Reputation of a fast-growing company matters.
Continuing where we left off last week, our team is a tribe. We learn from each other, associate with each other, and prosper or falter by each other’s actions. This is even more important when you are looking to build a career. The tribe that you currently work with will be among your list of contacts for life: for personal introductions and for professional references.
In bad times, this matters a great deal: the people who you see on the way up are the same ones you’ll see on the way down. What this means is to treat everyone at the company with respect and decency, even if you feel you are competing for the same promotion (promotions are rarely zero-sum games, by the way) or you feel somehow threatened by another person’s expertise.
In good times, it matters even more! Others hear about LearningLeaders and because you are/were associated with the company, good things happen. Being with a company during a serious growth phase will give future organizations confidence you can manage yourself and others during growth as well, leaving you with a ‘halo effect.’
Particularly in a pre-IPO or pre-acquisition company, that glow can last for the rest of one’s career. Pre-IPO people at Google or Facebook live off that reputation for the rest of their lives. While at this stage, it might look unlikely that LearningLeaders is going to become the next Google, within smaller industries than e-commerce and advertising, reputation also matters.
The bottom line is this: when you work with a company that’s growing quickly, becoming more well-known, and has a distinct culture and vibe, you’re going to attract attention and notoriety, even if it’s in a small circle. It may take the shape of job offers, speaking engagements, mentorship opportunities, or myriad other forms.
This is only a good thing for you – the longer you remain in that environment, the stronger the force gets.
Reputation is Real.