July 18, 2022:
Air cover from the Director. Mediocrity is safe so long as he's the umbrella.
Describes himself this way. Literally. "My job is 'shit umbrella'. I protect the team from all the shit from above."
"The team", though, isn't. It's a diaspora of prima donna mediocrities. B and C level players, semi-competent yet full of self-regard and self-congratulation. A competent Director would either pull them together or push them out. Where "the shit from above" is a failed attempt to help this Director understand the situation.
Thus: it's a six-month project which with this group will require two years.