Working in Silicon Valley for the last 20 years, I changed jobs every 12 to 18 months. I've written honestly about times I was a stellar employee (to the point where I received 2x promotions) and about the times when I was mediocre. The common thread was rarely my effort or understanding of the role. It was usually the support and feedback I received from my manager.

When I received feedback regularly and knew where I stood within the team and organization, I flourished. When my manager was distant, vague, and unclear on the assignments or how I was performing, I wandered each day aimlessly and didn't make traction.

We need to spend less time blaming employees for not performing and begin holding managers more accountable for doing more than going to endless meetings and checking email.