Microsoft

The engineers are the best I've worked with anywhere. They are deeply talented, mission-driven people, and developing them was the most rewarding part of the job. There is a real technical culture. If you love growing engineers, the talent will not disappoint you. It can be self-serving, though, due to residual corporate culture.

Senior and skip-level leaders look up-and-out more than down-and-in, so mission and impact targets stay ambiguous, and there's little feedback on whether your plans are aimed right. Leading up is a non-starter. That missing feedback loop — not the workload — burns managers out. I've seen more manager burnout here than anywhere else in twenty-five years.

Look down-and-in, not just up-and-out. Give managers a clear mission and honest feedback on their plans, and pull up the ground-truth they carry instead of assuming you already know it. Close the feedback loop—that's what keeps good managers from burning out.