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      Frustrating leadership undermines team potential and morale - Sales Development Representative (SDR) OpenGov Employee Review

      1.0
      Mar 30, 2026
      Sales development representative (sdr)
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Some good people in the team

      Cons

      Working at OpenGov was, frankly, one of the most frustrating professional experiences I’ve had—and a big part of that came down to leadership. Coming from a deep government background, it was hard to ignore the fact that I—and many others on the ground—had far more real-world understanding of the public sector than the people in the C-suite. Yet those same mangers were the ones setting strategy, quotas, and expectations, often with complete confidence and very little practical insight. What made it worse wasn’t just the gap in experience—it was the attitude. Interactions with senior leadership could feel patronizing and dismissive, as if expertise from the field was something to be talked over rather than learned from. Instead of listening, there was a tendency to double down on flawed assumptions. Feedback about the realities of government procurement, relationship-building, and sales timelines was often brushed aside, replaced with generic, private-sector tech sales playbooks that simply don’t translate. That disconnect had real consequences. Unrealistic quotas weren’t just numbers—they were symptoms of a leadership team that didn’t understand the environment they were operating in. And when those targets inevitably weren’t met, the blame didn’t go upward—it stayed with the reps, creating a culture of frustration and burnout. Layer on top of that a disjointed, private equity-style structure and a product that was difficult to justify at its price point, and it became clear that the challenges weren’t isolated—they were systemic. But the most discouraging part was knowing that the people at the top, who were often the least equipped to understand the space, were also the least willing to admit it. In the end, it felt less like being part of a team and more like being talked down to by leadership that was not only out of touch, but unwilling to recognize its own shortcomings.

      avatar
      OpenGov Response
      1mo
      Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry your experience with leadership fell short of your expectations and of what we typically hear from employees. Many of our team members bring deep public sector experience, and we know we’re most effective when that perspective is reflected in how we operate. We value that expertise and take concerns about how it’s heard and incorporated seriously. Selling into government is complex, and we’re continually refining how we set expectations, support our teams, and incorporate field feedback, including quotas and enablement. We track quota attainment against industry benchmarks, and our performance is in line with or exceeds those benchmarks. That said, metrics don’t capture every individual experience, and feedback like yours is important as we continue to improve. We’re committed to building a culture where people can do the best work of their careers, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective.

      Explore other reviews about OpenGov

      5.0
      Jun 3, 2026
      Operations
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Great colleagues, fast paced environment with rewarding mission-driven work.

      Cons

      Need to continue to build operational rigor with certain vertical depts as we continue to grow.

      1.0
      May 21, 2026
      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The startup-era culture here was genuinely good — collaborative, energetic, people-first. As the company grew, so did the ego. Leadership lost what made the place work and replaced it with a top-down, my-way culture that has driven out some of the best people.

      Cons

      I'm writing the review I wish had existed when I was researching this company. Not checking Glassdoor before I started was my single biggest professional regret. Promotion is positioned during recruiting as a near-term, achievable goal. In reality, the criteria are vague, inconsistently applied, and rarely result in actual advancement. KPIs are set at levels that ensure most reps will fall short — creating a perpetual sense of failure that serves management's pressure tactics, not your career growth. Advancement often appears less tied to clear performance metrics and more dependent on subjective favoritism, including maintaining close alignment with or “sucking up to” hiring managers and leadership, rather than merit alone. Transparency is essentially nonexistent. Turnover in the SDR org specifically is high and ongoing, but it’s never acknowledged or addressed internally. Candidates have no way of knowing the full picture going in. One more thing worth knowing: account executives are coached during training to post positive Glassdoor reviews. Please weigh that when you look at the overall rating. “Unlimited PTO” is also not as flexible as it may be presented. In practice, time off appears to be closely monitored and can be restricted, even for high performers, based on internal perceptions of fairness across the team rather than true flexibility or performance-based trust. This makes the benefit feel more like a recruiting talking point than an actual employee perk.

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