The con’s, however, are numerous. If you are looking to join this organization as a new hire let me say this first so you can be forewarned: DO NOT WORK HERE, it is where your career will go to perish.
The organization has lost 4 people in the last 8 weeks (total staff at the office of 11 people) and at any given time during the past 12 months as many as 6 people were actively looking and going on interviews.
The people who left departed with major institutional knowledge and experience and the replacements in those positions are going to have a hard time, that is certain. Management will need to replace these people and do it swiftly, therefore, please don’t get sucked into the façade of it all.
The environment can be described as toxic and there are major people management issues to address before any improvement can be had. There is also a complete and utter lack of transparency in the organization, despite the claim of ‘revealing hard truths.’ People are actually fearful of speaking out as instances in the past 12 months has given them a right to be very concerned if they spoke up in any way.
Most of the issues stem from senior management and there are some of the most hypocritical passive aggressive people you will ever encounter. Their pile of quivering need for control and insecurity is only slightly outpaced by their over bloated ego. It's unbelievable and in a small organization such as this, the effect is multiplied a thousand times over.
The founder is a genuinely decent man that had a great vision for the organization, but he has moved on to other pursuits and the board is only marginally aware of the people management issues as senior management sanitizes and spins every single piece of information that is shared with them.
Most notably was the 4 recent departures and how the narrative was shaped to deflect ANY responsibility from the part of the organization. These people left not because they were pursuing other interests or furthering their careers, they left because they couldn’t not stand the environment and people in senior management any more. People don’t leave organizations; they leave other people.
As a member of this organization you will be subject to endless frustration and there will be constant interference from others in your role; some from management, some just people believing that they know your role better than you do, which is a crying shame.
The way the international teams are managed on the African continent as well as in India is also highly questionable and professionals with experience (this not being their first job out of college...) are treated with disdain, an utter lack of respect, and managed as if they were children at times. It is highly insulting to say the least and only exposes the petulant and privileged behavior of management.
In closing; what can’t be cured must be endured and endure you will should you decide to join this organization. Don’t be tempted by the mission, the pitch, the manufactured piety of it all – this remains a deeply flawed organization that requires a rehaul of its senior management. Only then will it be on the way to making a true impact.
