Whole Foods – “Well-intentioned yet poorly executed.”

Pros

Great compensation and benefits packages, on the surface a very open and approachable leadership, good mix of experience, creativity, cooperation, selling some of the best products on the market, reasonably transparent operations throughout. Tying budgets to actual sales rather than percentages or budgets makes running a financially successful team that much easier. There is a very ingrained sense of entitlement amongst the majority of entreanched team members that makes it very very difficult to both model and see the values that are allegedly at the heart of the company. Decentralized leadership and leadership above the store level have little actual knowledge of the realties of day to day operation, which can be frustrating at times.

Cons

It sometimes seems that more and more the "values" espoused by the company are becoming a veneer or something to be used to force compliance rather than build and develop consensus and stronger teams and individuals. There is a much stronger focus on being a "nice" person than a successful or productive one. What would seem to be clear violations of the culture, rules, and policies are handled very arbitrarily at times, with the outcome seemingly based more on the violater rather than the severity of the offense. Despite an attempt to portray itself as really progressive and open, the company is really absolutely no different than any other similar operation.

Advice to Senior Management

Accountability is meaningless unless applied universally both postively and negatively. Set smart, achieveable (but not easy) standards and celebrate those that exceed and coach those that fall short. Do not let circumstances dictate your decisions. Try and learn how your stores actually work.