Pros
I’ve worked at places that claimed they cared about feedback, only to watch that feedback get swept under the rug, or be used as ammo against the team down the road. Sage isn’t like that. One of the biggest surprises has been how open and honest the conversations are. You can give real feedback, good or bad, and it gets taken seriously without any yucky office politics. Ashley’s coaching and mentoring have been a huge help. She actually lets you run with things, make your own calls, and make your own mistakes. Then afterwards, she’ll sit down with you and unpack everything, talk through what worked and what didn’t and help you level up. It’s a rare combo of trust and support that’s really refreshing. Because it’s a small team, you can actually feel how much people care about each other and the work that they do. There’s no pretending, or cooking the metrics to make themselves look good (like I've seen at other places). It’s the kind of genuine support you can't really find in larger orgs. There’s also a true culture of ownership. You’re trusted to take initiative, shape your work and have a real impact on processes and strategy. You feel the influence of your decisions every day. Everyone is also super helpful with providing their own feedback and decisions, it really helps shape processes towards what works best for the team, rather than what 1 person at the top thinks is best. If you like being heard, being trusted and being part of a team that actually cares, it’s a great place to be... It's honestly taken quite a bit of time to adjust to working in an environment where everyone is so open and candid - I'm still learning to let myself open up after years of working at places that have taught me that sometimes it's best to just keep your mouth shut LOL.
Cons
When things get busy, they really get busy. You need solid time management skills or you’ll feel the heat pretty quickly. I've burned myself a few times already, but it's definitely been teaching me how to best manage my time and has been a learning opportunity for sure! Processes, systems, and tools have changed a lot since I joined, and they continue to evolve. The feedback loop at Sage is part of what makes the company strong, but for someone new, it can take a bit to adjust when things shift faster than you’re used to.