So – on Jan 24th – EMC announced our Q4 2011 financial results, and our 2012 outlook. This isn’t the place for financial analysis (and I’m no financial analyst), EMC killed it. It all starts with our customers, and our partners. THANK YOU. The fact that we’re making transformational changes while in this position of strength is a testament to the way we see the world.
As we put the EMC Presales Manifesto (read it here: This I Believe: EMC Presales Manifesto) into action – there are some interesting EMC Presales (which I call “SE” roles – as that’s what they usually are) roles which just posted – and if you want to be part of the rollercoaster, read on…
So, here after the break – a little more detail… Here is the official news re 2011 and our 2012 outlook, and you can read the call transcript here (including Joe and Goulden’s comments which are interesting). What WE say matters far less than what others are thinking. Here are some thoughts from 3rd parties:
“EMC is leading the way in one of the most important aspects of one of the most important technological shifts of a generation. For now, its position is secure, so I'm giving it an "outperform" CAPScall, and don't be surprised if it finds its way into my personal portfolio one of these days. EMC has been breaking a lot of its records lately, and that trend won't be ending anytime soon.” - Motley Fool
“EMC is a company that grows its core storage earnings at double-digit rates; throws off cash flow of more than 2x its earnings; sports a free cash flow yield of 16 1/2%; a P/E equal to its growth rate; and owns 80% of VMware (VMW), arguably one of the purest and most essential providers of tools for the development of cloud computing. I know 99% of you already know all of this, so the question is once again, why aren't these attributes being recognized in the stock price? And the answer is once again: there are no good reasons. If there are any, please do share.” – Minyanville
“EMC: Hitting on all cylinders and going higher.” – Seeking Alpha
I’ve got a news flash – we’re only getting started. 2012 will involve helping more customers and partners, taking more share, launching more cool technology and solutions, will involve more growth – and that means lots of opportunity.
In the end, it’s all about people. People = customers, partners, employees. Beyond the customers (THANK YOU!) who are voting with their budgets, enabling EMC to take share versus our competitors; partners (THANK YOU!) which voted with their time, and their business – thousands switching to EMC in 2011; beyond those people… there is always each and every employee.
There are 9 EMC Presales leadership positions that have just opened up. If you think you might be a fit – please apply. If you’re not an EMCer, you are welcome to apply! Just know that there is fierce competition from strong internal resources. Read on for the gigs and how to apply….
Are you interested? Perhaps you have a “mental image” of what it’s like to be at EMC? Here are some stories from people who have recently joined EMC:
“I worked for a competitive partner/reseller. It was an amazing job, I worked with great technology, VMware, Dell, Compellent, 3par, Equallogic. Even better was the amazing team I was able to work with. When I broke the news I was joining EMC one of our hardware partners told me what a horrible decision I made, that I would be “worked to death.” I saw joining the vSpecialist team as an amazing opportunity to do things differently at EMC. To help change the perception of EMC. After 1 year on the team I am glad to report I am not “worked to death” even though I work very hard I enjoy everything I do and the perception of how EMC treats their people couldn’t have been further from true.”
“I most recently came from Dell where I split my time between EqualLogic and EMC storage. I knew that EMC had tremendous talent, but it wasn’t until I came onboard as an employee that it struck me just how many really, really smart people we have here. There are folks with 25+ years of industry experience and know-how, and the most amazing thing is how many of them are working in the field. That was what truly shocked me. If you have a project that calls for something complex, there’s a good bet that EMC has someone local that can help. Dell doesn’t have field offices (employees work from home) and if you had a complex storage problem to solve, you had to roll the dice and hope someone in Austin could assist.
EMC smothers our customers and partners with technical resources and that’s the most impressive and humbling thing to me.”
“As I sit here pensively on a plane at 35000 ft, I realize I love this job. I love what I do, I love who I work with, I love my customers, and I love free hugs! I about to go into the team 007 g33kw33k and I am both excited and terrified. What challenges are put before us? Is there really a mountain lion in the box? Is 50 5hours going to be enough? Oh man it's all too much fun. It is true I have tried to get on the team for a while but goodness it was worth it. I liked my last job as well it was great and exciting, the difference I just like this one a ton more. I work with g33ks and am managed by a g33k and we are all about 1 thing ... The customer! I mean seriously how awesome is it that my boss and I argued about how cool the customer was and how EMC could best serve them. Ok it wasn't really an argument but it was sweet and customer focused. Then after dinner we talked not just like colleagues but as brothers in arms. It was great then I got to help him with skyrim ... lol ... I mean really who does that?”
