Qualcomm

In the beginning, this was a fun, exciting, rewarding, and fulfilling place to work. There is something to be said about being on the ground floor of innovation. For true creative minds, being involved in the development and production of cutting-edge technology is the ultimate "job." For the first half of my life at Q, I didn't consider it a "job"; it was a journey. In the later years, it turned into a job. As the company grew, so did management and egos, so did timelines and stress levels.

Qualcomm went from being the leader on the table to a feeling of always being behind the 8-ball. Hard for some of us old-timers to adjust to – this is true. Bring in the new, young, fresh blood to pick it up – I get that and see that it should happen. But all of the innovation, bright minds, creativity, and inventive vibe dissipates with each new wave of fresh blood brought in. HR stopped hiring creative, intelligent souls and hand-picked what I now call placeholders.

Working the numbers game, tightening the reins or nooses, if you care to view it that way. I have no qualms with the HR department. Never once in my 20+ years of working there did I ever speak to an HR rep for any reason. I trusted and worked with my supervisor/manager. But I always had the distinct impression teams like HR were only out for themselves or other agendas. I honestly cannot remember the number of managers I had (more than 10), but every single one of them said the same thing: don't involve HR if you don't have to. Telling stuff right there.

Pros:

• There are good people there.
• They still have a chance at getting back to being an innovative company.
• Bring in the creative minds who will create the next big thing.

Management, red tape, deadlines. I have an interesting take on "work-life balance". For a time, I was working in a lab, part of a team helping to create a new technology. We worked 6, sometimes 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, and I loved it. Why? Because I was part of something fun and cutting edge.

Fast forward several years to when I was in a sustaining role, working your basic 9-5, 5 days/week. Those were the longest days of my life. Good managers and good HR personnel recognize where and how to place their talent.

Somewhere along the way, this went out the window. Did anyone notice how happy I was and how much I excelled in my job when I was basically LIVING at work? Did anyone notice how my reviews flat-lined when I was placed into a functionary role? What are all the metrics about if you don't process and utilize this information?

Get to know your employees. Take a hard, fast look at middle and upper management and do some of the "deadwood" cleanup at those levels. AND don't forget to make a run-through of the HR department. (Ahem) What are they doing? How are they managing the talent force? Does anyone really know?