Of course, high enough up that is true, however there are always those middle management evangelists who have believed the word from the CEO and chosen that their workers should follow their lead.
Sure, and if the top management changed their approach, so would this middle layer. A fish rots from the head down.
Someone who won't say no and follows orders blindly is harder to work with than someone with unrealistic expectations and ideas. The latter is easier to deal with than the former in my view.