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What I Learned About Corporate Culture From My Cats [Updated]

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Corporate Culture and Cats

Corporate CultureSeveral years ago I learned a lot about the corporate culture from my cats, Jack and Rex!

You are probably wondering what I could learn about the corporate culture from the cute guys in these pictures. Jack is pretty cute, but what the picture does not tell you is he is quite large.

Jack is 14 pounds and, as you can see from the picture below when stretched out against a meter stick, he is quite long.

Note: This post was originally written in October of 2014 and was updated in February of 2018. Jack has slimmed down since this was originally posted.

corporate culture
Click to Enlarge

Jack is that guy or gal at work who seems likes a really nice guy until… something changes.

He or she then becomes a completely different person. You might say a ‘Jeckll and Hyde’ personality.

Maybe you just hired someone new into your department and, suddenly, the dynamics change.

Maybe your company was acquired and the corporate culture shifts.

Changes in Corporate Culture

Click to Enlarge

We acquired Jack as a stray kitten in the spring of 2011. He just showed up on our doorstep and we suspect he was dumped there by some of the local construction workers.

During the summer of 2014, we took in a stray cat who we call Rex. Rex was probably abandoned by college students who live in the apartments behind our condo unit. He is quite gentle and much smaller than Jack.

We kept them separated for about a week, letting them get used to one another. What we discovered was that Jack could behave like a real bully.

The corporate culture in our household changed dramatically.

Jack would try to monopolize space. He was protecting his turf.

Have you seen this at work?

Rex figured out how to sit at the bar and watch Jack. At the right moment, he jumps down and walks by Jack. Suddenly, he runs up the stairs with Jack in close pursuit. Rex is a lot faster than Jack, and he knows it. Rex knows how to bait Jack.

Just like office politics.

Rex and Jack’s behaviors are slowly getting better. Four years later Jack tolerates Rex and Rex will manipulate Jack to get what he wants. Rex became very politically astute about how he could sneak up on Jack, poke him and then run away. A little hit and run tactic to get Jack to move.

A definite pecking order started to appear. Jack would always enter the condo first. When they are outside and it is time to come in, Rex will wait for Jack to get in front so that he can enter first.

Like I said – just like office politics.

Life after Acquisition

I have worked for two successful tech startups. The cultures of the two were polar opposites of one another but that only became apparent after there was an acquisition.

In January of 2000, I went to work for a semiconductor startup that was acquired in 2001. After the acquisition, not much changed. We added new people and they seemed to seamlessly fit in. The founders were very clear on the culture they wanted to create and hired only people who fit their vision. I stayed for almost four years after the acquisition because of the corporate culture.

The culture was deeply ingrained in the organization. Everyone walked the talk.

In December of 2007, I went to work for an HD video startup that was later acquired in December 2009. Almost immediately after the acquisition, the culture changed. It was just like us bringing Rex into our household.

  • Bullying behavior started
  • Managers and their teams started to protect their turfs
  • Hiring practices became very political
  • Several of the executive staff would shift their positions to get others to shift theirs

Are you seeing the similarities?

The culture of the organization changed dramatically. Coworkers who used to be very cooperative and share information freely now would hoard information.

The organization became highly political. This happened very rapidly just like bringing Rex into our household.

The difference was I could not tolerate the dysfunctional behavior, the lying, and cheating that occurred. About 13 months after the acquisition, I resigned when my ethical boundaries were crossed.

The similarities between what happened after the acquisition and bringing a new cat into our household were striking!

What Was Different?

At the first tech startup, management clearly defined the culture and their hiring practices mirrored the culture they wanted to create. After the acquisition, that culture endured for a very long time, even in very tough economic times. I credit the two company founders for great vision and execution in the hiring process.

This did not happen in the second tech startup —the culture they created was only skin deep. The corporate culture was only a facade which they were able to maintain in good times but not bad. As long as the company grew, everyone behaved. However, as the great recession set in, people saw the possibilities of a big payoff diminish and the company was acquired for far less than management had expected, so behavior started to change. It was just like bringing in a new cat.

How to Protect Yourself

How companies handle a setback is a good indicator of the culture.

A good litmus test for a prospective employer asks what changed in the last recession? Did the corporate culture change? How did the corporate culture change when there was a change of leadership?

Ask former employees of your potential employers why they left. You can find former employees quite easily using LinkedIn advanced search and most will give you an accurate picture of the corporate culture.

Have you experienced a corporate culture that can endure change?

