We are witnessing an increase in the number of established Change professionals enquiring about a move into the start-up world. The reasons tend to be in order to move away from the bureaucracy of the corporate world and as a way to diversify their resume but how much do these professionals truly understand about the start-up world and how do they know it’s the right move for them?
I would never dissuade anyone in my network from making a career move but I do encourage them to think less about the type of company they are looking for and more about what they are motivated by and how they deliver.
I had this very conversation with a candidate this week who has been a PMO and Project Management Consultant. She has carried out a multitude of roles across different industries and despite being able to outline her achievements; she hadn’t thought about what she was motivated by, clouding her judgement over the type of company she would thrive in.
By truly understanding her motivations and how she delivers, she was able to definitively describe her ideal place to work and that didn’t come as a result of thinking about the company size, structure or reputation but rather how she fit into the bigger picture.
You really do need to think about your own motivations. If you are passionate about an industry (e.g. FinTech), have the ability to pivot between disciplines; regardless of your specialism, and if you have the pace to keep up in a high-growth environment - a start-up may be your perfect company but you need to think less about the type of company and more about why you want to join.
We have just created a white paper focused on the transition senior professionals make into the start-up world. We exclusively interview two established professionals who have spent decades working for FTSE listed corporates, multi-billion-pound conglomerates, start-up and SME companies – they discuss the benefits and the downfalls of working for each and offer advice to any other professional seeking a move.
Please get in touch to request a copy of the paper and join the conversation – do you know what you are motivated by at work? 
