Most managers and up at Verizon would not make the cut in today’s landscape. A lot of them were simply at the right place at the right time. They would buckle under today’s pressure, scrutiny, and expectations. Many got there because they knew someone, checked a DEI box, metrics were easier, opportunities were abundant, and the market practically carried people upward.
Today you have to fight for every sale, every customer, every opportunity, while dealing with shrinking compensation, unrealistic expectations from people who had it easier, and bootlickers with Stockholm syndrome who are just happy to finally be a baby shark in the corporate tank. Different era entirely. A lot of the people preaching “adaptability” never actually had to survive in the environment they created.