Pros
Culture of Integrity - Have been in 20 or so meetings with Steve Odland in my almost 3 years and in EVERY one he has implored us to "do the right thing", "speak up if you feel pressured to do something unethical". we are easily the most conservative company I have ever worked for. Purely black and white. If an idea or action falls into a gray area - forget about it - the entire room kills it. Commitment to the Customer - We must ask at every turn if the outcome of actions will benefit our customers. I have seen profitable ideas killed because of a remote possibility of disadvantaging a customer.
Cons
The constant focus on cost cutting has left our stores under-staffed and over-worked. Unfortunately, since it is the biggest line item on the P&L, this is Retail 101 in many retailers. Preoccupation with industry leaders. We must be willing to blaze a bold trail if we are to succeed. There simply is no room for the number of current players fighting in a "me too" industry.