Google

Google, even through a period of explosive growth, continues to be a great innovation hub. The engineering culture has managed to attract some of the brightest minds in computer science, with access to vast resources and people with experience and expertise across a broad range of functions. Working at Google is a fantastic way to meet and learn from some of these folks, and to gain exposure to some of the largest distributed computing systems in the world.

And of course, the benefits are best-in-class, including the lauded Google chefs and various on-site amenities. If you can find a way to build some upside, whether that's around compensation, equity, or career advancement, Google is a fantastic place to work.

As the company grows, more and more groups compete for the attention of senior management, which has continued to keep a tight grasp on the operations of the company. It becomes very difficult to operate strategically, as the opportunities for high-level feedback are few and far between. On those occasions that you do have the opportunity to solicit feedback, it's generally very disruptive and can often be untimely or driven by subjective factors.

To management's credit, this "sparse micromanagement" is an acknowledged problem, and more and more senior managers at the director level are taking ownership of large strategic initiatives. As the company starts to transform its leadership culture, there will be interesting changes in the way products are developed, from charter through launch.

Senior management has done an excellent job in focusing on the "head" of priorities: web search, advertising, and some of the larger initiatives like Apps.

It's time to find a way to bring order to the chaotic array of micro-projects that are competing for resources, and to empower middle managers to prioritize and execute on those projects in a way that inspires confidence and belief in a shared set of priorities across the company.