3 Hidden Skills Big Companies Teach You!

Work at a large corporation or take on that startup opportunity? There is no right or wrong I think. Like everything else in life both have its pros and cons. In this article I want to highlight some skills that I value a lot based on my experience working at big and medium sized companies including Google, Akamai, and now Microsoft. Yes, there are times when it can feel like bureaucracy, politics, and feeling like a small cog in a giant machine - but, I would argue that can happen anywhere! However, navigating the complex ecosystem of a big company can actually help you develop some incredibly valuable skills that are often overlooked. Here are seven underrated skills you'll likely pick up while working in a large organization:

3 Hidden Skills Big Companies Teach You!

1. Navigating the Corporate Zoo

Big companies are like zoos - filled with different species of professionals, each with their own habits and habitats. Learning to identify and work with various personality and role types, what they care about and how that meets what you care about is an invaluable skill that will serve you well throughout your career. Understanding "who does what" in a large company is no small feat. You'll develop a knack for quickly mapping out organizational structures, identifying key decision-makers, and understanding the informal power dynamics that often matter more than the official org chart.

From my experience as a Head of Developer Relations at Google, when I was working on launching a new product and it go-to-market strategy I learned to work with the marketing team who wanted to show case the product story in least number of words and the most attractive demo, the cautious legal team who stressed compliance, the meticulous PR team that read and critiqued every single word of my blog and the perfectionistic engineering team who sought technical excellence. By understanding each group's motivations and communication styles, I successfully helped bring the products to market.

2. Managing Up and Sideways

You learn to adjust your communication style and tailor your message to different audiences - a skill that's invaluable in any professional setting as you work with multiple departments and hierarchies. You get lots of opportunities to not just work with folks at all levels but also influence. Influence without authority is a a big skill to have and you really learn the art of doing so in a giant organiziation. Working in a big company teaches you the art of "managing up" - effectively communicating with and influencing your superiors. You also learn to manage relationships with peers and colleagues in other departments, building alliances and navigating potential conflicts. In a large organization, you interact with people at all levels, from entry-level employees to C-suite executives.

Throughout my various roles at Google, I constantly found myself managing both up and sideways. A prime example of this was in the creation of videos and content by my team. These projects weren't simply internal affairs; they required intricate collaboration across product, engineering, and marketing teams - each with their own distinct goals and priorities.

The product team was laser-focused on highlighting specific features, while engineering was eager to showcase the impressive technical achievements powering the product. Marketing, on the other hand, viewed our content through the lens of lead generation. Meanwhile, my team's primary goal was to grow and nurture our developer community.

Navigating these diverse objectives required a delicate balance of managing sideways. I found myself constantly engaging in internal storytelling, crafting narratives that resonated with each group's priorities while still aligning with our content objectives. It was a continuous process of negotiation, finding common ground, and building consensus among these cross-functional stakeholders.

Simultaneously, I had to manage up by keeping my leadership chain informed about these various cross-functional stakeholders and their goals. This involved distilling complex inter-team dynamics into clear, concise updates that highlighted both progress and potential challenges. It required a keen sense of what information was relevant at each level of leadership and how to present it effectively.

This experience underscored the importance of managing both up and sideways in a large organization. Success wasn't just about creating great content; it was about aligning diverse teams, balancing competing priorities, and ensuring that leadership had the right level of visibility into our cross-functional collaborations. These skills proved invaluable not just for the success of individual projects, but for navigating the complex ecosystem of a tech giant like Google.

3. Building a Diverse Network

In a big company, you're exposed to people from various backgrounds, disciplines, and levels of seniority. Learning how to build and maintain relationships across this diverse landscape is a skill that pays dividends long after you've moved on to your next role.

Big companies are full of competing priorities and conflicting agendas. You'll learn to identify what different stakeholders care about and find ways to align your projects with their interests. This ability to find mutual ground and create win-win situations is crucial in any collaborative environment.

While often frustrating, I find that learning to navigate complex processes and approval chains makes you more efficient and effective. We develop patience, persistence, and creative problem-solving skills as we find ways to get things done within the ecosystem of diverse teams and skills.

Conclusion

While the decision to work at a large corporation or join a startup is a personal one, the experience of navigating a big company ecosystem offers unique opportunities for professional growth. The skills developed in this environment – from mastering the corporate zoo and managing up and sideways, to building diverse networks and finding common ground amidst competing priorities – are invaluable skills that transcend any single job or company. These competencies not only contribute to our success within the organization but also enhance our overall professional toolkit.

The challenges of bureaucracy and complexity in large companies, often seen as drawbacks, can actually be catalysts for developing patience, persistence, and creative problem-solving skills. As you progress in your career, you'll find that the ability to navigate complex organizational structures, influence without direct authority, and align diverse interests are highly transferable skills, serving you well whether you stay in big business, venture into smaller companies, or even start your own enterprise. So, while it may sometimes feel like you're a small cog in a giant machine, remember that you're simultaneously honing a set of powerful, often overlooked skills that will propel your career forward, regardless of where your professional journey takes you next.