- Burnout Happens: Due to the caliber of people we hire and sometimes unrealistic deadlines projects are under, I've seen people overwork themselves trying to meet an impossible target. WillowTree is generally supportive and acknowledges that nobody wants burnout, that it leads to lower quality output and voluntary attrition - all very bad things. My experience in the tech industry has taught me that burnout happens (even at WillowTree) and the most important thing we can do is monitor for it, minimize the chances it happens, and protect teams with support and shelter when it does happen. I'm optimistic that WillowTree's rollout of the new branch structure along with recurring anonymous surveys will help mitigate burnout here in the future.
- Growing Pains: Since I've joined, our Durham office has doubled in size, moved to a new (beautiful) office across town, WillowTree has opened a New York office, and we've also added an office in Ohio through a merger. This is a lot of stress to put on an organization and it can be challenging to maintain culture in the face of so much rapid change. I think the branch structure will be a steadying force here. I've come to embrace that parts of working at WillowTree will feel like a roller-coaster ride, but I realize that isn't for everyone.
- Allocation Can Be Bumpy: This is a reality in client services. There's always a rush to spin teams up for new projects and the whole process can feel chaotic. The highest performing teams are often the most stable, so it's important we get allocation right. I'm encouraged to see that as we've grown, we continue to decentralize allocation. I think branch leadership teams are well suited to make allocation a smoother process overall.
