Chris Hiltz never thought he'd be acting in a movie. It seemed an unlikely possibility for a Ford Motor Company engineer. Still, since being laid off from the automaker last July, he's been stepping outside his comfort zone.
"I've been auditioning for speaking roles in films. I never would have done that, even if I had the time. I've got the time now. It's an opportunity to challenge myself. It's a great icebreaker and I can't wait to get an interview where I can use it," Hiltz says.
Hiltz is about to take another step into the unknown. He'll be one of a handful of engineers and middle managers in a new program aimed at equipping big-company people to work in smaller entrepreneurial start-ups.
In late February, Ann Arbor SPARK will launch "Shifting Gears," a five-month intensive pilot program to help former big-company types become more palatable to little companies – and to help the participants rearrange their mental state to be comfortable with emptying their own wastebaskets and other small-company thrills.
"It requires a fair amount of introspection – and there's a financial and time commitment associated with it," says Amy Cell, Ann Arbor SPARK managing director for talent enhancement. "Given the value, we don't think (the cost) is high. And it reflects a bit of the risk mentality you need in a smaller, innovative company."
Big-company people can be valuable to start-ups in many different ways but they need help adjusting to the new culture, says Linda Girard, the visionary at Pure Visibility, an Ann Arbor search engine marketing firm.
Becoming part of multiple projects can be scary if you're used to a very structured environment, she added. That's what makes small companies reticent about hiring big company vets.
Our ecosystem can shift really fast here," Girard says. "We have one of those (big company) people here, from Compuserve. It took him at least three months to get acclimated to our world."
For $2,000, the cost of the program, Hiltz is hoping for splendid results. So is Tina Watson, another program participant who was laid off from ADP last December. She calls the program fee an investment in herself.
"When you're interviewing with small companies, they all want to know, 'Are you sure you want to be in a start-up?' You need to package yourself in a way that has relevance for a small company," Watson explains. "Providing a structure and the opportunity to put it into practice will be the most valuable part of the program."
"There's a mismatch between talent and businesses looking to hire. People coming out of large companies are not even getting interviews. The program creates a forum…It will really help build a bridge between these two constituencies," says Diana Wong, president of Sensei Change Associates, LLC and associate professor of strategy and organization development, at Eastern Michigan University.
On both sides, perceptions interfere with a smooth transition from large company to small.
"People coming out of large companies may not have even considered the opportunities available in small businesses," Wong says. "They've enjoyed very lucrative careers. They'd been too comfortable to make the change before - now the change is being made for them. They need to think beyond the need for a job and see how they can best contribute."
Adapting to a dynamic environment with little infrastructure is both daunting and exhilarating, big company vets say.
Working for a smaller company gives exposure to all facets of the business, helping you excel in your specific role in the company. You're aware of what's going on in other functions and what the customer wants, Chris Hiltz pointed out.
Small companies also offer great camaraderie with the right set of people, almost like a family, Tina Watson adds.
Challenges include handing a much larger number of tasks on a day-to-day basis, notes SPARK's Amy Cell.
"Instead of the same reports, the same meetings every month with the same people, you're going into a job where you are doing the hands-on work and picking up new functions because no one else does those things," she explains.
Some of things you assume in a large company aren't there. If your printer doesn't work, you call somebody and they're there within a day. Now you're responsible for those things. It's a different mindset. If you had a secretary, now you have to manage your own calendar and get used to using technology to share information and communicate."
The Shifting Gears program deals directly with those issues. The pilot most likely will continue in the fall. Developed by Sensei Change Associates, it's sponsored by Ann Arbor SPARK in partnership with Washtenaw County ETCS/Michigan Works, the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College and the Michigan Venture Capital Association.
Shifting Gears is for people who have been making six-figure salaries and great benefits, SPARK's Amy Cell says. For a two-week unpaid practicum, participants will be placed with companies that have around 20 employees, companies which offer solid salaries and benefits, if not as high as the participants are used to earning.
"They will not be joining a company in a garage somewhere, although they may see that during the program. We're not asking them to (prepare themselves to) work for equity - that's a transition that we wouldn't expect people to take," Cell says.
That would be a big transition for Gary Ernsting, a former Chrysler engineer in the job market since being laid off in September, but he's willing to do it.
"I hope to be able to adjust – there IS going to be an adjustment. I hope to adjust more than 50 percent toward the flex. That's what you would expect to see in a smaller company," he said.
Ernsting worked for General Motors and Visteon, as well as for Chrysler, and saw an attitude in the big companies that scorned outside ideas, regardless of their merits. He's anticipating greater open-mindedness in the small companies he meet in the course of the Shifting Gears program – and he's being open-minded about where he'll work next.
"Any port in a storm right now. There was some prestige that went along with the big name companies like Chrysler or GM, but maybe that prestige isn't worth as much as it was two years ago. Whatever company I'm with, I want to contribute to their success," Ernsting says.
Chris Hiltz is right there with Ernsting.
"I've been doing a wide job search – including jobs that sound appealing or adventurous to me. I'm interested in energy and sustainability. I'd prefer to move into a smaller company at this point in my career. But with the economy as it is, you've got to find a job where you find a job," Hiltz says.
Constance Crump is an Ann Arbor writer whose work has appeared in Crain's Detroit Business, The Ann Arbor News, The Detroit Free Press and Billboard Magazine. This article originally appeared in Metromode.
Photos:
Sparks conference - courtesy photos
Chris Hiltz (program participant)
Tina Watson (program participant)
Amy Cell (SPARK program coordinator)
Unless noted, All photographs by Detroit Photographer Marvin Shaouni
Marvin Shaouni is the Managing Photographer for Metromode & Model D.
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