Simple things should be simple, complex things should be possible.
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.
Listen to everyone in your company and figure out ways to get them talking. The folks on the front lines—the ones who actually talk to the customer—are the only ones who really know what's going on out there. You'd better find out what they know.
The most important thing in computer graphics is to understand light and how it interacts with surfaces.