Karcher North America: the biggest mistake of my career - Manager Kärcher Employee Review

Karcher is the biggest career mistake I've made, and I don't blame it on anyone but myself. So to help you, here are the things I've learned. > If you're thinking about joining an organization, accepting a promotion or otherwise further investing your time, do your homework. Act like you're dropping the biggest investment of your life. Reach out to current and former employees to really understand what you're stepping in. > Understand the Sr Mgmt Team's personalities, competency, cultural and organizational inclinations. Seek out authentic Management who admit to mistakes - who have been heard saying "that was my fault" vs blaming employees for their flawed communication or strategy execution (or lack thereof). Seek out Management and Boards who fire quickly and hire slowly. Find Management who value substance and results vs bravado. Seek Management who truly understand or are continuously learning the industry / market including customers, competitors and end-users. > Understand the culture, and make sure the Sr Team is driving it and employees are embracing and thriving in it. Be a good fit - don't assume you can assimilate. Find cultures where employees are seeking out the organization vs the organization having to seek out employees - particularly if the main carrot is money. And avoid cultures that lose or can't attract good talent (you can find this on LinkedIn). Seek organizations / cultures that have a solid reputation in the community, with other employers, and within the industry including competitors. Seek cultures that provide a learning and mentoring environment with clear performance metrics and feedback. > Understand the organization's operations, ownership and investments. Avoid organizations who want to be vertically integrated as no organization can be an expert in everything, and this dilutes any areas of strength. Understand how an organization measures up against their competitors not just in market share but in operational efficiency and avoid those who don't invest. Seek organizations who have proven history of fast and effective acquisition integration, and then drove positive results. This reflects an organization's decision making and ability to problem solve. > Make sure the organization has a clear strategy that's tied to reality, and that's well understood and can be articulated by employees. If results aren't reflecting strategy that's a red flag. If there have been broad layoffs and deep cost cuts, ask what portion those gains represent vs the growth strategy. Layoffs and cost cuts are easy and a typical quick win for new Sr Mgmt - Chainsaw Al perfected this - but they are a one-time effect that can't be sustained. If sales are flat and not meeting target, this should be a giant red flag that strategy is failing. > Understand an organization's markets, channels, customers and competitors, and how they plan to compete. It doesn't matter what role you're in, avoid sales-driven organizations who try to force product into markets and customers. Avoid Sr Mgmt who makes opinion decisions on product but lacks knowledge of the market and end-user. It's a short-term approach that provides limited success. Seek out marketing-driven organizations who start with the customer and end-user, and build solutions for them. It's the only sustainable way to build a high growth business. > Seek out organizations with happy employees, who love their jobs and genuinely like coming to work. Listen to watercooler or cubicle chatter. Ask the basic questions during your interview. I didn't do my homework and it's the biggest regret of my career. Learn from me.