Pros
- Bosses that care about you and your well being in a manner that I've rarely experienced at other companies. - Very intelligent well thought out product. - Very high retention rate of clients. - An environment where you can get ahead and that you are rewarded for being robust. - Non corporate feel - Very family like - They care about the customer - Open to the right kind of change - The owners are open to listening and trying to figure out issues that arise so that there is a win for everyone. - Once people warm up to you and know that you are going to be around for a while, you can learn just about anything you need to learn in regards to how to run a business. This is awesome if you like to learn and excel in your career!! - Most of the leadership can be very giving and humble and this translates in to trust and likability.
Cons
- Needs to be a little bit more structured if it's going to keep growing and continue to be successful. - Need to try out new ideas in each sector of the company, but on a small controlled scale instead of on an immediate macro platform. This can be accomplished even in a small/medium sized company. - Changing policy based on the need for the entire group is paramount. When policy is changed all must be on board and be committed to the change or employees feel like their efforts are a waste of time. - More effort is needed to guide and shape future leaders and newer employees. A good way to do this with mid range employees is to keep a spreadsheet of pros and cons throughout the year and have a review every month or two at a minimum to check in and make sure that the pros are sustaining and the cons are being worked on. This can be recorded on an xcel spreadsheet and shared with the employee. With new employees, a set of check list items needs to be written and then a mentor assigned to the employee when they first start. That way nothing falls through the cracks and the new employee feels cared for at first and has someone to turn to. - More team building activities are needed. This strengthens relationships and the need to overcome adversity together if things get tough. It also helps balance out the me first or look at me attitude that can sometimes be the experience in western culture.