Note: Jack and Rex live in the same condo together and manage to avoid one another most of the time. However, there is the occasional 4 am dispute where we have to kick both of them out the front door.

Marc Miller  

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Are You Discouraged Pursuing Millennial Job Opportunities

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Millennial Job Opportunities

Millennial Job Opportunities
Copyright: zinkevych / 123RF Stock Photo

Millennial job opportunities are exactly what some of you are pursuing in your attempt to reinvent yourself. What I have been hearing is you are getting pretty discouraged.

Many of you are pursuing career opportunities that target the millennials and are wondering why you are not being selected and if you are selected why you are not advancing.

Let me give you 3 examples that I have heard in the last few months.

Specialty 3rd Party Recruiter

Recently, a gentleman in his 50s told me the following story.

I am pursuing a position as a 3rd party recruiter position in a specialized market that I have intimate knowledge of. The hiring company has a 12-week training program for all new hires. The base pay is very low but there is a commission structure that could be quite lucrative. I submitted my resume but I have not heard anything back.

I am pursuing the position because I want to do something different. What do you think?

My response was:

These kinds of positions target the millennial generation. They will hire them, train them, hope to retain some portion of the recruits for several years with full knowledge they will have to repeat the process, again, and again,… They are not looking for someone who is older and willing to stay long term. Some might say these are ‘churn and burn’ kinds of positions.

You are probably wasting your time pursuing these kinds of positions.

Millennial job opportunities are often designed to be ‘churn and burn.’ Targeting positions and companies that specifically create a work environment for millennials is probably not a good idea.

Reinvented Java Programmer

Another story from a 50-something reinvented Java programmer.

I am a 55+-year-old woman who took a Java programming boot camp after being laid off from my IBM mainframe programming job several years ago. I traveled halfway across the country to take the boot camp and I was able to land a job with a company converting mainframe software to Java.

Over the last two years, I have been passed over for promotion or advancement several times. They have promoted younger people during that same period who have less experience and accomplishments.

I have been encouraged to attend various gatherings after work but I have family obligations that interfere. I am responsible for my elderly parents who are in poor health. Besides, I do not want to go happy hour mixers with people half my age.

I am frustrated and I am not sure what to do next.

My response.

I worked with someone at my last corporate gig, who told a similar story. When he asked why he was being passed over for promotion, he was told he did not have enough “career runway” to justify a promotion. I believe you are running into the exact same situation. You are not going to change that.

Look for a company that values older tech workers. There are a few out there. Check out my post on Finding People Who Look, Taste and Smell Like You. 

Get on LinkedIn and search for people with very similar skills as yours and who are older. My guess is you will find most of them working at federal, state or local governments. You may also find them working at Universities or community colleges. These are the places where you will best fit in.

I claim that your environment and who you work with is more important to job satisfaction than what you do.

Think about that.

Quit chasing Millennial job opportunities.

Look for the Ideal Environment

Look for the environment rather than the job. I know that sounds a bit idealistic.

One of the things I am learning from listening to my online community, which you can learn more about that endeavor here, is most want freedom. They want to be able to continue to work doing what they want when they want and where they want.

I am also hearing they want their horizon’s broadened. There are ways to make money today that did not exist 5-10 years ago and many times this is not getting a JOB. It is doing things online, using video and/or audio.

Just like your job search, it will take longer than you think. You have to remember this will be a marathon and not a sprint.

Are you ready to stop chasing millennial job opportunities?

Marc Miller  

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‘Playing it Safe’ in Your Career is the New Risky [Updated]

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Are you Playing it Safe? If so, that is pretty risky!Playing it safe with your career

Are you ‘Playing it Safe’ with your Career? We live in a world where creative destruction has accelerated. If you are not aware of creative destruction then I suggest you read my post: Surviving Creative Destruction in the 2nd Half of Life first.

We live in a time where automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics are capable of eliminating your job. The recent article 375 million jobs may be automated by 2030, study suggests states:

The McKinsey Global Institute cautions that as many as 375 million workers will need to switch occupational categories by 2030 due to automation.

The work most at risk of automation includes physical jobs in predictable environments, such as operating machinery or preparing fast food. Data collection and processing are also in the crosshairs, with implications for mortgage origination, paralegals, accounts and back-office processing.

This will have a ripple effect throughout many industries.

‘Playing it Safe’ is now the new risky!

If you think that your employer plans on keeping you for more than three years or expects you to hang around more than three years you are ‘playing it safe’ and that is pretty risky!

I started taking risks in my career around the turn of the century.  When I have made those career decisions that were actually pretty safe, they felt very risky.

