-Genentech people, like a half dozen. We’re a lean nimble commercial company with a great molecule (or, rather, *was* a lean nimble team).

Thoughts (unimpressed):
- Holy cow, how many meetings to meet before a meeting of a meeting, do these people need. Seem WAY more big pharma than even Pfizer or Merck. Can’t seem to make a single decision, need to ask 15 people first.
- Seem easily overwhelmed. Just 1 or 2 projects and think they’re “completely swamped”. I’d say the average Genentech person handles half as much workload as the rest of our team, and also moves half as fast. Can take half a year just to finish 1 project while the rest of us led 4X more initiatives
- This last part is the most disappointing. Must be a Genentech thing. Motivations seem to be only for internal visibility, or exposure with upper management, or empire building; 90% of the meetings aren’t even about impacting the business or solutions for the customer or how to benefit patients.

I’ve had the fortune of working on a number of mega hem/oncology brands at multiple companies, and am really surprised/disappointed at these ex-Genentech people. I guess the real talent must have been from 10-15 years ago ???
 

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If you think Genentech employees are bad, wait till you hire and deal with the idiots at Roche Molecular Systems, Pleasanton and Roche Sequencing Solutions, Pleasanton. That's all.
 












anonymous said:
Our HQ just got a bunch of ex-Genentech people, like a half dozen. We’re a lean nimble commercial company with a great molecule (or, rather, *was* a lean nimble team).

Thoughts (unimpressed):
- Holy cow, how many meetings to meet before a meeting of a meeting, do these people need. Seem WAY more big pharma than even Pfizer or Merck. Can’t seem to make a single decision, need to ask 15 people first.
- Seem easily overwhelmed. Just 1 or 2 projects and think they’re “completely swamped”. I’d say the average Genentech person handles half as much workload as the rest of our team, and also moves half as fast. Can take half a year just to finish 1 project while the rest of us led 4X more initiatives
- This last part is the most disappointing. Must be a Genentech thing. Motivations seem to be only for internal visibility, or exposure with upper management, or empire building; 90% of the meetings aren’t even about impacting the business or solutions for the customer or how to benefit patients.

I’ve had the fortune of working on a number of mega hem/oncology brands at multiple companies, and am really surprised/disappointed at these ex-Genentech people. I guess the real talent must have been from 10-15 years ago ???
Click to expand...


Why are they like this?

Genentech is full of these ‘Arrogant, Narcissistic, Self Promotional, Ivy League, 90 Day Wonder’ marketing people!

They are so busy ‘Branding’ themselves trying to get ‘Promoted’ they never truly master their roles nor produce outstanding results.

Watch them really freak when they are held accountable and can’t blame other people, when they don’t get promoted every 10 months! NEEDY!

The Genetech allstars WERE gRed and the great drugs they developed. NOT Marketing or Sales!
 




anonymous said:
Why are they like this?

Genentech is full of these ‘Arrogant, Narcissistic, Self Promotional, Ivy League, 90 Day Wonder’ marketing people!

They are so busy ‘Branding’ themselves trying to get ‘Promoted’ they never truly master their roles nor produce outstanding results.

Watch them really freak when they are held accountable and can’t blame other people, when they don’t get promoted every 10 months! NEEDY!

The Genetech allstars WERE gRed and the great drugs they developed. NOT Marketing or Sales!
Click to expand...


FU! Troll.
 




anonymous said:
Why are they like this?

Genentech is full of these ‘Arrogant, Narcissistic, Self Promotional, Ivy League, 90 Day Wonder’ marketing people!

They are so busy ‘Branding’ themselves trying to get ‘Promoted’ they never truly master their roles nor produce outstanding results.

Watch them really freak when they are held accountable and can’t blame other people, when they don’t get promoted every 10 months! NEEDY!

The Genetech allstars WERE gRed and the great drugs they developed. NOT Marketing or Sales!
Click to expand...
True dat!!
 




Considering most marketing peeps came straight from their MBA class and haven’t carried a bag in the field, it’s no wonder they feel holier than thou at sales meetings, pontificating on stage about how they have figured out the key to success for XYZ drug and how the sales lemmings must execute their plan perfectly for it to work. When it doesn’t, it has nothing to do with their strategy but some unforeseen obstacle that appears along the way. When they keep business flat, they find successes that make it seem like it’s growing 20%. The smoke and mirrors they put up is numbing
 




I hope you people understand, At least 95% of the time a MBA means the person was not desirable enough to be hired out of undergrad and thus had to get the mba for another shot at recruiting or it means they did their 2 -3 year probation period at a completive corporation, (Up and Out), and were not deemed retainable and thus shown the door. The only thing they can do at this point is get an mba and try recruiting again post mba. The lowest rung on the latter for a mba grad in recruiting to pharma!!! In other words any mba that comes to pharma was at the bottom of their class.
 




