I’ve worked in a few different places — different sizes and sectors — and there is one thing I can say: they’re all basically the same.
Whether is the politics, bureaucracy, bacchanal, bad management, or just shitty people, all organisations have them.
So then what’s the difference between one and the other?
The only difference is scale.
The politics, bureaucracy, bacchanal, bad management and shitty people are all at different levels as the organisation changes.
In small companies, politics and bureaucracy are less than larger organisations. But the bacchanal is far greater; I think it’s because everyone knows each other.
Then, which is better?
For me, I prefer working for smaller companies who want to do great things. But that’s what I like.
If you like systems and processes with rigid structures, then working for a large org may be better for you.
Don’t get tied up in thinking one is better than the other. It all depends on where you can do your best work.
Some people like having the support of a few hundred people around them. Some like to be a big fish in a small pond.
Some like bureaucracy and layers of management. Other like a nice flat structure where you can get things done quickly.
It’s your choice.
But whatever you choose, find happiness where you are.
And always bring value to the people you serve. As Albert Einstein once said:
Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.
It’s not the money, fame, or power, that you receive, but the value you provide to the people around you that will make you feel like a real success.