Satya Tyagi, Senior Network Administrator for Effectual Services shares his story about the work-life balance and culture at Effectual Services. At Effectual Services, Satya is involved in multiple projects and have held numerous roles related to website management, SEO activity, report management, and other IT activities. Change is the only constant in Satya’s career and he wouldn’t have it any other way. We sat down to talk with Satya as he completes his 5 years in Effectual Services and see what reflections he has on the past and hopes for the future.

Looking back 5 years, what attracted you to Effectual Services?
Previously, I was working with an IT company wherein I undertook website related activities and was involved in client-related projects. When I went for the interview, I saw 5-6 people working in a small office. I was aware of the fact that when you’re a startup, you’re practically still in the amoeba stage. During the first year of the startup, Effectual’s client portfolio consisted few clients but the vision and execution of the Co-founders made me join the company which has now grown to more than 100 employees in a short span of 5 years and the client portfolio includes some of the Fortune 500 companies and law firms. Everyone was really excited about what they were doing, which was pretty different from where I was coming from. The people I met, the people I interviewed with were so smart and so interesting and believed in one mission – Client Delight.

How did you begin your career at Effectual Services?
One of the reasons that I’ve been here so long is I’ve played so many different roles. I handled SEO, online report portal tool, website, sales reports and help operations team in Microsoft tool(Excel & word) for a while and then I was asked to play a role, which at the time was called IT Head resolving day-to-day IT issues relating to server, software, hardware, and network management. This is really an interesting job, it was totally different, and it also gave me access to some of the more senior leaders in the company.

How did your career make a turn toward IT?
For a while, I was handling all the IT-related projects and managed the reports, systems, and servers. This is where I started to see opportunities to improve our internal IT infrastructure wherein I advised the management to increase investment in IT. When I had discussed the opportunity with the Co-founders that I will solely handle all the activities related to IT, they were willing to take a chance and said, “If you’re excited about it, do it.” Their line of thinking was if you’re really passionate about it, you’ll find a way to get it done. I feel extremely proud of what Effectual has achieved; surrounded by a brilliant team of creative minds-knowing how much we have achieved in such a short period of time is a great feeling. Effectual has the required leadership and management capability and knows what they want to accomplish, are aware of and proactive.

Did you plan to stay in one place for 5 years?
I don’t really think about work in terms of how long I stay somewhere. I think of it in terms of am I enjoying it? Do I feel like I’m really contributing and I’m valued? There have definitely been times over the 5 years where I thought about leaving. However, each time I was feeling disconnected, Effectual’s leadership team responded in a very positive way. We had a constructive dialog and often the management presented an opportunity to try something new. As long as I’ve been able to do something where I really feel like I can have an impact on people, I enjoy the work. I do something different whenever I feel I’m not enjoying the job and not making much impact to the organization. It could be a change within how the current role is working or a change I need to make personally.

Looking towards the future, how do you feel about Effectual Services?
I think there’s a lot of opportunity to learn and grow in the organization. Strong leadership is one of the key factors for our continued success and growth in future. I can certainly state that Effectual Services wins hands down in terms of the attention paid to training & development of the employees. Not just skill training, but through various roles, the organization ensures that we develop and grow as a leader.

How has Effectual changed in the last 5 years?

A ton has changed and a few really essential things have stayed the same. Firstly, it was that kind of crazy startup, we-can-do-anything environment where Effectual and work seemed to take priority over everything else for people. Some of the essential things that were a part of during the startup phase, I still sense today. There is still a real passion around having impact on clients and constantly seeking new ways to be more productive. I can see that today, even with people that have recently joined the organization. Effectual Services brings an environment where you can call people up and they’ll help you, and they’ll want to help you. It was there back then and it still is today. Over the years, I have ingrained leadership skills and desire to make an impact in the growth of the organization. It’s interesting that that attracted me in the first place, 5 years ago. I believe high performance culture and entrepreneurship spirit is imperative to accomplish organization’s purpose, vision and goals.