Your True Self-Growth

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The ultimate self-growth is the growth of your craftsmanship. Because craftsmanship is your property that will never lost. And as you know, you are paid by the company based on your craftsmanship. So the more you are able to grow, the better salary and benefits you will receive.

In order to grow, you need two things: the way and the place to grow.

The way to grow entirely depends on your own efforts. The place to grow in this case is the company facilitation that enables you to grow.

The Way to Grow

“Are you growing in your current company?” is the question we ask in every job interview. And most of the candidates answered, “Yes”, of course with different reasons.

Some says, “I am a person who prefers to learn a variety of technologies rather than to master one type of technology. At my company, I have always been challenged to learn new technologies.”
Other says “My company put me in Business Intelligence and I got a lot of projects related to it. So, I got a lot of experience here, mainly specializing in Oracle BI.”

Of course there are many other reasons, but in general those reasons can be categorized as growing in technical ability by horizontal  (more technologies), and by in-depth manner (technological specialization). The interesting point you need to know, to grow like this is an illusion. To explain further, let us recall two basic economic principles that we get from school. The first law says that resources are limited, and the second law says that more supply for a certain demand will lower the value of the supply.

The economic law implies that you and I are limited by time. We only have 24 hours a day. No matter how much skills you have, at one time you can only use one or two of all those skills. And since you spend more time to collect the technology, you do not have time to master in one of those technologies. In other words, many other people who have the same craftsmanship, and even more advance than you, will make your value lower along the time.

If you develop a specialization, the situation is slightly better than the above case. The problem is technology changes. Take for example in software development, you might know a lot of programming languages such as Assembly, Basica, C, C++, Pascal, Delphi, Java, C#, Objective C, PHP, ASP 3, PowerBuilder, and so forth. If you have spent a great amount of time to master a programming language, let say C++, where that programming language is barely used anymore these days, you will have to switch to a whole new language. And in this new language, you will be a new player and once again faced with a situation where demand does not match your skills, and your value also automatically decreasing.

If everything is illusion, then what is a true self-growth, which is timeless and makes you differ than the others? The answer is the mindset and experience.

When you master a technology, do not only focus on the tools. Try to understand what is the main reason why that technology exists. By asking this, you can understand the basic concepts of the technology (“the why concept”). What are the features and concepts in the technology to meet the initial challenges that make that technology exists. This is called mindset. That way you can truly grow.

For example, if you understand “why” a programming language is created, then it will be much easier for you to understand any programming languages. Syntax might slightly different but the basic concept is the same. So that your craftsmanship are not limited to one or two programming languages, but can be applied to any programming languages. If you understand how the human brain works and its limitations in doing problem solving, you can even create your own programming language.

You need to understand what makes our “why concept” is very different, it is because we do our “why concept” up to unlimited depth to get a deep understanding, that even in several brainstorming sessions reached up to the level of atoms, electrons, and quarks of the digital equipment. Such deep understanding in one technology will shape the way of thinking that can be applied not only in that technology, but in other areas as well.

That’s it! IT CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER AREAS. This is your key to keep growing. For example, if your goal become an entrepreneur. You have to understand finance, accounting, product design, market psychology, market analysis, business plan, strategy, profit analysis, operations, marketing, pricing, how to calculate the COGS, supply-chain, legal/law, and so forth. How to understand it all until it becomes a working knowledge to make decisions? The answer is DEFINITELY not possible to learn it all one by one starting from ground zero. The only way is if you have enough depth way of thinking that other areas are almost as you move to another programming language.

This is our guidelines to develop career and craftsmanship at Kontinum.

The Place to Grow

All companies offer you to grow. The problem is, whether the company has a place and capacity to allow you to grow. It is not the matter of the size of the company, but rather the system within the company itself. In other words, whether the system of the company gives you the opportunity to grow.

Almost all IT consulting companies in Indonesia only facilitate you to grow technologically, but not in the true sense. They just give you the technology training, books on new technologies, and so forth. As you should realize, that this is not enough.

