Valenco case study #8 - Satish - Agile company or large brand

Beginnings

Satish’s father was a very respected schoolteacher. Despite limited financial resources, the household was filled with laughter, and he grew up in a happy and nurturing environment.

Determined to improve the financial standing of his family, he went to college on a scholarship and graduated at the top quartile of his class. Interviewed for jobs with the larger IT services companies and a few younger startups.

This was at the peak of the dot.com era. Satish got lured by the glamor of a startup and joined one which was looking to revolutionize payment transfers and offered very generous stock options.

Three years later, the startup ran out of money. Satish went on to work with one of the smaller tech services companies as a Java developer.

New beginnings

Hard work and drive paid off. Satish took on greater responsibility, architecting modules and writing code for hi-tech and ISV companies. Having tasted success, he applied to and landed a project manager role with a much larger tech services company.

For the next many years, Satish delivered and enhanced platforms for a telecom company. His wife mentioned that he occasionally talked in his sleep, saying words like provisioning, orchestration, and BSS.

Promoted to a delivery partner, he took on additional responsibility to also scout for new work and grow the team. Did well at that.

Felt it was time to start earning in the global currency, pitched for a sales role, and landed in Atlanta where the client was located.

Business continued to grow, and he achieved quota three years in a row, hitting the top end of the annual bonus. The parental home in India was renovated and his father received a new mid-range car for his 70th birthday. Satish started to send money to his mother for festivals and special occasions and put a down payment on a house under construction in suburban Atlanta.

Crossroads

A year ago, there was change in leadership which created ripples down the line. Many among the old guard in his division and also his mentors left the company.

This got him thinking too. When a recruiter from one of the largest tech services companies called, he took the call and landed a new job.

It gave him a pay bump, and a new sedan was soon parked in the driveway.

Satish’s previous employer was a very entrepreneurial company, allowing good performers a lot of latitude in taking decisions. Having started there when both he and the company were young, Satish had built a good internal network and knew his way around.

His current employer in contrast is very process driven. All decisions and actions need to follow a process, which while ensuring consistency and quality, slows down the pace. New to the organization, Satish also lacks the network which can help him understand and navigate his way around.

From being in a direct client engagement role through his career, Satish is now part of a group which solutions and responds to bids and RFP’s. The leads are originated by client partners and salespersons, and his group then takes on the validation, response and presentation.

Sitting in traffic on interstate 75, Satish often reflects if he made the right decision moving to this new employer.

He longs for the client contact, speed, and empowerment which he had with his past employer. The pay rise he received in the new job feels good though, as does the association with a top 5 global brand.

Options

Having tried the current role for a year, Satish started to reach out to his network to check potential job opportunities.

On of his mentors is still with his past employer. He runs a large group and is open to discussing a sales role to grow a very high visibility customer. The base pay will be comparable, but the bonus may not be as attractive as he has with his current employer.

A recruiter has been reaching out to him for a role with a mid-tier technology services company to grow business with a leading telco. It will carry complete ownership of business growth and client interface. The base pay is competitive, and if he does well, he could make variable compensation comparable to what his current employer offers.

Two of Satish’s neighbors did well with a product company which went IPO. Cashing in their stock, they have founded a startup to enable telecom companies utilize cloud computing. Over a Friday beer they asked if Satish would want to come on board. As an early member, he will have a say in the direction of the company. The base pay will be low but a potential upside from commissions on sales and stock options.

Decisions

Satish’s group recently won a large RFP. There was a group celebration, and his name was called out. He feels confident that he will make a significant % of his annual bonus this year.

Driving home from the celebration, he stopped at a bar to wait for traffic to clear. To his surprise he found a couple of familiar faces there and joined them.

Since it was uppermost on his mind, Satish narrated his dilemma. He longs for a workplace where he can work with clients directly, take decisions, and faster. At the same time, he had worked his way up, is employed by a leading global company, and making decent money.

You too had taken a pit stop, and sitting at the next table, overheard this conversation.

A few beers down, Satish invited you to join them and asked what you would recommend he do.

1.       Stay and grow with his present employer

2.       Move back to his previous employer in a client sales role

3.       Go to the next stages of discussion with the mid-tier company

4.       Take the plunge into entrepreneurship with his neighbors

The advice he received

The recommendations Satish has received are evenly split among the four options.

What is he aiming to do?

Reflecting on his career, Satish feels that he has worked hard to earn his success.

It has helped improve the financial standing of his family and their lifestyle.

Continuity of a career and predictability of earnings is a very important priority.

He likes the association with big brands and that he is good enough to get employed by one.

While the startup option is very attractive for the potential financial upside, he is less than keen on rocking the boat.

His current role offers the brand, stability, and good money. The internal network will build with time and he may also be able to find his way to a customer facing role.

His last employer is also among the top 10 IT services companies and a visible name. He still has internal connects there, and the potential supervisor is an old colleague. He will get into a customer facing role from day one, and the money is almost comparable to his current stack.

He realizes that his success over the years was in working directly with his customers, first leading technology programs, and then growing business. The enablement to take decisions and influence customer outcomes led to good results, progression, and money.

The role offered by his prior employer offers him that opportunity to be in an empowered customer facing role again with latitude to take decisions. And working for a top 10 brand.

As we write, he is negotiating with them to improve the variable pay so that total earnings can match what he can make with his current employer.

You may also want to read Valenco case study - Nandan - Limited digital offerings - https://www.valencoinc.com/single-post/valenco-case-studies-3-nandan