I started the planning process for Career Pivot in early 2009. Incorporation occurred in late 2010 and the Career Pivot brand was launched in February of 2012. I had thought things through, gotten advice from many trusted advisers, and hired a coach.

In 2012, on a Sunday afternoon, I had a phone conversation with my coach.

I told her that I was feeling very anxious about a variety of things going on at the time.  Logically, I knew everything was going according to plan but, emotionally, I was a wreck. She reminded me that I had re-made myself many times before. (This was the seventh career change of some sort in 35 years.)  Why was this any different? I told her it was not. Every time I go through these changes, it is very anxiety-provoking. I perceived emotionally that I was taking a big risk. It was my perception and, therefore, it was my reality. I was not playing it safe!!

Now Comes the Emotional Side.

I am a pretty unemotional guy as I am a recovering engineer. What I discounted was the emotional side of starting Career Pivot. For the first 18 months in business, I would wake up in a sweat at 4 AM and think I do not have a paycheck! This is the ‘I do not have a paycheck syndrome.’ No one is there to take care of me.

The days of having an employer, company, government … who will take care of you are gone.

Nonetheless, I feel far more safe in my career decisions because I am not relying on an employer.

Is Your Industry Safe?

If you think your job and industry are immune to automation, AI, and robotics then you are smoking something and you are inhaling.

Do not listen to our esteemed Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin when he was quoted as saying:

“Technology has made the American worker more productive. In terms of artificial intelligence taking American jobs, I think we’re, like, so far away from that – not even on my radar screen,” Mnuchin said. “I think it’s 50 or 100 more years.”

Our esteemed treasury secretary must be smoking something because virtually none of the experts agree with him. I guess it helps to be a billionaire and have no financial worries.

Industries are Morphing at a Rapid Rate.

I am working on a blog post and survey based on a Pew Research study called News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017. The study states:

As of August 2017, two-thirds (67%) of Americans report that they get at least some of their news on social media – with two-in-ten doing so often.

Even those of us who are in the 2nd half of life are getting news from social media as the study states:

For the first time in the Center’s surveys, more than half (55%) of Americans ages 50 or older report getting news on social media sites.

Remember reading a newspaper and watching the evening news? I sure do! But, now, I never watch the evening news. I read the local Austin American Statesman newspaper on my iPad on Sunday mornings, and get most of my news from the Apple News app.

The news industry is just one example of where change is occurring at lightning speed. I have written multiple posts on this topic:

Even professions like Information Technology (IT), which everyone thought would be safe, are no longer.

Career Safety is the New Risk.

When I left my last corporate employer I swore I would never work for anyone again as an employee. My wife and I have downsized. We have greatly simplified our lives. We have lived for the longest time mostly on savings. It took 2 years before I started paying myself and I am still drawing some money from saving after 5 years in business.

We even plan to move to Mexico in 2018. Check out the podcast where I explain how and why. Why The Millers are Moving to Mexico and How They Will Do It! [Podcast]

I am not taking the safe route but it is safer than being an employee!

Are you ‘playing it safe’ with your career?

Marc Miller  

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When Your Ethical Boundaries are Crossed [Updated]

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Ethical Boundaries

Ethical BoundariesWe all have ethical boundaries. We know what we think is ethical behavior at work, but what do you do when your ethical boundaries are crossed?

Have you really thought what you would do if asked to do something that you considered unethical?

Have you considered what you would do if your boss or others in corporate management did something that you considered unethical?

We see it in the news like the Wells Fargo Fake Account scandal. Maybe it is all of the sexual harassment misconduct by people in Hollywood. I will not touch in this post on what is going on in Washington D.C. and our national leader’s ethical conduct. That all seems so distant from our day to day lives.

What Happens When It Occurs at Your Place of Work?

Until a little over seven years ago, I had never really thought about it. That was until my last employer was acquired. I started to see changes in behavior in the senior management that concerned me.

We were also in the middle of the great recession. We were hiring when many other companies were laying staff off. Much of the executive staff had gotten their big payoff from the acquisition and had the golden handcuffs on.

It started when a director tried to hire a close relative. The director was not well liked by her employees. You might say they feared her wrath.

The relative interviewed for a lower-level position and was about to get an offer when this individual’s background check did not pass corporate guidelines. It was suspected that a drug-related issue came up in the background check but the real reason for the failure was unknown.

There was a sigh of relief that could be felt throughout the office. The staff was incredibly relieved no matter the reason.

This was not in my management chain, but it was a warning—and I ignored it. It was 2010, and the economy still was in the tank.

