I’m going to deviate from my planned content to reflect on what the workplace is like given I’ve been at my current company for about 6 months now. For some background, my company is medium to large in size, and global. It’s primarily a technology company – selling software, and operates a bit differently than other companies. Given my lack of experience with other companies, I’m relying on the word of others at the company for that insight.
I heard that I should target both small and large companies when I was separating. Both for good reasons. Small companies because of the flexibility they have in the workplace – a more ‘get it done’ attitude. However, large companies have more structure which can be useful, especially depending on your comfort in the role. My company is on the medium to large size, but operates like a bunch of smaller companies. So there is enough structure where there are established procedures of doing things, but there’s also the attitude of problem solving that is embedded in the company. Success in this environment is very personality driven. How well do you, or in this case I, get along with people? Can you find people that will help you solve your problem, or give you the time of day where they will stop what they are doing for you.
Because of some of the internal nuances at the company (hierarchy, incentives, leadership decisions), I found that most interactions fall into one of two categories. The first is that people are willing to help, provided you don’t ask for too much. The time they spend in the day is all the same, so whether it’s helping you or something else, it doesn’t make too much of a difference. The second part is that everything is a fight. There is a strong sense of protectionism that is focused at a variety of topics. Some are just stubborn, and don’t want to do something that isn’t their idea. Others don’t want the extra work. Some don’t want to risk a crack in the foundation of their ‘kingdom’. Whatever the case is, it’s exhausting. It’s not unlike the civilian that works in some administrative office you need to go to, and it’s clear that they aren’t there to help. People usually aren’t that hostile, but the end result is the same. And the fact that these interactions are much more common makes up for the reduced hostility.
To be honest, I never really bought into the idealistic portrayal of the military – a group of people that are looking to serve their country. And I’ve been around enough people, and seen enough commercials, to know that it isn’t everyone. There are plenty of people who join for college, or adventure, or a job, or they didn’t have any other options. And there isn’t any issue with that, particularly if you can’t tell where they joined for one of those reasons, or the most romantic reason you can imagine. And now that I’m on the outside, I have come to respect that unity of purpose much more. Maybe ‘appreciate’ is a better word. Why you joined doesn’t matter if you still care about the mission. And while not everyone will care, there are a lot for people who do care. They care about the mission in front of them, and the greater mission – improving their unit or branch or the people around them. I find that to be largely missing, at least where I am at.
The lack of interest in a common, unifying purpose, I think is the reason for much of the disappointment within my interactions in the company. I’ve never been one to build relationships quickly, but when you couple the factors of people ‘looking to get paid’, whether from their salary, bonus, or sales opportunity, it becomes increasingly difficult. It becomes glaringly obvious rather quickly why people are at the company – and it’s usually not to fulfill a higher calling, or to help the company move forward. And if that’s the case, that is ok. While I may not be a fan of the way people operate, that doesn’ t mean it’s wrong. It’s an observation that I’ve made and need to work within the confines of those rules.
But I will say, I do miss the (more) cohesive attitude that the military offers. I’m sure I am reflecting on the attitude in the military optimistically, but that attitude did exist, and turns out you don’t need much of it for it to make a difference. But as you transition, keep in mind that you can help with this. This viewpoint is something that you likely bring, that people want. It just can’t be the only thing that you offer.
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