I have always been under the impression that in order to be successful, you must work for the biggest company, earn the biggest salary, and lead the biggest team. It took me having some big experiences to discover that ‘big’ has many different dimensions.
Big Is Am’big’uous
About halfway through my rotation at GE Aviation it hit me – there are lots of ways to define ‘big.’
A company can be geographically big, like GE. Their reputation can be big, like GE. Their headcount can be big, like GE.
It never occurred to me to think about all the different types of big in the world. It didn’t really matter until I started chasing it.
Discovering The ‘Big’gest Thing That Mattered To Me
Despite having an amazing team and plenty of opportunities at my fingertips, GE was just too ‘big’ for me.
A company like GE didn’t become a market-dominating-billion-dollar-behemoth overnight. It has built up layers of its identity over time and, consequently, it has developed a strong internal structure that gives it the support it needs to sustain its global operations. As an entry-level employee, I often found it hard to see how my day-to- day tasks were impacting the company given the countless levels of people working above me in the ranks.
For most of my life, I have come to know success through outcomes and results. From grades to sports, my understanding of success and impact has always been a tangible end-result on which I can look back and think—wow, I did that. GE wasn’t like that for me, and while it would be easy for me to look at my experience with frustration, I instead choose to look at it with gratitude because I gained invaluable understanding about myself and my professional aspirations that has led me to where I am now: AMEND.
Maybe instead of bigger teams, smaller teams filled with passionate people are more my style. Maybe instead of being a small fish in a big pond, having a greater influence over my work and the outcomes I’m generating would be more meaningful. Maybe BIG doesn’t have to be defined in exclusively quantitative terms.
PASSION, HEART, and DRIVE Can All Be Big. They Can Also Be Powerful.
It doesn’t necessarily matter how big the company is, or how many employees work there. What truly matters is the passion each employee has for the company, their work, and the difference they are making.
I realized I could find a smaller team that is still home to big PASSION, HEART, and DRIVE.
With passion comes BIG goals. With BIG drive comes BIG achievement. With BIG goals comes BIG successes. These were the types of BIG that would work for me!
AMEND Was The Different Kind of BIG I Was Looking For
I found “BIG” in a different way at AMEND.
I walk through the office and I know people are counting on me. There is an unspoken mutual trust amongst us. I’m a valued member of the team who is making a difference every day.
AMEND is loaded with opportunities, including the opportunity to fail AND learn from those failures. I have no doubt I will experience real-world failures that will push me to work even harder for the big successes. This team is loaded with PASSION. This passion is evident through all our decisions – wanting not only what is best for AMEND, but also what is best for our clients. This passion drives us to succeed and forces us to step outside our comfort zones. It’s the perfect kind of ‘GO BIG’ for me.
I chose AMEND because I came to the realization that I still need to go big or go home. Except this time, going big doesn’t mean choosing a big company. This time, going big means choosing a smaller company that is still home to big goals and big expectations.
I am ready to face the obstacles and work towards the best solutions. I will push both myself and others to ignite the passion that drives
us. This kind of big – stepping outside of my comfort zone, risking it all and leaving it all on the court – this is the kind of big that works for me. I’m all in – because otherwise, I wouldn’t go at all.
