Analog girl, digital world: The evolution of self and career in tech
First, you become a manager. Later, a director. Perhaps you make it to the c-suite. But it’s not a journey for everyone. Does your career support or suppress who you are?
Career advice often seems targeted to those few individuals who reach the C-level in Fortune 500 companies – despite the reality that C-level roles are few and far between. In fact, there are millions of talented employees working at all levels within large global organizations, most of whom want to have a successful career.
A vast majority of the people responsible for making decisions and executing on tactics and strategies of the corporation aren’t in the C-suite, nor do they want to be. However, they do want fulfilling careers, and to make their contributions at work matter.
Working inside these giant organizations can have distinct advantages, like being part of a company that sets the direction for a whole industry or industries. Having a national or global brand on your resume is another benefit.
There’s also the relative job security that comes from being part of a company that’s able to meet its payroll obligations without undue stress. Inside the company, it can be easier to identify potential mentors, and there are structures to support your desire to learn, grow, attain a degree, develop new skills, and even move to a new country or facility.
But there are a multitude of challenges, too.
Here are five keys to a successful career and thriving in large, multi-national organizations:
Newbie tip: Be an explorer
One way to start as a new employee in a very large company is to see yourself as an intrepid explorer on an amazing expedition to figure out who’s who and what’s what.
People who settle in quickly go beyond getting to know the people on their team by exploring the wider universe of people and possibilities open to them, normally in the pursuit of completing their first task.
Use opportunities to sincerely and genuinely network. Build alliances through team or group introductions, new projects, or simply having conversations in the coffee area or elsewhere with people you don’t know.
Besides expanding your network, and learning about other functions in the company, you might also gain a new ally, friend or colleague, as well as a different perspective.
If you’re working remotely, invite people to one-to-one, get-to-know-each-other sessions.
What do you talk about with these new contacts? It could be as simple as seeking information about the corporation’s history and vision for the future to gain more insight than what’s on the corporate website. This is your only chance to play the new employee card.
Always look for opportunities to build your network naturally, by doing things you’re passionate about. The network and friendships you build in this exploring phase are likely to last a long time, and can have a powerful impact on your career.
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Hit the ground running: Crucial to a successful career
In your first 90 days in a new company, aim to accomplish something significant, something you’re passionate about or can do well and quickly. Take on a task that proves you’re skillful, capable, and a team player.
Part of this process is not just doing task, but sharing the results in a collaborative way, not a “look how great I am” way.
Being seen as a do-er with purpose, someone who’s proactive, executes with quality, and works with others towards a common goal, will go a long way to easing your transition into the organization.
This mindset helps establish your credentials as someone who wants to pitch in, and who takes an action-oriented, outcome-oriented approach.
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The collaborative mindset
Large corporations are often composed of many sets of teams. Nurturing team relationships is a critical skill.
Adopting a win-win, collaborative style that assumes team members have the best goals in mind helps drive positive outcomes. Seek ways to expand your business relationships, and think of the bigger picture. The network of people within your manager’s sphere of influence or elsewhere in the organization can be your stepping stone to bigger and better opportunities. However, you must respect the corporate hierarchy.
In small and midsize companies, reaching across the organization may be encouraged. In large corporations, that same action might appear to undermine a manager’s authority. A lot depends on the manager’s perspective.
To succeed, focus on what helps your boss, and your boss’s boss, to achieve their objectives, ultimately supporting corporate objectives.
In large companies, you won’t always get recognized for everything you do on a team. Conversely, when one individual performs well, it reflects on their team. The most successful teams aren’t always equal—a team of five people doesn’t mean that each person did 20% of the work.
The reward is the team achieving its objective together in service of customers, products, and the organization. Being an effective and enthusiastic team player or team leader can advance your career, advance the career of others (including your boss), and increase your job satisfaction.
Seek out the new: Re-energize and refocus
One of the challenges, as you get more experienced over time, is finding work that’s stimulating and challenging. There can be a tendency to think, “I’ve been there, done that, and I know how it ends.” But do you really?
At the speed the world is changing, there can always be other possibilities, unexpected obstacles and new, valuable outcomes.
In large corporations, employees may stay working for a single boss or within a single group for several years, which means the people, teams and even the managers, can become complacent. Energy levels drop. Morale and key performance indicators (KPIs) can suffer.
Get re-energized by seeking new challenges in your role, elsewhere in the firm, or even outside the organization with online courses, communities, and further education, which exposes you to new people and new approaches.
One way is to revisit the approaches that worked when you first joined the company. Ask yourself and others, “What’s the current hot focus area for the company?” Try to meet the people running that area. Explore openings on that team or discover ways to support that effort in your current role.
Another approach is to seek an internal fellowship, or temporary assignment to another department, facility or country location. These could provide an opportunity to gain new experiences and potentially trial your next role.
Also, seek input on career advancement from mentors and others in the company. This can uncover opportunities that aren’t listed in the usual channels.
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Share knowledge and build bridges
Throughout, but especially towards the end of your time with a corporation, look for ways to share your experience and knowledge with newer or younger team members.
Even if you plan to move to another company in the same industry, seek to build bridges, and leave on a high note. Maintain your energy and commitment right up until your final day on the team and in the company.
At the rate that organizations merge or acquire other companies, the bridges you build and the friendships and collaborations you foster may serve you well in the future, especially if the company you move to ends up being acquired by the company you just left.
Working in large corporate environments can be rewarding, and provide you with an opportunity to re-invent your role many times over. With the right attitude and mindset, anything’s possible.
This article was co-written by author and speaker Brad Borkan.
