At every stage in your career, the decision of where to work is in many ways life-shaping beyond just the immediate tangible financial impact. Unfortunately, not many realise this until well into their career. Where you work is a choice of how and on what you want to spend your time and what you want to receive in return for that invaluable investment. While ultimately where to work is each individual's choice based on their priority and needs, in my opinion, there are five key criteria to look for in a company.
1. Inspired you to be the real you: Do you ever wonder why 99% of your workforce puts up facades of themselves at work that are very different from who they are in their personal lives? Why is there this dichotomy? Your energies should be focused on the market, your employer's competition, managing your time well, the opportunities and risks at work not within yourself. When you work for an organisation that connects with your authentic self, you not only do your best, but also inspire others around you.
2. Focusses on a mission close to your heart: The best jobs allow you to do work you believe in and enjoy. Successful start-ups in particular are often characterised by the collaboration of inspired individuals who could not imagine doing any other work. This type of environment allows people who are creatively oriented and talented to work with organisations that match their passion and push the boundaries of technology and innovation.
3. Honours merit over tenure; ideas over hierarchy: Apple's legendary co-founder firmly believed companies that want to retain great employees have to let them make decisions. Enlightened leadership teams ask employees to contribute ideas because they recognise managers and executives don't have all the answers. Leaders should also encourage debate and action on ideas. In 2006, IBM invited 150,000 employees, family members, business partners and clients to an online brainstorming session called `Innovation Jam'. Participants from 104 countries responded, and their ideas led to $100 million in investments by IBM on suggested projects.
4. Offers prospects to continue your educational journey: Look for an environment where you can challenge the status quo, even unlearn past assumptions and misplaced beliefs, and ultimately learn a set of new skills and principles that enable you to continuously stretch and raise the bar for yourself.
5. Provides a pace to enjoy the journey: With mobile phones, a constantly connected world, a growing number of virtual offices and global teams that make collaborating across time zones critical to success, the boundaries between work and home life are now blurred. A good organisation will allow employees to take from this the benefits and leave behind the disadvantages. You want to be able to transition seamlessly between work and home life without it seeming like you have a strained wall of defined separation from your "home you" and your "work you".
While every individual needs to strive hard to hit the upper echelon of their potential, the path to get there should always be enjoyable and fun or it will always feel like hard work and make it even more difficult to achieve. A workplace that offers you the environment where the journey is just as exciting as the destination is a must in my book.
BDST: 1839 HRS, Aug-27, 2014
