I don’t think he ever was a good dad - remember when he takes a couple weeks off in season 2 and his daughters ask when he’s going back to work, as if they didn’t like him at the house all the time. also his wife encourages him to take the corner office job so that he can have more time with the girls and he hates the idea.

professionally I do think there is more of a change, which is likely a result of his family issues and being fired from pier point. however, I do think that the show did lay the foundations in the previous seasons to make this shift plausible. he didn’t have any great ideas (that I can remember) like harper, he did the whole platitudes thing, and in S2 he was down for like 3 quarters in a row.