Impermanence and Silicon Valley

I like startups, and by choosing to work in this crazy environment, I feel passionate about the people and the product, but have little expectation of a long-term commitment. That's not to say I don't expect a startup to be successful, I DO, I just don't expect that it will be the same company over time, or that I will have a guaranteed role when they go big. 

In the startup environment of Silicon Valley, you will be more successful if you can go with the flow and learn to expect more change than you can imagine.

It's the nature of companies to reinvent themselves, to introduce new products and features, to respond to market demands and business challenges. On top of that, there are internal constraints: policy and procedural changes, staff turnover and budgets to meet. In startups, these factors are even more capricious - and the uncertainty about decisions and direction can cause staffers to lose faith - they feel betrayed by a company that (seemingly) changed it's mind. 

If you choose to work in a startup, you may find that the environment is frustrating, chaotic, and likely to change without notice. Will you be flexible enough, forgiving enough and able to adapt to the impermanence?

Originally posted: September 17, 2012 at 12:37 PM