I am a headhunter. I specialise in getting talented individuals into great new opportunities. I always see, time and time again, that the individuals who hop from job to job, received the best compensation, and rose up the career ladder faster.
But over the weekend, I had a talk with this head of Asia Business unit for a large swiss company. (He’s rather high profile so I have to be protective of his identity)
This guy, let’s call him Tim, has been at the same company for 25 years. He joined them straight out of school. Within a year of joining them in Hong Kong, they relocated him to Switzerland when he was stationed for 20 years. 5 years ago, they moved him to Singapore to head this business unit with annual revenue of a few billion dollars.
Tim is a guy in high demand. MNCs everywhere would pay an arm and a leg to hire him. But he stays loyal to his Swiss company. He fully intends to retire there.
I asked him why? What was so special about this company?
This was his answer:
“There are always better opportunities everywhere. But every choice has a cost. Moving to a new company means I have to learn their culture, know the right people. Staying here, at my current company for 25 years, I know everyone. It allows me to get things done fast. I can do my best work. Sure, I can move now and get a fat signing on bonus, but what’s the cost?
Being a mercenary has it’s advantages. But I’m a loyal person. And my company is loyal to me. They’re like family. That trust, you cannot put a dollar value to it.”
I’m not sure if Tim is making the right decision, but I respect it completely. There are many things more important than money. Having a sense of belonging and family is definitely worth a lot of money.
Hope everyone has a great week ahead.