Back Where I Started: Finding The Culture, Core Values, Goals, Teammates, And Commitment to Value Creation That Fit

We’ve all heard the advice or adage, “don’t burn your bridges.”  Over the course of my career, I have worked for 4 companies and enjoyed success at all of them.  I have made friends and learned in every opportunity I was given and grown as a person and a businessman.  But as I approach 20 years in the Medical Device Industry this August, I reflected on what brought me back to the same company I started with all those years ago, why I was accepted back, and what makes me happy. 

There is a lot that goes into finding a place where you belong.  And it is much more than not burning bridges.  It’s about the culture of an organization, the core values, where you find yourself within the goals and mission of that organization, your internal team, and the ability to uphold your commitment to creating value for your customers. 

We all find ourselves at crossroads in our lives where we are deciding what job to go with or what company to join, or to stay where we are.  And then we are faced with a myriad of questions including:

• How do we decide what is a good fit? 
• How do I know if I’ll be happy there? 
• How do I know that I’m not just deceiving myself into believing that the grass must be greener elsewhere? 

I’ve learned that the answers to these questions start with self-awareness.  Awareness of how you see problems, how you fix these problems, what your goals are, and what motivates you.  It also requires awareness of your weaknesses, what demotivates you, how you truly interact with others (for better or worse), and your goals.  But those are a conversation you will tackle on your own or with the help of a trusted advisor.  I don’t intend to tackle that here.

The next step in answering these questions lie in the opportunities you want to pursue, be they internal or external from your current position.  Or in evaluating your current position.  Remember no company is perfect and the grass is rarely greener on the other side.  Give yourself time to take stock and see if you can be grateful for what you have.

The first thing to look at is the culture of the organization and the team you will be on.  It could be as fragile as your relationship with your supervisor, or as deep rooted as the culture brought by tenured executive leadership over years or even decades.  But matching this to yourself is critical.  I’ve been at incredible organizations where I didn’t fit the culture and it felt uncomfortable, like a bad relationship.  When I pointed out opportunities for improvement, it was seen as a negative attitude.  When I went above and beyond, it wasn’t recognized but rather seen as not doing my primary job or it was expected, no matter how rare it was.  And worst of all, when I had success, it was minimized.  When you find the right culture, your success is appreciated and better yet, shared.  Your ideas are respected, and your efforts are rewarded.

An integral part of culture, but harder to discover during an interview, are the company’s core values.  These are not written on the walls of the lobby or published in their annual report but are the values that the people within the organization have internalized and acted upon so many times that they assume everyone acts with those standards.  They could be performance based, ethical, or moral.  Again, these need to match your values.  A place where you are not aligned may make you feel uncomfortable, or worse yet dirty.

Next is the goals and mission of the organization.  Is it simply to capture as much profit as they can, or is it deeper with a desire to good for a community, or the community at large?  Where do you and your division fit into the larger picture of the company?  What strategic initiative are you going to play a part in achieving?  Do you fully understand the profit margins on the products you will be supporting, producing, or selling?  These questions are rarely asked in interviews, and I think it is a miss.  If what you are doing is not “moving the needle” for your organization, then you may find that you will often not have the budget for things that make sense.  When times are tough, you may end up having to make sacrifices others won’t be asked to make.  Also, as you go through your career with that company, you should you know what role you play in the bigger picture.  This goes to motivation and the joy of what you do every day.

This one may seem a little obvious but it’s a big part of the overall picture that leads to job satisfaction.  Who will you be working with?  Evaluate your current internal team or the team of the company you are pursuing to make sure that you are aligned, and quite frankly, that you like them.  When looking at a new position, utilize LinkedIn and other avenues to reach out to people you may be working with.  Schedule 30-minute calls with some of them and get an idea of what they like, who they are, and what drives them at work. 

As a hiring manager, I do love it when I hear from someone in another department or territory to let me know that a prospect had reached out to them and that they had talked.  It not only shows initiative but shows that they’re doing their research to see if they’ll like it at our company.  It’s never good to hire someone who is immediately unhappy with the job.  It only crates more work and is a drag on my organization.

Whether fostered by a good leader or forged in the fire of less-than-ideal conditions, trusted teammates, even in remote jobs, can make all the difference.  When evaluating, look for that trust between people.  Do they seem to have each other’s backs, or do they have an easy time talking about each other with negativity?  It can mean the difference of feeling like you belong or being in a toxic environment.

We all need a job to make money.  We all want (and some may justifiably argue need) a job where we create value for our customers.  But if your efforts to provide that value are consistently hindered by internal logistics and policies, you will find frustration around every corner.  If you currently feel that your customers value you and your products or services, count yourself lucky.  This goes back to where you fit in the larger picture.  Are your products and services part of the strategic mission of senior leadership?  If so, that should take care of this one, but it doesn’t always.  Also, be sure to analyze the processes for delivery of value.  Is it largely up to you?  Personally, I love that level of responsibility and control, but you may not.  Who else touches the customer and are they adequate to get done what you need them to to keep long-term customers coming back again and again.

My journey took me through many ups and downs.  I found that every company has issues it is working on, and nothing was ever perfect.  They were great companies in their own right and I count myself lucky to have worked for all of them, but in the end, I found my match and came back where I can provide value for my customers, my team, and the company at large, and where it is seen and appreciated.  It just fit me and might not for everyone.  I didn’t know what I had and was lucky enough to come back to a place and a people where I felt I belonged.  This is what we all want in our careers, and I hope you find your “fit” where you are or wherever you need to be.