Decoding the 4 Phases of Being “Institutional” to Find the Job that “Fits”.

This time of year people make job changes right after the annual bonus payout.??

When I was working in Boston, it was almost like a game of musical chairs when one person’s move would create a cascade of openings.??

But when you make a change, how do you really know it is a good decision???

When you are early in your career the decision making is relatively easy, more money and more responsibility.??As you gain more experience the stakes are much higher resetting that “personal currency bank” with your team and peers.

Finding the elusive “fit”, where one’s contribution can amplify the organization’s efforts and impact takes time.?

Firms doing the hiring often tackle it with protracted interview sessions and some do personality tests to get “fit” right.? ?

From the candidate’s perspective, it is often not taken with the same amount of rigor and we often go about it all wrong.??

There are a myriad of dynamics at play ranging from someone’s savings and burn rate, how bad they want to leave the old firm and other cognitive biases.?? ?

How many times have you received an offer letter and not really spent time thinking through the tradeoffs or really done a meaningful background check on the firm’s organizational climate.???Or more importantly whether your future manager is amazing, under-rated, aloof or a sociopath???Buyer beware…

A few articles back I wrote about the power of self awareness. If you unpack it, career growth is that magic where you are in alignment with your firm’s mission and your ability to make a contribution each day.??

Dave Morehead , the CIO of Baylor, does a great job describing fit from the employer lens:?

“In the end we’re not looking for a candidate to meet a set of requirements, but “fit” with our existing team and complement the personalities and capabilities we already possess.??And we’re happy to take as long as necessary to find such.??Which is why we start the process well in advance of the expected need.”

If the hiring team gets it right, they can slot you in.??But there is a catch.??You are in the best position to know if YOU are the person at the right time for the job.??

Get it right and you are on your way.??Get it wrong and this can set you back a few years.??We have all seen this at one point or another where it didn’t work out for yourself or someone you know.??

Trust me, I learned the hard way.??More on that later…

So, the question is how can we increase the probability that you are at the right point in your career to excel in the opportunity presented.??

The Four Phases of being “Institutional”

An area many people overlook is “how they work”, where they are in the arc of the their career and the culture of the firm.??

Do you dive in with reckless abandon seeking process improvement or quietly grind out your work with perfection???

This composite is a primary driver of job satisfaction or a high performing employee.??

People talk about being “Institutional” as a binary concept, but I look at it in 4 distinct phases:??1) Early Stage, 2) Growth, 3) Stable/Mature and 4) Decline/Transaction. I learned this construct during my time in business school unpacking the opportunities (and perils) of managing a growing business.

I later modified this concept when building operational due diligence programs to help me determine where a firm was in its lifecycle to assess the team, infrastructure and potential operational threats over the near term.??

Here is my take on how I see it:.

Experience is what you got when you didn’t get what you wanted.??And experience is the most valuable thing you have to offer.?-Randy Pausch

Aligning Human Capital with the Four Phases

About 25 years ago I got some experience.??At the time I was someone who was had some relative success at a smaller firm running down loose balls and sharing ideas on where we needed to improve things.??I had freedom and was rewarded for pitching in wherever they needed help.??

When I took a new job relocating from Denver back to Boston I was a junior-ish person working at a much larger organization.???Known for its long history and low turnover it all looked great on the surface.??But when you peeled back the layers, it had a “not built here” mentality and had challenges as it grew.??

What previously worked for me before was not welcome at the new place.??What was rewarded was to “stay in your lane” and “let the loose ball go”.??It is someone else’s problem.

Looking back on the experience I learned a lot.??While I had the skillset for the hire it was a terrible fit.??

So what I learned much later was that I could not apply my “Phase 2 Growth personality” to a “Phase 4 Mature company” at that point in my career.??

If I place myself in the chart, it might have looked something like this:

It also cuts the other way.??For those in a large organization wanting to “scratch the entrepreneurial itch”, one needs to be comfortable contributing outside their area of expertise and being really comfortable with uncertainty during the growth phase.??It is not for everyone.??

Career Risk Mitigation

So, how does one mitigate this risk???When looking at making a job change be sure to “polish the mirror” to reflect on your true nature.??You can also ask a friend or former colleague for some observations.?

Some of the questions you can ask yourself or the firm you are interviewing with might be:??

• Does the firm talk about innovation and improvement or the laurels of how long they have been around?? ? ? ?
• What are the most recent changes in technology or process within the group or firm???How did it go???
• Speak to former employees about your new boss/leadership.??What is the organizational climate???Get examples of the highs and the lows.??If it is a large firm, go find someone who used to work in the specific group.??

To set yourself up for success, be sure you do the necessary work on yourself and understand the real organizational climate.??This is not the firm’s mission statement but how people feel and act when they walk in the door every day.??

What do you have to lose?