> It is extremely common for an executive to come in and start off with bold plans to improve things, then slowly discover why things are the way they are. The

> It is extremely common for an executive to come in and start off with bold plans to improve things, then slowly discover why things are the way they are. The same is true of a new IC coming into a new code base. The things you mention are not great excuses for not being able to make any change. If those things overwhelm an exec, that exec should probably step aside and let someone else try.