Choose a leader, not a company

Sep 18, 2019

With so many top technology companies occupying a corner of North Carolina's Research Triangle, local university students undeniably have access to a wealth of post-grad prospects right in their own backyard. But not all tech organizations are created equal — a reality I recently had the opportunity to share during an engagement at North Carolina State University. Asked to speak to a group of MBA students, my goal was to communicate the qualities that set Eaton apart as an employer. Interestingly, they are the same traits that also make Eaton a stellar business partner.

A culture of collaboration

While Eaton's industry-leading power protection solutions are trusted by many of the biggest cloud providers in the world, technology isn't necessarily what matters most in a job ─ or in a partner. Rather, a company's culture represents the difference between simply punching a time clock and being a part of something much greater in scope, magnitude and significance.

That's because it is culture, not technology, that makes people want to stay and grow with a company, both as an employee and as a partner. As I shared with the MBA students, Eaton's culture embodies the desire to be a unique type of leader ─ one who is capable of thinking outside of the box, is able to set a vision and inspire, and who develops a followership. We also believe that a great leader is agile, able to deal with ambiguity, and embraces the opportunity to serve as a mentor. Leaders must also think and act strategically, get results, and build organizational capabilities. At Eaton, this is accomplished through the fact that we care deeply about what we do, we set high expectations, and we perform.

Shared values, a common vision

But don't mistake our unique culture for a lack of technological strength. Quite the opposite, in fact; our permanent strategy is to surf the next wave of IT. This is evident in the fact that Eaton was the first to market with virtualization software, the first to establish technical alliances with both converged and hyperconverged infrastructure partners, as well as the first to engage and partner with leaders in areas including orchestration, hybrid IT and IoT.

The Eaton culture also embraces seeking responsibility and taking ownership, doing what we say, valuing speed and simplicity, and being curious, adaptable and willing to teach what we know. We play by the rules and act with integrity. At Eaton, we are proud of our actions ─ but don't just take our word for it. We recently asked our business partners why they like to engage with our organization and what they value most about our culture. Consider just a couple of the sentiments shared:

Kyle Yost, CEO of En-Net, said he appreciates attending Eaton Partner Summits because he doesn't feel that he's being talked to; rather, that he has an ongoing dialogue with Eaton executives. “They really listen to me, are very humble in the way they address the market, and work hard to be a better partner,” he says. “Eaton is a rare exception that both understands the IT channel and takes an interest in the success of our business. Their channel-friendly programs are easy to use and we receive excellent support from our dedicated channel sales team.”

Shelley Deane, senior technology consultant at JEM Tech Group, echoed that opinion, noting that “Eaton is our first choice not only because of their great customer support, but for how they put our clients first and provide us with a quality product to provide to our clients.”

Sure, Eaton manufacturers exceptional, high-quality technological solutions. But what sets us apart in the tech arena is our company culture. The sentiment I left with the group of MBA students applies equally to our partners; we at Eaton believe that rather than selecting your next company, you should be choosing your next leader.

Just be sure to choose wisely.

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