Pushing Against My Ethical Boundaries

Several months later, I received a resume from a senior executive. It was the resume of a close relative that the senior executive wanted me to consider for an open position. I was hiring for a technical trainer with international training experience.

There was a major problem. This individual was not even vaguely qualified. I mean not even close. The gentleman had no technical background, had never worked in the corporate world, had never taught adults and had no international experience. He did not meet a single one of the job requirements. He was a senior executive’s close relative.

I was then pressured by my boss to interview this individual. I should have pushed back and said NO! I am a board member of a large job club and our weekly meetings were reaching close to 400 in attendance. I could have walked into our Friday meetings and found more than a dozen more qualified individuals in a heartbeat.

I did not say “no” and agreed to interview the individual.

At that time I should have started to make plans to leave!

It was a phone interview, and I explained that he was not qualified for the current position. I also offered advice on where he might want to look for employment in the city where his qualifications would be valued.

To make a long story short, I was pressured to interview this individual in person. I did so against my better judgment.

I refused to hire the individual. I was done.

Hired Anyway

I thought that was that. I went to the recruiter’s office to check on the status of other candidates for the job and a recruiter mentioned in passing that my boss had hired him anyway. She was really surprised that I did not know.

My boss created a position working for him directly and hired the relative. All of this was done behind my back.

What to do next?

I had not created a Plan B. I knew it was coming, but I ignored the possibility.

I confronted my boss and was told it was a done deal.  There was nothing I could do about it. I was even expected to train the individual for the newly created position. Aint that a real kick in the teeth?

My ethical boundaries were crossed!

I strategically did the following:

  • Kept my mouth shut. I mentioned that my ethical boundaries had been crossed to my HR representative, but when asked whether to carry this up the management chain, I said no. I trusted no one!
  • Consulted my financial adviser. It was comforting talking to someone about the financial risk and having it confirmed that I was making a rational financial decision.
  • Finished the legal paperwork to create my business. My business plans were already in the works. I accelerated everything by 9-12 months.
  • Calculated to the day when I would give two weeks notice and get the greatest financial benefit. This included getting my quarterly bonus, getting within 14 days of my next options vesting, and having the company pay for health insurance for the rest of the month.

It was three months from the time I confronted my boss to when I turned in my resignation. This was a miserable three months. Many other ethical issues popped up during this time that made it more intolerable.

I wish I had spent time formulating a Plan B when I got the first indication of bad ethical behavior. My mistake!

After My Departure

I received phone calls throughout the next year from former colleagues who were still trying to deal with my former boss. I was trying to leave the whole situation behind me but my former colleagues kept on coming to me for advice. As always, I wanted to be helpful but it was like rubbing salt in a wound.

When I left, I was very stressed out and exhausted. In hindsight, I should have taken a walkabout like I did in my 20’s when I did a 4+ week camping trip to clear my head. I did not and it took me almost a year to heal from the ordeal.

I had never thought about what I would do if my ethical boundaries were crossed. I now teach in the Targeted Job Search to always be prepared to leave your current job.

You never know when you might be laid off or have your ethical boundaries crossed.

Do you have a Plan B?

Do you have a similar story to tell? What did you do?

Marc Miller  

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The Dread Question – Why Do You Want to Leave? [Book Chapter]

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The Dread Question – Why Do You Want to Leave? Chapter from Repurpose Your Career – A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life

Career Mistakes: Failure is a Great Option A Chapter from Repurpose Your Career by Marc MillerIt is all but guaranteed that somewhere in the interview process you will be asked the following question:

“Why do you want to leave your current position?”

Prepare an answer, of course, but also prepare for the interviewer to keep harping on the question in one form or another to see if you will start spilling angry beans. Have a strategy against taking the bait. Your response should pivot the conversation from what you are leaving to where you are going! It is all about reframing the question.

So you might respond:

“I am happy in my current position*, but I am looking for (something this new job provides).

*Whether this is true or not

Do not get negative! If anything you says sounds, smells or tastes negative, stop, regroup and start again with a positive tone.

Remember when we talked about running to something, and not running from something?

WHEN YOU NEED MORE LOVE AND MORE MONEY

Let’s use Robert as an example.

He’s a political science lecturer at a major university in the Midwest. He had been an energy lobbyist until the 9/11 disaster and the Enron bankruptcy put him out of work.

He went back to school to get his master’s degree in political science and landed a lecturer position at the university he had attended. His pay is very low. He has been teaching the same classes for many years, and his ego has taken a bruising.

