- Typical Silicon Valley startup that went public and has its fair share of growing pains. When I started, 4 years ago, there was a lot more flexibility in terms of development and growth, and the work was more challenging and open to collaboration and innovation. That culture has slowly died given new management and just the pressures of Wall Street, which is understandable. However, upper management has seemed to let a few folks at the top make most of the decisions and they don’t always lead to ones that make employees feels as though we’re doing what we’re preaching.
- The company gets caught up in its own politics and puts red tape where there shouldn’t be. If we want to remain innovative, forward thinking, and empower our employees, we must make it easier for them to do their best work.
- Allow employees to actually do their best work.
- politics and favoritism is real. If you know who has the “power,” depending on department and teams, if you align yourself correctly, you can get promoted really quickly and without having all the relevant experience. As the company grows, this is the worst thing you can do for the future and longevity of the company. Too many senior leadership with the same, boring ideas and experience is bad for a company, but having a bunch of folks who have no experience in their roles and are given management titles, does not instill confidence nor good morale in those that work for them.
- Pay is obviously not the greatest for those who have been around for awhile. You will most likely be underpaid in a year compared to the market. Those who are new, coming in with the same title or even less, will start at a pay that surpasses yours. Make sure to negotiate a salary you’re comfortable with at the start, cause you won’t be making much more than that throughout your tenure, unless you get a title change and true promotion. But even then, you’ll be underpaid.
