Working for an SME: A Rigger's* Tale

As it’s the United Nations Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Day, I thought I'd share my experience of working for an SME.

In writing this article I spent some time looking for some quotes regarding working for an SME and I stumbled across this piece, written by Lisa Bean and featured on www.allaboutcareers.com. Lisa writes of her experience in making the switch from SME to a larger corporate and she makes three points but, in the interest of brevity, I've taken one of those points and elaborated with a little of my experience working for an SME. (All quoted text used in my article is taken from Lisa's).

Master of all trades, jack of none...

Background

I joined Aspire Consulting Ltd straight from the Royal Air Force and, though my service record will state that I applied for premature voluntary retirement (PVR), that isn't really the whole story (though I won't be sharing it today), and I would still be serving today if I could. In the RAF I was a technician specialising in aircraft mechanical systems and I spent the entirety of my short career on helicopters.

Why is that relevant?

I joined Aspire while I was at a pretty low ebb. I didn't know what to expect from a (far earlier) than planned foray into civvy street, I had a mortgage to pay, my wife was expecting and, though I had job offers with two good firms, they were for manual roles - on-the-tools - that I simply wasn't sure that I'd be capable of because of ongoing treatment (including major surgeries) for the knee injury that had curtailed my time in the RAF. Then came the opportunity to retrain for a desk-based role that would use whatever knowledge and skill I'd developed in the service; an opportunity to become an 'Engineering Consultant' with a small company who happened to be in my home town and who could see past the funny walk and straight-leg brace that was fitted over the top of my suit trousers for the interviews.

The Initial Development Plan

Up to this point the phrase 'Engineering Consultant' has been in inverted commas and the reason is simple, it doesn't really describe the role that I was to be trained for. I was to be an Engineering Consultant but that title reflected a seniority level within the pay structure; the role title was 'Reliability-centred Maintenance (RCM) Analyst' and it's for that specific role that my initial development was described.

RCM, for anybody that reads this and isn't aware, is an analysis technique that can be used to identify an efficient programme of scheduled maintenance for a piece of kit. In this case, mainly military bits of kit and - predominately - aircraft. Joining the business I understood the technology involved with aircraft so, the development would focus on understanding the finer points of the analysis technique itself.

A consistent estimation was that "it will take 2 years to become competent analyst" including a training course, mentorship and on-the-job training.

Happy days.

A specific job with a tailored development plan that would maximise the benefit of my practical experience and keep me involved with aircraft (which was the reason I joined the RAF in the first place).

The suggested anatomy of a consultant's role, then, looked a little like this.

But, an RCM analyst in a large corporation might get away with that. They may have more than one activity but the chances are that they will be an analyst across all activities. For an SME though, that won't cut it.

The Actual Development Journey

In an SME, however, you will literally know, see and do anything and everything. You’ll learn faster, harder and in more depth than you would do in a corporate. Cross-fertilisation of knowledge and virtual working on projects is the norm. You’re very unlikely to ever do the same thing twice because everything is so bespoke and client-driven. It’s what my boss would call ‘on-demand hierarchy’, meaning the best person for the job gets the job on the day.

The initial development plan was flawed and it was flawed because what it did (and I did latterly when it became my responsibility for new joiners later on) was fail to take proper account of the fact that simply being a competent analyst wasn't enough; we failed to take account of the role of an RCM analyst, in the context of an SME.

In an SME, in my field, everybody has the potential to be customer-facing - whether that be facilitating analysis or presenting (and often defending) it - which means that even a new analyst has to develop the art of consulting. [Contrary to popular belief, the art of consulting isn't about making money (though obviously, it has to) it's about advice, education, leadership and an RCM analyst has to be able to deliver those things, professionally, while dissecting their own painstaking work]. So, they're an analyst, they're a consultant and often, they're those things for more than one project (each with its own idiosyncrasies and timescales) so they're a time management pro to. Often, they understand more than one type of analysis so they have to do all of the above across more than one discipline. At times they're caretakers, cleaners, IT support, receptionists, representatives and salespeople and they have to do all of that while meeting their deadlines.

So, what was the actual anatomy of a consultant (using me as the example)?

There were days, at the height, where I'd start work at 0830 and sit down at 1645 (15 minutes before notional home time) to begin producing the RCM analysis that I was originally recruited for.

