* Favoritism, cliques, politics, biased performance reviews, and unethical managers can make it difficult for anyone, even top talent, to fairly grow their career
* Conflict-avoidance is thick (1) Human Resources working for managers instead of associates, not taking associate concerns seriously, and not being true mediators for amicable solutions (2) Untrained, unseasoned, immature managers “getting rid of people,” instead of taking the high road and ownership to work through concerns
* Middle management, small percentage and depending on the business area, tend to be: unfair regarding associate development, showing favoritism and suppressing talents of others; insecure; intimidated by direct reports; and retaliatory