Oh that’s not new. I worked for a small utility (7 locations, < 300 employees). I was based at corporate but expected to routinely make visits to the other facilities. One time the CEO happened to be at an office the same day I was. No sooner had he walked out the door when four other people stuck their heads in the office I was working into to ask, “Who was that?”

They genuinely had no idea who the guy was. Not surprising though. He was the type of executive who thought his employees did not deserve the privilege of his attention for any reason. If you wanted to talk to him, you had to basically ask for the privilege of being summoned to his office. If he didn’t like what you had to say, you would be written up.

The people who “lead” (if you can call it leading) like that have no business being in leadership positions.