If heroes are getting things done, it seems like it's possible. Wouldn't it make sense to study how the heroes are operating and try to make that part of the culture?
There were 141 deaths attributed to COVID last week. It was 838 in 2023, 1,678 in 2022, 3,694 in 2021, and 11,243 in 2020. This is practically gone away.
The biggest problem with offshore engineering teams is their dedication to delivering exactly what you ask for. One of the qualities of a good software developer is to take the requirements and interpret what needs to happen then deliver appropriately. Delivering exactly what's written without thinking about the implications is a huge problem and one of the biggest issues I've run into working with offshore teams.