Why does this happen in so many IT consulting companies in Indonesia, even in companies with big names? This is caused by conflicts of interest between the sales team and you, as their consultant (software developer also referred as consultant).
Sales team has to achieve the sales target and commission. They have to find as many potential customers they can possibly approach. The problem is, they are just looking for prospective customers, but did not design the solution for them. To presales team, the more prospective customers means the more work to be done and they will have to think very quickly to design the solution.

Perhaps, only 1 or 2 hours making the proposal and then forward to the sales team. If you are in this situation, how can you grow? How can you possibly discuss intensively with others in the team or doing intensive research? The company does not give you enough space for you to grow, which is in this case, the time to think deeper, to find the appropriate technology, to discuss to gain experience and understanding from others in the team.

This problem is not over yet up to this point. Because the design of the solution was only done in 1 or 2 hours, the result will not be much different from what is offered by competitors. It creates a price war. If the company initially offered 1 billion, when there is a competitor offering 500 million, the sales team will drop the price to 500 million to win. For the sales team, they still get commission with 500 million. So, rather than no commission at all, the deal is compromised.

The project team suffers the most. Let say project of 1 billion supposedly resolved by 7 people in 4 months. Now the project is dropped to 500 million, so the project is cut back to 4 people in 3 months. 4 people must work the load of 7 within the time that has been trimmed to 3 months. Can you imagine the consequences? Overtime. If you are in a condition like this, how can you grow? The most logical thinking is to develop as soon as possible. As time goes by, motivation will decrease more, body and mind will be drained because of overtime. In these circumstances, how about the result? Of course, the result is not optimal. Just as presales, this time the project team does not get enough room to grow. Not only that, if you are part of the project team, you also do not have pride of the end result, because you know that the result is not maximal. Even 80% of projects like this end up failing miserably. Demotivation happens.

Obviously the source of the problem is the conflict of interest with the sales team. Having more and more prospective customers is good for the sales team, but not for the presales and project teams. Under these conditions, the consulting company generally will lean to the sales team, because the sales team provides income to the company in form of a project. Imagine if the sales team do not manage to get the project, the company can go bankrupt. So, the sales team is usually the star at the company while the project team/consultant/software developer/presales only accepts unreasonable workload. That even if it is successful, it will not offer any useful lessons (which can develop skills).

Based on this fact, Kontinum eliminates these conflicts of interest with a method called STRETCHING. Stretching is a brainstorming session based on the “why concept” consisting of several people INCLUDING the sales team. The discussions in it cover various possible solutions to solve customer problems. In each proposed alternative solutions, everyone should get an answer of why the solution is designed in the particular way (why concept), and whether the design basis is already subjected to the core problems faced by the prospective customer (reality check).

With this stretching process, you are given space to grow. Here, you get a great deal of understanding from people from different backgrounds and having different experiences. You are challenged to continue to develop your mindset with the “why concept” and “reality check”, a real growth for your life.

Through the stretching process, solution that is designed by presales team should WOW, amaze the prospective customer. How can this happen? This is the secret and beauty of the stretching process. Compare to the “one hour solution”, it is like heaven and earth. And the prospective customer, in response, is really amazed by the provided solution.

This process also brings a positive impact to the project team. Because of the astonishing customer solution resulted from the prior stretching process, the sales team will manage to get the sales to the optimum value required by the project team to deliver a good solution. So that the project becomes successful and more importantly, you can grow in a true sense and you get a proven case when the customer utilizes the entire solution completely.

The solution resulted from the maximized stretching process allows the sales team, instead of presales, to do the solution presentation to prospective customer. Why? Because the sales team has involved in the stretching process actively (not just packing and binding the proposal). They clearly understand that the provided solution is an excellent one, and automatically proud of it. The sales team no longer carelessly throws as many prospective customers. If they do so, the proposed solution is a crappy solution, and at the end they would get the embarrassment of presenting a crappy solution. Thus, a conflict of interest between the sales team and presales team is eliminated.

Conducive environment to delivering the best solution is now established. If you are Kontinum’s presales or project team, you can imagine how proud you are to be able to deliver solutions that amazed your customers. You will earn the gratitude from your customers and the pride from your friends, like heroes who returned from the war and brought victory. This is the place and the capacity to grow that Kontinum offers.

What’s Next?

