I worked at the company for 13 years, and for more than a decade I had a very positive experience. The culture was collaborative, leadership was strong, and there were meaningful opportunities for growth.
However, things changed significantly following a shift in executive leadership. Over time, morale declined and the work environment became increasingly difficult. What was most concerning was not just the change in tone at the top, but how those behaviors appeared to cascade through multiple layers of management.
Particularly concerning was how some less experienced leaders appeared to adapt their behavior to align with the new leadership style, rather than maintaining independent judgment and accountability. Several promotions raised concerns, as they appeared to prioritize internal alignment over merit and demonstrated expertise. In one instance, an individual contributor was promoted to a VP role without prior team management experience or demonstrated deep knowledge and expertise, which raised questions about the criteria being applied.
Within the marketing organization, there appeared to be a gap between leadership responsibilities and functional expertise. Some senior leaders did not demonstrate a strong understanding of key digital marketing concepts, which made it challenging to evaluate performance or have effective discussions about strategy and direction. This impacted collaboration and the ability to support teams effectively.
Promotions appeared to be influenced more by internal alignment than by business needs or team wellbeing. In some instances, this seemed to prioritize established relationships over competence and broader team feedback, including situations where concerns raised by multiple individuals were not fully addressed. This was reflected across my experience with both managers I had and contributed to a decline in trust regarding whether decisions were consistently driven by competence and shared values.
In addition, there seemed to be inconsistent accountability from leadership, with certain behaviors not being addressed in a timely manner. This had a negative impact on team morale and created frustration across the organization. In some cases, addressing concerning behaviors that affected multiple employees took a significant amount of time. (years!)
Ultimately, the sustained environment became increasingly challenging to navigate. Over time, I experienced burnout in my effort to remain aligned with my values, maintain a positive environment, and continue delivering high-quality work. This was driven more by the organizational environment and leadership dynamics (unfortunately including petty gossip!) than by the workload itself.
I ultimately made the difficult decision to leave.
