Directive reviews

2.8

33% would recommend to a friend

(151 total reviews)
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Garrett Mehrguth

36% approve of CEO

30% positive business outlook

Directive has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 151 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Directive employee rating is 25% below average for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

151 reviews
1.0
Feb 27, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- The team. Garrett, you seriously have the best people in the world working for you. These are some of the most hardworking, brightest, talented, loveliest people I know. Directive lucked out with its talent, big time.

Cons

- Garrett. He wants to change the optics around the culture, not the culture itself. Garrett, man, since I know you read these. It’s you dude. You’re seriously not doing enough. You can make all the money in the world, but it’s never enough to drown out the truth people are saying about you. You are a religious person (I was shocked to learn this- becuase I’m pretty sure the bible says something about greed), and yet you treat people so badly. It’s not Glassdoor you need to answer to. What do you want to be remembered for? What “Directive” does will not echo in eternity, how you treat people does. - Jesse. Jesse has no integrity, and I feel bad for him becuase I don’t think he’s as bad a person people think he is, he’s a nice guy poorly equipt to find a job he’s actually aligned with. He has poor energy management, he invests in all the wrong things and is unreachable in key moments where we really need leadership. It’s no secret morale is really low and culture has plummeted under Jesse. Hes either in denial or doesn’t actually want to be held accountable through feedback. - Richard. Richard has been here for all of five minutes and already he’s freaking people out. He seems to be here for the resume building- not the people or the culture, which he has not taken any time to learn. He’s in it for himself, and he speaks to people in an offputting way. Employees don’t like it and I’ve even seen clients recoil. If perception is reality, my perception is that he really wants to be important but doesn’t actually care. Also, is it considered unprofessional to have a futon in your zoom background?? It should be.

1.0
Feb 24, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are numerous talented individuals at the agency, and strong branding.

Cons

This culture is toxic. The CEO consistently undermines his department leaders, publicly and in private, and often ridicules team members, clients, and especially former colleagues behind their backs (no class). The onboarding training was entirely focused on the ability of a new hire to audit ad accounts, with maybe 5% max focused on the rest of the job to be done, which sets you up for failure. When it came time to execute the process, there was little to no documentation, and little to no support. The job is 60% trial by fire, 30% pressure from the CEO, and 10% judgement from others as you try to adapt to unwritten rules and/or learn undocumented process. The CEO will also join, and completely take over sales calls, and his success (ego) is often the central component of these calls. I witnessed numerous formerly interested marketing leaders roll their eyes and lose interest such that talk of next steps was answered with "none, we're not moving forward with Directive." 75% of the senior leadership turned over in my time there, with entire departments being created and disbanded in short order. People are routinely fired and there is no centralized process for communicating these changes to the team such that people are literally asking each other where people went and what happened. Pretending the ex-colleague didn't exist is the go-to move at Directive, except when the CEO is trashing them. In terms of the quality of their work there are strong individual contributors and there is some sound theory behind Directive's strategy, but they are clearly more intent on executing a proprietary strategy in-line with their own branding and marketing (e.g. Customer Generation, use of gift cards) than in learning about the clients' target audience(s) or creating customized marketing programs that match the context.

5.0
Feb 21, 2025

Progress over Perfection

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very transparent leadership. Aggressive growth mindset. Extremely collaborative. C-Suite commitment to funding what’s winning.

Cons

Confidence that we belong in the room regardless of opportunity size. Maturation of internal process. Fully remote (Love it, but miss consistent opportunities to be with the team).

Viewing 22 - 24 of 151 Reviews

Glassdoor has 164 Directive reviews submitted anonymously by Directive employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Directive is right for you.