I've been here 9 yrs and I have had more managers than I can stand. I have a RSM, DM's etc and they are worthless (JJ, Karen, Julie, Dwayne, Chad). JJ-gone, K-clueless and stabs you in the back, J- doing what she is told, Dwayne-ego and scared of his shadow all at the same time, can't trust him, Chad- clueless but has the answer for everything, Phil, good but gone. This is a mess. Everyone talks about everyone else behind their back. I'm patiently looking to get out of this.
 




I’ve worked in Genentech Government Affairs for the past 4+ years and I seen a lot of different teams across the org. I can say your observations are absolutely correct. The first thing Genentech people think of while approaching a project is not about efficiency of producing the maximum result. Rather, it’s “how can I maximize my visability and perception of my personal value through this process?”. The meetings you’re sitting through are the most common way for people to be seen as “leaders” by endlessly presenting to colleagues and being seen as the one managing others. At Genentech, it’s usually not about the end result, it’s about the style points you generate going through the motions.
 




anonymous said:
I’ve worked in Genentech Government Affairs for the past 4+ years and I seen a lot of different teams across the org. I can say your observations are absolutely correct. The first thing Genentech people think of while approaching a project is not about efficiency of producing the maximum result. Rather, it’s “how can I maximize my visability and perception of my personal value through this process?”. The meetings you’re sitting through are the most common way for people to be seen as “leaders” by endlessly presenting to colleagues and being seen as the one managing others. At Genentech, it’s usually not about the end result, it’s about the style points you generate going through the motions.
Click to expand...
Absolutely! All about personal branding - forget results. Those days are over. Time to learn how to compete.
 








anonymous said:
I’ve worked in Genentech Government Affairs for the past 4+ years and I seen a lot of different teams across the org. I can say your observations are absolutely correct. The first thing Genentech people think of while approaching a project is not about efficiency of producing the maximum result. Rather, it’s “how can I maximize my visability and perception of my personal value through this process?”. The meetings you’re sitting through are the most common way for people to be seen as “leaders” by endlessly presenting to colleagues and being seen as the one managing others. At Genentech, it’s usually not about the end result, it’s about the style points you generate going through the motions.
Click to expand...

So true. Spot on. Sad but Genentech people don’t seem to be a good fit for smaller entrepreneurial companies anymore. Too much work to unteach these bad behaviors.....
 








Genentech is also at fault for fostering this environment, which creates these types of people. Promotions will not happen on merit but how much you're "seen" so others can tell your manager in your 360. People then have to play that game.

About the other mention along the lines of marketing people being incompetent, most marketers at Genentech do not have that background nor experience. People will stay one year in a role and leave a trail of s*** behind to take on a completely different role and they think marketing is the shiny new thing that they can "learn" and be perceived as a leader.
 




post above explains so much. This is so true. The Genentech marketers I’ve seen don’t care if it helps the business, it’s all about self promotion or optics. And can’t take on more than 1 project at a time (since it isn’t worth doing more beyond the optics BS)
 




Actually, they just rely on some ad firm to pitch a few lame ideas and, viola, their 'project' is almost done. Run it by a few paid consultant Drs. and field force who might speak up - but no one is listening - and then you're done. Time for a promotion or move to the next 'project'. An effective marketing department is one that people aspire to, pay their dues, and remain for several years. Not hit and run.
 




I left GNE several years ago, exhausted by the incessant politicking. This includes the old timers too (pre-Roche v.2008) whether tenured sales leaders or elite MBAs. Outsiders didn't understand that someone would leave marketing at GNE with the desire to make a bigger impact, but those on the inside know that you are rewarded for expending most of your energy promoting yourself vs. doing real meaningful work. Yes, there are a lot of brilliant people doing great things there, and the brands have been well-staffed and well-resourced to deliver at a high standard, but the underbelly of the Commercial organization is ruthless and unfairly rewards the wrong behaviors. The company deserves its place as a pioneer in biotech history and in many ways a model of "what good looks like," but there is life after Genentech and it can be much better and much healthier.
 




Genentech people can’t seem to handle more than 1 project at a time. Very big Pharma. Not a good fit for nimble companies. More about talking about 1 project 100 times instead of leading initiatives to impact business
 




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