The company has a 25+ year history and yet positions themselves as a startup environment. The branding shift; however, had not been matched by structural or cultural evolution. Attempting to operate as a startup while maintaining legacy power dynamics created friction.
Leadership frequently communicated about professionalism, ethics, and culture. However, those standards were not consistently modeled from the executive leadership team. Company-wide forums included jokes at the expense of former employees. The operating style felt highly centralized, with strong executive control and limited empowerment at other levels. It is clear that alignment with leadership's opinions — not necessarily impact — is what determined an employees performance success.
The hiring process is extensive (7–8 interviews), yet onboarding lacks modern structure. Logistical communication for onsite interviews was minimal, and ramp-up once hired felt improvised. For an organization that emphasizes culture, the candidate and new-hire experience does not reflect that priority. Culture-building activities, such as happy hours, frequently evolve into additional work sessions. Attendance patterns suggest how they are perceived by internal staff.
The company runs on a demand-and-control structure. HR is embedded in operational performance conversations, including OKRs. At the same time, middle management is expected to execute without formal leadership development, clear frameworks, or adequate enablement. Oversight is high; support is comparatively low.
A defining cultural moment: when a long-tenured employee was drafted into military service, internal focus centered primarily on operational logistics and asset retrieval. Recognition of the employees service was non-existent. Experiences like that communicate values more clearly than mission statements.
My middle-management supervisor delivered me with feedback that was crafted (like a group project) by Human Resources, Executive Leadership, and themselves that highlighted subjective feedback around my "unprofessionalism" for being "too friendly" and my energy being "a lot" for a company of that size. The message was clear: contribution is welcome, but only within predefined boundaries. Several colleagues independently shared advice throughout my tenure that longevity requires conformity. In a company of roughly 60 employees (at the time), silos were pronounced, and attempts to increase cross-functional collaboration were often perceived as disruption or "swirl" rather than improvement.
I understand the importance of being fully transparent when sharing experiences in a review like this. Less than two weeks after receiving the heavily subjective observations about my character fit and working style—I was impacted by a company layoff. Following layoffs, my manager (who functioned primarily as an upward reporter rather than a team advocate or leader), did not make any attempts to outreach impacted team members. Leadership is most visible in moments like these.
I am not disgruntled. In hindsight, the role and environment were not the right long-term fit for either side. However, the sequence of events raises reasonable questions about how alignment is evaluated during the hiring process, particularly given the extensive interview process.
