The smartest folks in college and business seemed to gravitate to big companies because of the money, perks, and potential. Now, we’re seeing another trend. Smart folks straight out of college or B-school go into a big business to learn product development, sales, purchasing, supplier management, customer service and general management. Then, they start their own businesses and do it again and again. It’s in the blood, almost a gambler’s high.
Another group is the ‘best and brightest’ business professionals who’ve already been there and done that. They’re portfolio professionals. They’re top-notch people who work for a start-up or a small company with below-market salaries but with the right stock incentives. If the company goes through an Initial Public Offering (IPO), these stock options suddenly multiply and they’re instant millionaires or even instant billionaires. High-risk – very high returns.
People work for a big company usually because of its strength, security, benefits, and stability. All of which are not found in a small company. As well, big companies offer challenges and resources to do things small company employees can only dream of. In big organizations, there is often a well-defined career path. Big projects are funded and there are sufficient resources to complete them.
Big companies are different from small companies and sometimes radically so. What ensures success in one is often a death wish in the other. For example, corporations often reward obedience, conformity, risk aversion, backslapping, and policy conformance. On the other hand, traditional entrepreneurial strengths include independence, risk taking, nonconformity, and a ‘breaking the rules’ mentality.
Life Lesson Earned: Try different things throughout your career to see what works for you. If you’re a mature worker, keep trying new things. Your work life is going to be longer than expected.