Several newer leaders struggle with basic people skills: communication, trust-building, and awareness of their impact. As a result, they don’t create an environment where people can collaborate, innovate, or even connect with each other in a meaningful way. Teams often end up working in silos or waiting for top-down direction instead of feeling empowered.
Company-wide communication is overly scripted and out of touch with what teams experience day to day. In smaller settings, the tone shifts significantly, conversations can feel tense, reactive, and at times intimidating, which discourages honest dialogue.
Promotions often favor new executives over long-time internal talent.
Leadership turnover is constant, and vision changes with each new exec.
The leadership team talks about wanting to be a “different kind of outdoor brand,” but they haven’t defined what that actually means—and many are still new to the outdoor space entirely and don't take the time to get to know an industry that is important to many. It creates mixed messages, volatility, and a lack of alignment across teams.
The culture that once felt balanced and inspiring has become more top-down and disconnected.