Those two things: the way and the place to grow, are the most crucial and must be well understood from the beginning. Of course after that, there are more other facilities that are also important to create group of companies where all the processes are optimized to produce only and only the best solution. Unfortunately, not everything can be described in detail here, besides some brief additional explanation of some of the facilities as follows. Please join our team to directly experience and understand in detail yourself… how it feels to work at the place that is not for one hour consultant.

1. ELC (Employee Level Competency)

Your growth must be aligned with the company needs. The problem is that the performance evaluation is done only once a year and is highly subjective.

Kontinum realizes that the year-end performance evaluation is not enough. Why? Imagine that you have worked hard for one full year hoping to get a good evaluation. It turns out at the end of the year you realize many flaws that could be fixed ahead if those are communicated to you since then, in the beginning and periodically. So that, you do not have to wait one year to go up to higher levels.

Therefore, Kontinum creates a performance evaluation system called the ELC. It is VERY OBJECTIVE since everything is measured directly from the work in the field, so that you can use it ANYTIME. You can use it to figure out what else to pursue in order to go up to higher levels at the end of the year.

2. Single project but multi-role policy

In many IT consulting companies, you are grouped based on title, for example software developer, presales, project manager, software architect, and so forth. Imagine how you can become a software architect if from the beginning was never given the opportunity to design a software. How you can become a project manager if from the beginning was never given the opportunity to manage a project.

It is different at Kontinum, where presales and project manager are roles, not titles. Thus, you have the opportunity to become presales, project manager, and software architect. This is started from fresh graduates and you will be coached when getting the role. “You can never learn to swim, unless you are in the pool”.

Does it mean that a person does multiple jobs? What we understand is apparently different than the misled idea out there in general. For the role, yes it must be multiple. Because only by doing so, a person can grow. What should NOT be multiple is the accountability. Thus at Kontinum, one person only handles one project.

3. Structured Coaching

In your career at Kontinum, you will find coaching in every technical aspect. Starting from designing a solution to implementing it.

Different from other companies, coaching at Kontinum is not only in the form of training, but the coach also takes part in resolving the problem. A coach does not just give advice, but also to guide you until the issue is resolved. NO coach is “god” at Kontinum, who only speaks his own language to make others confused as if they are beginners (Normak Syndrome), where they cannot prove their postulates. They must provide technical justification (WHY) for a better solution, in numbers and proven by completing the solution together (reality check). No coach at Kontinum has Normak Syndrome.

4. Business Awareness Since Beginning

At Kontinum, unlike at other companies, from start joining, you will learn BUSINESS in true sense, not just technology. Starting from fresh graduate, you can calculate your own profit-loss, so you can adjust your effort to get to the profit you want to achieve. As presales, you have to calculate the ROI (Return on Investment) on the customer side when you propose a solution, and it is one of the metrics of how well is the result of the stretching process (reality check). As project manager, you are responsible for the projects you lead, from managing the human resources to the profit-loss of the entire project. As program manager, you are responsible in generating profit for the company, managing human resources (including determining the number of people to recruit and who are accepted).

You will see that Kontinum is a network of independent companies, starting from fresh graduate level, consultant, project manager, program manager, and until one day you have your own company.

5. Entrepreneurship

In the end, career has a limit, but entrepreneurship is endless. How many companies are touting about entrepreneurship? Mostly only talk about working hard. They do not have a clear view of what you can achieve besides career. That is not entrepreneurship at all, just a mere slogan.

Entrepreneurship does not also mean taking risks of arbitrary ideas. Entrepreneurship is how you believe in an idea. For that, you should have enough knowledge about the idea. You can find knowledge if you are given enough time to do stretching. You will not have the time if the sales team gives you a prospect that is not feasible. You will not have the knowledge, also when you are the only one to blame by the customers, that causing you to never talk to them to get a totally honest feedback.

In the end when you have an idea, that you believe and has survived through some testing, does the company provide a mechanism to help you create a company that embodies your idea? If others don’t, Kontinum does. As evidence, Kontinum continues to grow and has three subsidiaries, which is PT AlgoLab Solution, PT Bosnet Distribution Indonesia, and PT RumahITKu.