Ten Years and Counting …

On March 8, 2014, I reached ten years of service at Magenic Technologies. When I started in 1999 (don’t do the math just yet), Magenic had only been around a few years and it was my first consulting job. I stayed at Magenic for about 5 1/2 years. During that time, I went from an application development consultant in Visual Basic to a Business Intelligence Architect specializing in SQL Server Analysis Services and MDX.

At that point in my career, I was beginning to travel more and take on a much larger leadership role as Magenic was growing beyond that first office in Minneapolis, MN. I went to work for one our customers, XATA Corporation, as their Data Architect. For the next 4 1/2 years I learned a lot about transportation management and how important data was in that area. (My Twitter handle and domain name, DataOnWheels, was established during this time.) I also learned what it meant to live with your code and architecture after the consultant left. While at XATA, I continued to be involved in the SQL Server community which was very helpful for the next step.

There came a time in my stint at XATA, that it was clear that it was time for me to move on. I started the process of looking at what was available in the market. When I went to Magenic’s career site, I found that my job or its nearest equivalent was available. I called Carole Cuthbertson, “V-mom”, and asked about coming back. We had lunch a week later and the transition back to Magenic was set in motion. (So, if you leave a company you like for good reasons, never burn bridges! You might want to go back.)

When I told my wife that I was going back, she was glad I was. This kind of surprised me as I had been doing a lot of traveling before I left. She noted that I was happier working at Magenic which was better for our family. That was the final push I needed and I returned to Magenic. As I come up on this anniversary, I am really at great point in my career. I truly enjoy being a Practice Lead at Magenic and still consider it a a great place to work.

I recently was talking with a customer who pointed out that communicating ideas with 3 points is very effective. Ironically, I probably should have known that from all of the ministry training I went through. So, I thought I would conclude this post with the three reasons why I enjoy working for Magenic.

1. Family

As I noted above, my wife was happy when I went back to Magenic. What I realized is that no matter how hard it got, Magenic would do what they could to help your family while you worked for them. I realize that everyone’s experience is different, but I saw them work with consultants who were going through tough times with their family.

During my first couple of years there, I lost both of my maternal grandparents over two successive Christmases. I was close to my grandparents so when the news came, I still remember Tim Wold, my project manager and Magenic’s employee #1, telling me to go take care of my family and he would work out the details on his end. That was characteristic of management and leaders throughout my time here. Family matters to the owners, Greg Frankenfield and Paul Fridman, and that is carried through to the company.

My family has always been treated very well and they enjoy participating at the various events that the company has had from the Christmas party to the summer picnics.

2. Opportunity

When I joined Magenic, I had no idea what it meant to be a consultant. With mentoring and coaching, I was able to grow from a consultant to a practice lead. I am a technical leader in the company and have been able to expand my career throughout the years with their help. One of the biggest career changes was moving from application development to business intelligence. This has significantly shaped my career today in ways I would have never thought 15 years ago. During my time there, I was also encouraged to give back both internally and externally. This has opened up some great opportunities through the years.

3. Appreciation

Appreciation can take on a couple of different forms. Of course, being paid to do what you love is awesome! Even better when it pays well. However, there is more to appreciation than the paycheck. Magenic has an interesting culture which I had to learn through the years. Because we are hired to go and work at customer sites, it was not always known what or how we were doing. Magenic is a place where you can and should speak up about what your doing. While seeming counterintuitive and self serving at times, letting managers and other leaders know what I was doing, paid dividends for my career. Just as importantly, they were able to understand more about what was going on.

To me and my experience with Magenic, these are 3 key reasons that I returned and stay today. I am now in a place in my career where I need to give recognition to those whom it is due more than receive it. I have the opportunity to impact others in their careers and to help Magenic continue to grow.

I encourage all of you who read this to look at where you work. What is the culture like? Do you like what you do? Can you see yourself there in 5, 10, 15 years? Keep your core values in mind as you seek to change companies or careers. If you have had a job move conversation with me, I have likely told you something like “The grass is always greener on the other side, but a lot times it’s because of the manure.”