Pros
There are genuinely strong departments and highly capable individuals. I worked with smart, motivated people who care about quality and teamwork. There is real talent in parts of the organization.
Cons
I observed patterns similar to what management literature calls the “Dead Sea Effect” — where stronger performers tend to leave faster, while existing structures and role distributions tend to persist. Over time, this can create dynamics similar to the Peter Principle, where people move into or remain in roles that no longer fully match their strengths. Research from organizations like Gallup consistently shows that low engagement correlates with lower productivity, lower discretionary effort, and higher absence and turnover risk. In many organizations, disengagement is not always immediately visible, because disengaged employees often stay, while highly engaged employees have more external opportunities. The effect can reinforce itself: hiring, promotion, and decision-making increasingly reflect the internal baseline rather than external benchmarks, which can slowly reduce execution strength, external perspective, and technical standards..