Exiting Envision

Since I announced my departure, no one at Envision has asked me why I’m leaving. I suspect most consider my motivations obvious, and the rest would rather not know. For my own reference, though, I’m going to note them.

My primary criteria for the next employer was a capacity for growth. I’ve felt that my career has stagnated with the company, because there is no organizational “skeleton” to support expansion. A relentless focus on reducing costs has led to slim, barely-functional teams that strive only for short-term gains.

One of the paths for personal growth I considered was attempting to “spin off” a development team, with only broad budgetary oversight from Envision and the freedom to self-invest with an eye towards growth and long-term goals. If my entrepreneurial spirit were that strong, though, I might as well seek investment with less baggage. Alas, I’m too risk averse to strike out on my own, and any spin-off attempt would be likely to suffer the same reining-in the development team has already undergone.

Aside from career drive, I needed to get out from under management that was rarely a source of inspiration. Four characteristics of the company’s leadership have frustrated me:

• Conflict avoidance - Delaying or delegating every sticky situation does not keep the machine running smoothly.

• “Get 'r done” management - Managing people and projects is about providing support and coordination, not dropping in once a week to remind everyone to work harder without even evaluating their current effort.

• Budgetary micromanagement - Failure to budget at a high level in favor of penny-wise accounting of every expense can cripple the organization’s ability to act proactively or even react effectively.

• Human asset accounting - While it is critical to assess the financial impact of all decisions, itmust be recognized that employees bring value to an organization through means beyond a simple “bill rate - cost” margin calculation.

• Servitude -

The last few straws took the form of a few small projects that indicated to me that I was destined to remain just another “resource”, to be allocated rather respected as a participant in decision making. Reducing my commute and (slightly) increased compensation certainly contributed to selecting where I landed, but did not drive the decision to leave. These and a myriad of minor criteria only filtered my options until it seemed quite obvious I needed to go to infuz.

Finally, since I never know who might end up reading this, I need to state that I wish the company well. I harbor respect for many individual members, desire to see my past efforts continue bearing fruit, and am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been provided. More importantly, Envision continues to serve clients well in recruiting talent; particularly admirably in a regional industry where professionalism and scruples are sparse. Although it may be attributed to the continuing heroic efforts of individuals, I expect Envision to have a successful and stable future.