“I joined EMC from NetApp about 10 months ago. I wasn't looking to make any "moves", but this opportunity came to me through some contacts and I feel it's always good to listen to options. I was very hesitant to make any move as I was comfortable in my role at NetApp. As I spoke with more and more EMC folks, they were all passionate about a new platform that was "to be released" (now the VNX). After giving some thought, looking at opportunity at both companies, I decided to make the move and I haven't looked back. My transition to EMC has been great - the overall culture is completely different from any "stories" I ever heard - people are friendly and more than willing to help. One of the biggest transitions is the amount of technology I have had the opportunity to be exposed to. Focusing on the mid-tier, I get the opportunity to work on 2 of EMC's hottest products, VNX and Isilon. Seeing what EMC has released and knowing what's coming, fully affirms that I made the right choice and that I'm without a doubt working on the market leading products.”
“If you'd asked any of my colleagues at my previous employers which company I would be least likely to work for, the answer many of them would have given would have been 'EMC'. I even had a mug they gave me that said 'No EMC' on it, which I cherished! I fully bought into the industry's view of EMC as 'Evil Machines Corporation'.
So how did I end up here? I decided to open my mind a little, and listen to what colleagues who actually worked at EMC, especially the vSpecialist team. They were having fun, enjoying themselves, doing interesting, hard work and, when you look at sales numbers, are clearly very successful. So I decided to take a chance, knowing that if I didn't like it I could pretty easily move elsewhere. My conversations with the vSpecialist management team (most specifically JT and Chad) convinced me that I was more working for them for EMC. I was working to advance a specific team.
9 months later and I'm still here, not because EMC is the greatest company ever (all companies have their own small annoyances), but because its very good and, more importantly, I'm still being challenged on a daily basis. I'm challenged not only by the work, the pace of the work, but also by my amazing colleagues challenging my views every day.
So, the short version - I'm at EMC because of the people at EMC.”
“If I had to put my impression of EMC over my first year into one word it would be "humility". Coming from NetApp I had certain ideas about EMC as a company and their technology. I came over to EMC because I saw certain trends in the market and the technical space that I felt EMC was better suited to fill - but I have to be honest that I was holding my nose at what I perceived as the company culture. After all NetApp is "the best place to work" and they have a reputation as a great company to make a career. This is true - I met phenomenal folks there with a tremendous amount of passion and drive. EMC in my mind had a reputation as a stuffy button down culture that is stuck in the mud of procedure and "old thinking". But I have been both utterly shocked and captivated by the incredible level of humility and openness that I have found inside of EMC.
EMC is a place where YOUR ideas MATTER. Seriously.
Engineers listen.
Sales folks listen.
Management listens.
It's all about making the best product here and not just "winning". It's about creating a culture of openness and transparency that transcends product lines and quotas. You can really make a difference here in a way that I have never seen anywhere else at any other time. I'm incredibly proud and honored to be part of a group of folks that are literally changing the world - I wake up every day knowing that if I work hard that I can make a real difference in the real world. And I do - every day at EMC.”
“So it's been 10 months here at EMC as a Senior Healthcare Technical Consultant and I can say 100% the rumors and horror stories are all BullS%*& Coming from a Premier IBM Business Partner/ NetApp Platinum Partner for 12.5 years it was a very scary change to the Evil Machine Company/ Early Marriage Counseling (recently engaged). While on the competitor side we would hear how engineers were used and abused, no respect from sales manager and at the end of the day it's all about selling spinning disk. Well it's far from the truth. In the short time being here has shown me that we have the most innovative tools, abundant of resources and engineers that can build a spaceship..
My time spent here has proven to me that teams work together, sales resources and executives respect a field engineer value. Also the opportunity for growth and mobility (both domestically and international). The detail and knowledge of education you will receive here deserves it's own degree. If you're an A player this is the company to work for. If you're a B player this is the company to work for and advance your skill. If you're a C player you should go work for our competition..”
“I switched to EMC, coming from SAP. It's been just over a year, and I haven't had to regret a single thing about my new job.
Prior to coming to EMC, I was in touch with parts of the EMC organization, and was lucky enough to get to know several people throughout EMC, due to my participation in several social media events. I've gotten to know Chad and several of the vSpecialist, and came to know what kind of dedication, passion, knowledge and talent they bring to their job and their customers.
From day one I knew that this was a place where I would feel at home. What changed? I get to help customers that face challenges, and overcome those challenges with them.
I was able to learn so much from my team, and from EMC, about doing business, about helping my customers, about having a passion for technology, about trying to be the best at my game, and about not being afraid to be a geek!
I'm just a small part in a very big company, but I try to do deliver my share, and I'm proud to be working for EMC. For me, it was not just a career change, but a change in my life, and it was one for the better!”
“The first months working for EMC totally baffled me. A large American company, lots of standardized processes (good ones!) but still flexible with great management that made it clear that I mattered as a person? That would be crazy talk, right?
Heck no. Everyone matters, everyone is aiming for a common goal, and everyone feels the same way. They love it here. That includes me.”
