- Poor communication and lack of structure from leadership
- Constant last-minute changes derail timelines
- No clear role scope or finalized KPIs for months
- Projects stall due to delayed approvals and decision-making bottlenecks
- Leadership is skilled individually, but struggles to manage or delegate effectively
- Little value gained from the experience — felt like running in place
There’s a difference between start-up chaos and just poor leadership. Unfortunately, this felt more like the latter.
From the beginning, communication was inconsistent. I once asked for an agenda before a call and got told, “If you’re not part of the marketing team, feel free to decline.” That should be enough to give you a sense of what you're walking into — or what I’d gently suggest you don’t.
Timelines didn’t mean much. You could prepare weeks ahead, only to get mandatory changes two weeks before launch that sent everything back to square one. So at this point, you’ve just basically wasted everyone’s time — but that’s fine, I guess, because it’s a startup, right?
There’s also a huge difference between people who are good at their jobs and people who are good at managing a team. And that gap shows here. There were so many instances of leadership being excellent at their own work, but for the life of them, unable to lead a team or delegate properly. Decision-making was stuck at the top, leaving employees scrambling despite doing everything they could to stay ahead. And even then, it often felt pointless, because something more “urgent” would inevitably pop up and derail the entire plan anyway.
My KPIs weren’t finalized until about a month before I resigned. The role was poorly planned — or maybe just not planned at all, hard to say. It was clearly a mixed-function role, but the scope, the depth, the workflows, the approvals — none of that seemed thought through.
Execution was also constantly stalled. Projects would sit in limbo waiting for approvals. Collaborations with external stakeholders went in circles for months. In one instance, a file I sent right after a meeting was never even opened, and by the time someone finally followed up, the stakeholder was no longer available. A lot of missed opportunities all throughout, despite commitments to the timeline (both original and adjusted versions 1s, 2s, 3s, and so on).
So, do I regret taking this role? By the end of it, 100% yes.
I’m early in my career, and these are supposed to be the years where I’m learning, growing, and building real momentum toward bigger goals I have for myself. Instead, LOCAD felt like running in place — pouring time and energy into work that didn’t really take me anywhere. When I look back at my time here, sure, there were some good moments. But, a lot of it felt like just being stuck in place — it honestly felt more like a false start than anything else. I can’t say I’ve learned much that will help me get where I want to go. Instead, I’ve probably learned more about what, who, and how not to be as I move on in my career.
