CORPORATE POLITICS VS. STARTUP CULTURE

INTRO

I’ve seen a lot of people spin their wheels when they are looking for a new job, and struggle to figure out why. To frame your search properly, a really important first step is to understand which types of firms you are aligned with, based on your goals and motivations. Let me be clear - there is no wrong answer to this, and everyone will have a different point of view, which is totally valid. However, if your feet are not planted in the right direction, you will spend a lot of unnecessary time and energy, which will result in frustration and confusion. This, in turn, will have a negative impact on your interview performance, and decrease your chances of landing the right job. ?

For this exercise, let’s define Office Politics as “the self-serving behavioral tool that involves the use of power and social networking, within a workplace, to increase the probability of obtaining positive outcomes within an organization.” Those who hold power within an organization are selected based on their alignment with the values of the company, and their ability to push the corporate agenda. They will be put in position to reward employees who “play” Office Politics better than others. ??

GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

In an enterprise environment, there is typically a very clear hierarchy, which produces a predictable pattern of growth for those who choose this career path. The supply and demand of opportunity within the company is such that it creates intense competition for praise and recognition. The larger the organization, the harder it becomes to prove your value as an individual. ??

Employees who play Office Politics better than others will be rewarded with status, title, money, information, respect, and support. Receiving these rewards will trigger a euphoric feeling, and signal that you are getting closer to achieving the power that you desire, and subconsciously believe to be the definition of success. However, as you secure the promotions and rise up the ranks, you will take on a more “managerial” role, and no longer be contributing in a way that is easily quantified.?

Obviously, I’m aware of my inherent negative bias, based on personal experiences, that is jumping off the page as I write this. But the reality is, some people are highly skilled at navigating this type of situation, and have built wildly successful careers as a result.

We tend to think of working at startups as “risky,” as compared to the conventional definition of “job stability” that we have been conditioned to hold true. And indeed, there definitely are some obvious risks associated with working at an early-stage company. To name a few, maybe they haven't proven product-market fit yet, or have a limited amount of resources, and a “junior” leadership team that hasn’t been vetted or approved by a board of directors. ??

EVALUATING RISK

Based on my experience, I would argue that working at a company or in an industry where you are?NOT?a cultural fit is even more of a risk than all of the above. It’s extremely difficult, and costs a ton of energy, to change who you are at your core to fit in with an organization, and it’s impossible to do that without compromising the quality and authenticity of your work.?

On the other hand, if you find a startup that embraces your unique identity, character, skillset, and motivation, they are going to cultivate and extract the best version of yourself.???

You are also much more likely to form strong and genuine connections with others internally, because you have shared values and goals. ??

I have learned through the course of my career, that when I am the best version of myself, and have the support of like-minded individuals around me, I literally cannot lose.?????

Even if the company fails for reasons outside my control, I will not fail personally. You will have success stories to tell, and professional growth experiences to build on and bring to your next mission. In Web3, this is far more impactful to hiring managers than any job title, promotion, or performance review.

So, which would you rather have on your CV, and discuss in an interview - a “mid” job that you did for a big company with name recognition, or some outstanding work that you did for a small company that no one has heard of? ??

FORK IN THE ROAD

I recently shot a?podcast ?with?Simon Jones , Founder of?Voltz Labs , and asked him about how he evaluates a “culture fit” in an interview. He said that the most important factor is what drives the candidate. “We’re all motivated to build the biggest piece of financial infrastructure in the world. We want to displace every clearing house, and ultimately impact billions of people.” ??

The way I see it, the difference in values between startups and big companies is mission vs. market share. The most important metric at an early stage project is delivering value to users, while mature organizations are honed in on steadily increasing revenue for investors or shareholders. The biggest challenge for a startup is proving product-market fit, while established companies are usually past the innovation phase, and focused on maintaining their status as competitors emerge. At this stage, roles are much more clearly defined, and those that stick to the formula will excel. ??

When I got hired at UBS in 2018, I truly felt like I had finally “made it.” I felt an overwhelming sense of validation, and pride in my skills. I was super excited to peek “under the hood,” get involved in the other side of the process, and fix everything that I thought was broken, as an external supplier of talent. You couldn’t convince me that this wasn’t the start of a life-long career in investment banking. ??

And then reality hit.?Any proposal of deviation from the mechanical workflows we were given to follow was met with run-around excuses, harsh criticism, or straight-up rejection, even if it would result in an obvious net-positive outcome for all parties involved. As Robert Greene stated in his book, “The 48 Laws of Power” - “never outshine the master.”

True story, I thought it would be fun to include DJ Khaled memes at the end of my weekly “open role update” emails to lighten up the vibes, and display my personality so the people I worked with would know how to engage with me.?That one didn’t go over too well.

I quickly learned that we had ONE job - to make our boss look good to her superiors, and help her hit her bonus; even when it compromised the level of service we provide to our stakeholders. I felt like an oompa-loompa - a brutal realization; way off from what I was expecting. ??

YOUR TRIBE

In Web3, on the other hand, as well as startups more broadly, we are much more focused on serving the users we are building for, and accomplishing the goals we share with other contributors in the greater ecosystem. This naturally produces a sense of camaraderie, and willingness to support each other. ??

We respect those that stand in their principles, and allow our peers the space to test out new, creative ideas, so long as the intention is aligned. In this setting, there is no room for massive egos that hold us back from hitting our target. ??

As Bored Ape hodler?sirvincentfred ?so eloquently?tweeted ,?“When you lead in a digital world, action trumps commands. Leadership isn't about control, it's about action.”????

These are values that resonate with me deeply, and light up a fire of motivation that the suits couldn’t manage to extinguish. If?Up Top ?shriveled up and died tomorrow, I would be proud of my work and personal growth, and confident that I would be a much more attractive candidate than I was when I got canned from?UBS . ????