Many of the company's high-potential people (those eager, energetic and talented types) get ground down, beat up and so disgusted by the way they are treated that they quickly leave the company.
Inappropriate comments/actions pertaining to gender, sexual orientation and race are sometimes made by senior employees in the organization.
There were two choices for those in my department. One could either stand up to a bullying executive, or put on an air of sycophancy in their presence. The cost of standing up was heavy. Being marginalized to the point of inability to do your job; questioning and doubting your own qualifications; thinking that you're just not good enough to be part of the team and dealing with the uncertainty of where you stand day to day were all part of the price. It was extremely draining, but I consciously decided that I would not fall into the traps of self-defeat and self-pity. I totally looked on the bright side. The lack of inclusion actually afforded me ample time and the opportunity to carefully plan my next move and exit with my self-respect and dignity intact.
The "reward" for sucking up to a bullying executive is access to their glorious inner circle where they metaphorically hug and kiss you one day and take a metaphorical baseball bat to the back of your head the next--Google "batter up untouchables" if you are not sure what I mean.
Instead of addressing the chronically high turnover rates head on as a leadership issue, this obvious "smoking gun" gets ignored. In the meantime, the directors of the board remain seemingly blind to the shenanigans and convinced that everything is great. Some holding leadership roles in the organization are masterful when it comes to their ability to paint rosy pictures for those to whom they report while simultaneously creating nightmares for nearly everyone who reports to them.
