UNCOVERING COMPANY CULTURES: Fit is More Important Than Your Skills and Experiences

After a 30-year career in six different industries and

spending a considerable amount of time coaching

executives in a dozen different organizations, I have

concluded that the cultural alignment between you and

the organization is the most critical factor to determining your

future success and happiness.

1. Public vs Privately Owned. Companies that are publicly

traded can have a completely different sense of urgency

than a privately held company. If you can't stand up to

the sales pressure of 'making the numbers' every quarter

or operations need to pinch pennies in the 4th quarter, a

public company might not be for you. Strategy can be

long term in nature but certainly the tactics have real

here and now implications. If you are uncomfortable

with a sales gun to your head four times a year, maybe a

privately held company with a longer-term vision and

less pressure around month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter

financial reporting is for you.

2. Control. Many companies are very closely held,

especially if they are family owned and operated. Just

today I had a maternal figure in a family-owned business

reach out for advice on how to balance the expectations

of the 2nd generation with the need to hire and recruit

outside business executives. If you are not comfortable

with some level of nepotism, a family-owned

organization might not be for you. You need to

understand you are a hired gun in a family clique that

you will never be part of regardless of your position. Face

it, even if you are the hired CEO or President of a family owned

company, you are not going to be sitting at that

Thanksgiving dinner table.

3. Industry. Every industry has its own nuances, and it is

very important to know what you are getting into. Auto

and Energy are VERY cyclical and run distinct cycles of

intense hiring and growth followed by equally intense

periods of divestitures and layoffs. These types of cyclical

industries are not for the weak of heart or stomach. In

the past ten years, we have seen intense gender bias in

some industries, in particular the tech world. If you need

a visual on the bias in coding and development, women

make only up 11 percent of executives in Silicon

Valley and earn 73 percent less than men with the same

educational credentials.

4. Size. Company size can have a lot to do with job

satisfaction. The smaller the company, the more visibility

and influence you may have to strategy and decision

making. In addition, you will be expected to wear many

hats and be able to make a difference that will be

recognizable and have your personal stamp. The

downside is small companies run very lean. They

reinvest profits and margin back into the organization.

You sit in secondhand furniture and might be deferring

compensation for future equity or profit sharing. There

is no G7 and private jets waiting. There are no lavish sales meetings or

client outings at five-star resorts but there can be a

tremendous amount of job satisfaction. Additionally,

there can be a significant difference in the talent that is

attracted by large public vs the smaller tightly held

companies. If you take a highly cerebral approach to

problem solving and like to be surrounded by thought

partners, you may need to reach externally for that fix in

a small or mid-market organization.

5. Location and Communication Style. Communication

style is usually driven by two things - geography and

ownership. If you are working for a family owned,

private company based in the Southeast US, you can

count on a very indirect communication style. If you

grew up on a farm in Wisconsin, you will get a

performance review in Atlanta and have no idea

whether you are on top of the world or about ready to go

on a PIP (performance improvement plan). Midwest and

NE are direct and those from the South would say 'in

your face'. As a holdover from an early farming culture,

communication in the Midwest can be polite, but firm

and direct. The South and West Coast you might need a

translator if you are a Chicago or Minneapolis

native. Having worked for more than one Atlanta based

company, I have found it necessary to triangulate

conversation and ask polite but direct questions to

garner clarity on ideas, issues, and opportunities.

6. Matrix Structure (COE's). One of the biggest challenges

I have ever faced in my career has been the transition

from an organization where I controlled all my resources

directly to a highly matrix organization. The difference

can sometimes be slower cycle times in exchanged for a

higher quality output. Patience and ability to influence

are keys to success in a COE (Centers of Excellence)

model. If you find yourself in a matrix COE model, you

better be someone who can sell internally and thrive in

an environment that is highly collaborative. The upside

to a COE/Matrix structure is that if you like to have your

voice heard, these organizations bring in valued cross

functional partners like you as SME's (subject matter

experts) more readily than other organization

structures.

7. Centralized or Decentralized Management. In the

retail and restaurant industry, in addition to other B2C

organizations, you will find decision making pushed out

as close to the client as possible. This enables higher

client satisfaction as well as generating insights that

drive new product and service development. These are

organizations that move quickly. They are action

oriented and value quick decision making and

problem/issue resolution. They are fast paced and lively.

You can become extremely frustrated if you are in a

corporate office charged with driving brand or

compliance marketing. Many times in the field there is a

high level of optionalism at the point of client contact

that leads to internal conflict with those charged with

compliance.

In summary, the due diligence you do up front can save you a

tremendous amount of frustration and ultimately job

dissatisfaction in later weeks, months, and years. Knowing how

YOUR STRUGGLE IS REEL

Photo cred: 20th Century Fox

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