He is the kind of guy who really likes a pat on the back from his bosses, which he does not receive. He gets appreciation from his students, but not from anyone else at the school.

The tedium of teaching the same classes has gotten to him. He has realized he needs a lot of variety to keep him motivated.

He needs to make more money. He is married with two kids, and the money is not sufficient. He is not on a tenure track, so this is somewhat of a dead-end job.

He wants a position as an energy lobbyist.

How could Robert respond when posed with the magic question on why he is leaving? One possible response could be:

“I love my job and my students, but what I really want is a position where I can get some recognition for my work, where I get to work on a wide variety of topics and I can make enough money to support my family.”

Let’s say the interview comes back with this: “Do you not get that from your current position?”

Robert could respond:

“My salary is public record and you can look that up. I am focused on where I want to go, and your position seems to meet my criteria. Can I ask you about the variety of topics I would be working on at this position?”

He can pivot the response to where he is going and, when questioned, use it as a way to pose a question back to the interviewer.

benefits. He has been climbing the corporate ladder with a plan to be a VP. He is not happy in his current position working for a huge, slow-moving organization.

He has worked for medium-size companies where he has had a leadership role in HR.

His boss Steve, VP of HR, whom James just adored, left because Steve’s boss was a workaholic and expected all of his staff to be the same way.

After much thought, James has decided he would rather work for a smaller company again. He wants to be a big fish in small pond.

He has applied and is interviewing for Steve’s old VP position but cannot see himself working for the workaholic boss. If offered the job, he will be put in a very difficult position because he has a family and wants a personal life.

He is also interviewing to become director of HR for a small/medium size company that is growing rapidly. He would have a small staff but would be responsible for the HR for the entire company.

When he interviews with this company, how should James answer the question “Why do you want to leave your current position?”

One response could be:

“I want to work for a smaller company where I can have an impact on all phases of HR within the

Robert is focused on what he wants and is not going to take the bait!

Practice this yourself. Can you be prepared to pivot back with a question?

WHEN YOU NEED MORE STATUS AND MORE FREEDOM

Let’s talk about James this time.

He works for a huge insurance company as director of HR, responsible for managing the medical benefits. He has been climbing the corporate ladder with a plan to be a VP. He is not happy in his current position working for a huge, slow-moving organization.

He has worked for medium-size companies where he has had a leadership role in HR.

His boss Steve, VP of HR, whom James just adored, left because Steve’s boss was a workaholic and expected all of his staff to be the same way.

After much thought, James has decided he would rather work for a smaller company again. He wants to be a big fish in small pond.

He has applied and is interviewing for Steve’s old VP position but cannot see himself working for the workaholic boss. If offered the job, he will be put in a very difficult position because he has a family and wants a personal life.

He is also interviewing to become director of HR for a small/medium size company that is growing rapidly. He would have a small staff but would be responsible for the HR for the entire company.

When he interviews with this company, how should James answer the question “Why do you want to leave your current position?”

One response could be:

“I want to work for a smaller company where I can have an impact on all phases of HR within the company. I want to work in a dynamic environment. Can we talk about the new initiatives that are planned for the coming year?”

James did not answer the question but stated where he wanted to go, which hinted at why he might be leaving.

He immediately pivoted the conversation to a topic he wanted to discuss. Whenever you are posed with a question that has bait attached, deflect the bait and pivot the conversation back the other way.

WHEN YOU NEED TO BE IN CHARGE OF THE PROCESS

For the third, and last, scenario we have Mary.

Mary works for a very large technology company in marketing operations. She is very good at her job. She likes to be able to control her schedule. Her current job is completely interruption-driven, which drives her nuts! Mary needs to work in an environment where she knows who is in control. She has had a new manager every six months for the last three years. Not good!

Mary has a very high social service interest; she likes to help people. She coaches girls’ soccer teams and just loves it. She has networked her way into a smaller organization where she has applied for an HR position.

How should Mary answer when she’s asked why she wants to leave her current role? One response could be:

“I want to take my operations skills and transition them into a position where I can have an impact on people’s lives. I want a stable work and management environment. How long have you been the manager of this team, and how would you describe your management style?”

She asked for what she wanted and immediately pivoted the conversation back to the interviewer.

Mary should not say that she dislikes being interruption-driven or that she dislikes that her manager changes every six months. It is her responsibility to ask enough questions to find out whether the environment is to her liking.

I cannot state this enough: Interviewing is like dating and marriage! Both sides need to come prepared to find out whether there’s a match.

Did you like this chapter?

Marc Miller  

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