...because time is so precious and clients are so demanding, you can often kiss goodbye to your weekend in delivering what he needs. It’s all hands to the pump and you all need to earn your salary.

When you search the internet for SME vs Big Business (or words to that effect), much is made of the greater flexibility offered by working for an SME, and that has been my experience, but it's a two-way street. In exchange for flexible working, the business expects deadlines to be met and, occasionally, that means irrespective of how realistic those deadlines really are (an SME, particularly in Defence, is almost forced into 'buying' contracts; quoting low prices to win work and, for a consultancy, that means less time spent producing and, in turn, tight deadlines).

The Business's Journey Since I joined

When I joined the business, it was a growing company of around 16/17 people and I am a product of its investment in the future. RCM analysts in the UK Defence sector were in ready supply when the Armed Forces maintained an RCM capability (their trained staff would leave and join civilian organisations) but that capability had long since died. The ready-trained manpower pool, therefore, was an ageing one and becoming more scarce so the business decided that it would invest in the next generation of analyst.

At its height, the business was around 25 people with a large portion of those being RCM analysts (old and new) and a software development capability. Investment, you see, was needed in tools to support the analysis, as well as in personnel to perform it.

Following a downturn in the market, the business contracted to a much smaller team, supported by a network of associates.

Things That Working For an SME Has Taught Me About Myself

I need something to believe in

This particular SME works in Defence and it works to make sure that Defence capabilities are correctly supported. Something close to my heart after having been a maintainer but, it's bigger than that, the business carries a message to the agencies responsible for calculating and providing that support to the guys and girls on the ground 'stop messing about and do it properly'. I bought into that, I buy into it still, and having that belief in the message makes it easier to spend evenings and weekends making a difference(hopefully).

I need the pressure of multiple activities

A few paragraphs ago I described sitting down 15 minutes before the official home time to start producing. The rest of the time was spent (almost daily) moving between other tasks associated with project management, ownership of a software product, managing the team outside of the project space, planning seminars, designing commercial training or...and the list goes on. Thing is, I loved those days where I was so busy that I could barely remember taking a breath. Turns out, I live for (and need) that level of pressure - not always (it simply isn't sustainable for long periods) but more often than not.

I like people

'Can you handle the insecurity that comes with working for a small business?'

That question was asked of me during my interview and a simple 'yes' is what I replied with. The interviewer was eluding to the possibility (perhaps probability) that working for an SME could result in short-notice unemployment. I am one of the partners** left in the business - so I write this mindful of what everybody else went through during the downsize - but watching my team and the wider business be dismantled around my ears and then being the only one left is one of the hardest experiences I've been through.

I didn't realise how fond I was of having people around me (to bounce ideas off, to keep me in check, to talk about their cats, to joke about that time that they accidentally signed off an email with a kiss, or to force another unnecessary cup of coffee into my face) until they weren't there any more. I'm not sure what emotion is stronger; the survivor's guilt that I felt still working in a newly-empty office, or the fact that I miss them being there.

So, What's My Point?

I joined an SME at a time when, to be honest, I was sulking. I needed something, primarily a job that I could fulfil while immobilised, but also something to get my teeth into and to pick me up a little.

...you need tough skin if you’re going to work in an SME because you're often in the direct firing line. 

My experience obviously leans heavily toward the sector in which I work but, I think that working for any SME is likely to be exhausting. In fact, the need for 100% of the people to add value, 100% of the time, and in more than one capacity, almost guarantees a heavy burden and in an environment where the weight and effect of every single decision is felt by every single person, it could easily become too much. It's understandable, then, that it's not for everybody.

I'm lucky in that I found a message (a product if you will) that I believe in, and that I enjoy all of the challenges that come with being part of SME, and that I'm able to contribute on all fronts.

People working in big business will, of course, meet challenges but I'm not sure they could replicate the breadth and variety of the challenges offered by an SME.

*Rigger - there are two trades in the RAF that are nicknamed Riggers. The first are Aircraft Technicians who specialise, initially, in the maintenance of Airframe systems. The second trade, Aerial Erectors, are imposters and irrelevant to this story.

**Partner - in this sense is used by the business in lieu of employee. The term is used to foster a spirit of ownership; the idea that every employee 'owns' a stake in the success of the business. A key attribute of an SME.