Ugh, walking into another meeting to advance your new business venture or propose a new idea and you know the audience is hostile. This is Corporate America. Not that they are inherently mean and vicious but the climb to success in a corporate environment can elevate single-mindedness over team play. Get noticed, show you’re smarter than that person at the podium and keep things as they are with the “if it ain’t broke” mentality, those are the daily challenges you face as a corporate entrepreneur.
So why? Why go through that? Because beneath the surface, you know this is the right thing to do and you know these are good people at heart and once you break through, they will support you and ride the wave to success together.
And that’s my story, building a new business from scratch inside a large global organization was my challenge. And one day, after a tough session and what felt like a beat down, one of my co-workers who’d been through similar experiences made the statement, around here it feels like “every game is an away game”. I connected instantly with those words and felt relief I wasn’t alone in the challenge. I concluded this was really just a rite of passage and conditioning for the stamina to make things happen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really proud of my company and all the success over the years and the wonderful people that I’ve come to know as friends and co-workers. It’s been a blessing and I’m a better person for having worked there.
So, from that experience and many others like it, I have advice for my fellow corporate entrepreneurs and those aspiring to make a change inside a complex matrix organization:
- Challenge the status quo but know your boundaries; understand the degree of assertiveness to apply based on who is impacted and strength of your reputation
- Make friends and network constantly, spread out and make friends regionally and globally, with the right people
- Understand what you’re up against, learn how things work; when systems and processes are a roadblock, study them and find ways you can navigate through or around them
- Get out and look around, be curious, show interest in others and what they do; build relationships and explore all functions of the organization
- Discover your mentor; be a mentor any chance you get
- Be genuine
- Be respectful
- Be kind
In summary, take action, be resourceful, welcome change and embrace the challenge. And by the way, I’m proud to say we were successful, the new business is off and running.
My thoughts…
The thesis of this article, “Every Game is an Away Game,” is a metaphor for the challenges faced by athletic teams who must travel to play on their opponent’s home turf. Playing in unfamiliar territory is a disadvantage which requires work to overcome.
In his first paragraph, John speaks to the need to understand one’s audience so as to craft a message that will be received most favorably. To embellish on his primary point, John mentions the need to understand the company culture and management style, the importance of building a team to ensure success; to be a team player; and to build consensus. Stated another way, one must know their company’s management style, its culture, to be successful.
There’s no question that a corporate environment is very competitive, both externally and internally. Although new models speak to the benefits of collaboration and teamwork, corporations are still hierarchical organizations with intense competition to move up the ladder. As with any product, competition is ultimately a positive force. It makes one work harder and smarter, to become better prepared to find solutions to vexing issues.
At the same time, corporations are social organizations. People are not only expected to do their best work through healthy competition, they are expected to be friendly and to get along with one another. After all, people want to work with other people who are enjoyable to be around. A toxic, dysfunctional work environment is not optimal for maximum effectiveness.
John packed a lot of wisdom into this article. My overall takeaway is that the modern corporation is a crucible to sharpen one’s skills. I couldn’t agree more!
Thank you for visiting our blog.
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, Managing Partner
ITB PARTNERS
Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com
Current Assignments
- COO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – Completed
- VP Operations – Southeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – New
- CEO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – Completed
- Corporate R&D Chef, Atlanta-based Home Meal Replacement Company – Complete
- Area Supervisor – Legacy Pizza Chain, Carolinas – Completed
- Operating Partners – Legacy Pizza Chain – New
- Controller – Atlanta-based Consumer Products – Digital Company – Completed
- Sr. Staff Accountant – Atlanta-based Not-for-profit – Completed