There are difference between big companies and small companies, I have noticed. I’ve noticed that a lot of new hires coming from big companies are more oriented towards getting something done, versus getting something done right, and when they make mistakes, they brush it off as if it’s not significant or deny responsibility. I don’t particularly like it, but I think there is reasonable explanation for this.
In a big corporation, there is a lot of resources, but few positions, and mistakes can mean that your chances of getting those positions just went down the drain, or possibly you being fired for your incompetence. Therefore, people who’ve worked for big corporations, being so used to that type of environment, instead of owning up to the mistake, they rather make up excuses or deny responsibility.
In a small corporation, talent is hired for cheap, and expectations aren’t too high, so even if you made mistake, it’s okay, since it’s within their range of expectations.
This can be a problem for a person coming in from a big company to a small company, especially if they are coming into a management position or thinking about moving into a management position. A good leader feels responsible for all the incompetence of his followers and when problems occur he doesn’t blame anyone but himself. A bad leader, on the other hand, might simply pick one of his followers out and make him the scapegoat. A good leader will look to himself to solutions to problems, a bad one might blame his subordinate for them.
The reason why I would bring this up is due to the fact that a co-worker of mine brought it up, and I thought it was interesting, and scary. I never realized how important a good leader is to me, and how they can make or break a company. I know that if I feel useful and appreciated, I’m more prone to do my work well, and go above and beyond all expectations. The worker’s productivity and morale was high with a good leader, but when they had a bad leader that got angry at them over everything, the worker’s productivity simply went down the drain. They no longer felt appreciated, a sense of purpose, or ethusiastic about tasks before them.
A personal note I’m going to make for myself is to plan for the mistakes of my subordinates. When they make them, I won’t scold them, I’ll simply show them the correct way of doing it, and ask that they be more careful next time. I’ll probably going to take the extra step of letting them know that while it’s good to get things done fast and right, it’s much more important they you get it done right than fast. I’d rather have stable code that will last me years than unstable code that will require much more time investment.