S-Me?
X: Should I work for an SME?
Me: LOLZ.
OK, a cheap gag. I admit it. The nuance of whether you should work for an SME isn’t a simple yes/no answer.
I have worked for global organisations in continent-wide roles. I have worked in small university offices and public sector bodies. Every example involved the concept of having a part, choosing a lane and staying in that lane.
Occasionally someone might ask you to move ahead in the lane. It was, however, rare to do something different. Something outside of your remit. Even with the catch-all bullet point on a contract that suggests otherwise.
Joining an SME — as I did back in 2018 — is very much a testbed experience. A company might think it needs a role. You seem the right person to fill that role. The risk is that both you and the position might change without anyone realising it is happening.
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Today you might be in your role. Tomorrow you might be doing something slightly different, working with or managing functions that didn’t exist when you joined. Your role has changed. It is a case of adapt or die.
In one week, I contributed to the organisation’s strategic intent for the next 12 months and pitched for a new piece of business. I needed to get more hands-on and called out for not being hands-off enough. I had to have a difficult conversation that led to a person leaving, then interviewed their replacement for a slightly different position.
It has been non-stop and varied. Challenging. A ride I will forever be grateful for. When you work for the likes of Sega, Technicolor, Disney or the Department of Health as I have — both directly and indirectly — you never have to worry about a missed timesheet. Never have to think about what impact a delayed invoice might have on the bottom line — which is often your colleagues’ pay packets.
You will be protected in larger organisations. Kept out of the room as “parents” worry about putting food on the table. In an SME, you are there. In the room. Being asked to go that extra yard to make sure we don’t have to worry in the first place. Eating our own dog food, as my CEO likes to say.
I joined an SME because I was bored, and I wanted a challenge. I am leaving an SME because I think we are now both in a slightly different place. It feels like the right time to go. The wrong person at the right time. Or the right person at the wrong time. Either way, it was right whilst it lasted.
So if you are toying with the idea of joining an SME, ask yourself one question:
Am I happy staying in my lane, or is it time to go offroad for a bit?
Pad up. Strap on your helmet and go for the ride of your working life. The lanes will always be there!
