The primary concern I’ve seen is how slow the company is to remove underperforming or problematic crew members or leaders - even when the issues are visible and openly acknowledged. This isn’t the norm across the organization - but when it does occur, it has a devastating and disproportionate impact. I’ve watched high-performing teams decline under a bad leader while the crew member's concerns were visibly raised, validated, and then simply left unaddressed. Over time, it always results in the same pattern of disengagement, loss of trust, and then a large exodus of strong talent - many of whom would have truly preferred to stay. This isn’t about differences in styles or resistance to change either...it’s about consistent behavioral patterns such as a lack of accountability, misattribution of work, gaslighting, and finger pointing - leading to a psychologically unsafe environment that is hard to prove on paper and damages the perception of those who still try to call it out. Vanguard does many things exceptionally well, which is why this stands out. Taking more immediate and decisive action in these situations would go a long way in retaining strong talent and protecting the teams that would otherwise be thriving.