“I transitioned from an EMC "partner", _________, that actually sold against EMC with Dell in many accounts. I know, I know... evil partner. The transition from the partner/reseller has been better than I ever imagined and the experience unrivaled for several reasons: 1) EMC has incredible talent and we have the ability to tap into that talent from single contributors, all the way up to Joe Tucci for our opportunities. This positions us as a partner rather than just another vendor with our customers; 2) EMC is the leading innovator and most influential in the industry. What a great place to build my career!; 3) We are highly trained and EMC focuses heavily on continued education and training to keep us at the top; 4) Relationships - No company has opened the door to this many relationships - locally, nationally, and globally - in just one year. We pride ourselves on our powerful relationships.
I had an offer from Dell and EMC and I was just discussing my decision to go to EMC instead of Dell with a friend who happens to be an investor. We both agreed it was a wise choice due to our position versus Dell's dwindling business. Finally, there is tons of upside and opportunity at EMC.”
So, are you still interested in joining us (and if not – REALLY…???), and if so – what are these roles?
They are in two groups: i) the first are theatre/segment presales leadership; ii) the second are global functional leaders for specialty areas.
Think of the theatre/segment presales leadership as “field generals” – walking manifestations of the principles of the presales manifesto, and the leader of broad communities of field generalists and specialists. Think of the global functional specialty leaders as being the “spiritual leaders of communities/tribes of people with a specific focus”. While at EMC specialty resources are part of a geography (depending on role or span – this can be a theatre like the Americas/EMEA/APJ, or it can be “Chicago” or “Paris”) – they are just as defined by their specialty – and that identity flows from the global specialty leader.
Theatre/segment leader job postings:
- 83714BR - Europe South Region Presales Lead (leads many hundreds of people)
- 83715BR- Europe North Region Presales Lead (leads many hundreds of people)
- 84407BR – Americas Commercial Segment Presales Lead (leads many hundreds of people)
- 84406BR – Americas Enterprise Segment Presales Lead (leads many hundreds of people)
Global Specialty leader job postings:
- 84408BR – Global Specialty Presales Lead (makes the 9 current specialty leaders work together)
- 84409BR – Global ESD Presales Lead (leads a team of ~100 specialty resources focused on VMAX/VMAXe/VPLEX/Recoverpoint)
- 84410BR – Global Flash Presales Lead (leads a team of ~10 specialty resources focused on a not so secret upcoming EMC product)
- 84412BR – Global Partner Presales Lead (leads our global Partner TC community – focused on helping our Partner SEs get the most they can from EMC)
- 84413BR – Global Accounts Presales Lead (leads our Global Accounts TC community – those that cover the largest, most complex customers)
If you’re interested – you can apply here: EMC Brassring – Apply Here. They will be posted with no response for 10 days (gives time for people to post), and then we go through interview processes with the sales, global services, and business unit leaders.
It’s worth stating for the folks reading this who are already in the EMC presales org… often I’m asked a common, and very important question from a lot of people: “Chad, I’ve read your manifesto – but what does this transformation stuff really mean to me”?
- I’ll be posting regularly – some with videos to discuss what we’re doing to try to make your lives better, tools better, access to more, better work/life balance – so stay tuned to Virtual Geek.
- Re how this affects you, well – everyone is part of transformation – in every part of the org. If you think you’re a fit for some of the roles – apply! If you don’t think you’re a fit for those roles for what ever reason, but you believe in the principles of the manifesto, think about how to apply them in whatever you do.
- What things ARE NOT CHANGING?
- EMC had a killer 2011, and a big part of that were the already awesome TC community… so one rule I hold dear is: “Chad, don’t break anything!” That means the core model for the generalist presales org (internally, we call these folks “Account TCs” and “TC Managers”) is unchanged in 2012, with the notable exceptions mentioned above – filling out theatre/segment and divisional/regional/country presales slots.
- We will maintain that strong model of accountability with sales leadership, GS leadership in the geo as partners.
- So, then what IS CHANGING?
- These leadership roles sure… but more directly, we are simplify by standardizing specialty models in each division/region/country (ergo, everyone will have these specialties in their geo, only a question of degree) and making sure there is more corporate support for specialties and linkages to the BUs and ESG. Together, this will enable us to “snap in” other BUs and acquisitions in the future, and get stronger corporate specialty support. Some of our most mature/staffed specialty groups like the vSpecialists and the EMC Midtier (VNX/Isilon) specialty teams are leading the way here.
- We know we can increase use of shared services, improving tools (spending a lot of time there) – which means we get more leverage. Stay tuned for more.
- We know that while we need to continue the formal accreditation processes… but we also know that the way technical people learn best is in intimate “bootcamp” style sessions with hands on time and opportunities to interact in tight groups. We will make this part of onboarding, associate level training, and also how we roll out the TC roadshow globally in 2012.
- We know we can better balance our workforce pyramid (associate/TC/Advisory/Principal/field CTO) – which means we get more butts in seats, more coverage, more leverage – and to individuals, that means better work/life balance.
As always – THANK YOU to the customers, to the partners, and to my brothers/sisters in all parts of EMC. Back to your regularly scheduled nerdy Virtual Geek programming :-)
Awesome Chad. I already work here but want to apply again :). LOL
Posted by: Chappy | January 26, 2012 at 09:44 AM