Amazon

-- Continuous learning -- Excellent training -- Supporting groups abound -- Narrative-focused problem solving

There are downsides at Amazon, but they tie back to what you aspire to do. Here are some:

• Highly competitive (you'll hear the term "bar-raising")

• Work/Life balance: It's your responsibility to manage your time, and if you're not careful, you'll allow yourself to breach the boundary because you feel the need to be more competitive. Resist it by setting your own boundaries and then managing your time to them. Know when to say (politely), "no." I rate this as a "con," because many people don't know (or are afraid) to do that. Don't be. Just be consistent.

• Anonymity: If you're a Big Fish in a Small Pond today, you might not like Amazon, where there are likely several folks much like you. However, that can be a pro if you consider that BFSP folks can get lackadaisical and, well, lazy. Challenge yourself to see if you can swim with bigger fish.

I haven't seen evidence of issues in management that I can comment on.

As a veteran manager who's chosen to leave the ranks of management, I know what to watch for.

So far, I've found Amazon to be a cut above, appealing to more of a collegial atmosphere than the typical high-school, clique, and politicized environments I've had to manage around for decades.