How we got Here: Bureaucrats gained their stranglehold over the FBI by corrupting the promotion system. Turning it into a mysterious, backroom process without transparency or accountability. Executives pretend to have established a fair and open promotion process within the FBI. The truth is, those rising to the executive ranks are often the lesser talented investigative agents. They routinely attain promotions through networking and tacit pledges of allegiance to other executives in the club, rather than for their own accomplishments or leadership ability. Through sheer personal fortitude, brick agents have productive careers despite being forced to operate within what has become a suffocating, gamed, bureaucracy. Yes, there are a small number of FBI executives who are highly competent investigators. Yes, there are a small number of executives who are inspiring and thoughtful leaders. A few are heroes. Unfortunately, those few heroes are far outnumbered and often shouted down by legions of incompetent, petty, self-promoters within the executive ranks. Executive management has gotten away with hiding overwhelming examples of their incompetence. Sadly, many have hijacked parts of the organization to satisfy personal agendas. Executives reward one another with rigged-up promotions in exchange for mutually pledged loyalty and for maintaining secrecy about embarrassing, audacious incidents within their ranks. A sort of, "FBI job trade program" as one executive bluntly referred to it. The incidents of incompetence are more than just isolated gaffes. Their volume and brazenness prove that systemic, deeply rooted flaws exist in the FBI's accountability process for executives. They are an evidence trail of a failed promotion system and demonstrate the existence of a closed network that protects their own.