Why I Started Incognito

The inspiration for Incognito Culture Auditing comes from a blend of my personal experience in the corporate world and my time as a business coach.

I spent nearly seven years at a company I thought would be my "forever home." I loved the people, the culture, and believed this was where I would retire. But after four and a half years, the culture began to shift — largely due to avoidable reasons. Despite offering more perks, more PTO, and increased engagement efforts, morale continued to decline.

Whenever employees voiced concerns, leadership often dismissed them as complaints, leaving many to feel unheard and undervalued. You could feel a genuine shift in the environment. My colleagues and I started silently looking for new opportunities. I eventually left without a backup plan, as did many after me.

One of the most interesting things I noticed: we all lied to protect the leadership's feelings. Instead of addressing the issue one last time, we just said "I'm moving" or "I'm taking time off to spend time with my family," among other excuses. The truth was, we were all actively looking for another position. And the common thread wasn't salary or benefits — it was the lack of trust between employees and leadership.

Later, as a business coach, one of my clients received an anonymous letter from an employee warning about the toxic culture she unknowingly fostered. She had no idea how her team truly perceived her. The letter was anonymous because employees felt uncomfortable addressing leadership directly.

Through conversations with friends, family, and neighbors, I realized this wasn't isolated. Even when companies sent "anonymous" surveys, employees gave glowing reviews out of fear that anything less would lead to consequences.